AARoads Bill 1: An Act to Create Interstate 32 in Texas

[webny99]

Should this not be in the Fiction column?

Why here and not fictional?

Have you looked at the AADTs?  I think it's debatable that traffic counts warrant an Interstate designation.  AADT doesn't even top 11,000 along any stretch between Chillicothe and Amarillo.  In my opinion, US-287 should be upgraded to a full freeway between Fort Worth and Vernon but, west of there, some bypasses and grade-separated interchanges are all that's needed.

Then, of course, there is the argument that making it an interstate - or at least a full freeway - will in turn increase traffic volumes, thus justifying it. That is one of the arguments for extending the US 219 freeway south from Springville, NY to Salamanca.

Personally, I believe that volumes will increase on any given corridor once it's a freeway. But that's an effect of the project, not a cause for it.

[kphoger]

Why would you want to spend millions of dollars in order to make a highway more crowded?

[webny99]

Why would you want to spend millions of dollars in order to make a highway more crowded?

A newly widened highway wouldn't be more crowded than it was before, but it would carry more volume. Obviously, the increase in lanes/capacity would more than offset the increase in volume. You wouldn't expect the two to increase in perfect sync.

[motorola870]

This vote is binding. It requires a simple majority to pass.

Unless the forum software is malfunctioning, you can change your vote. You can also propose amendments to this bill.

WHEREAS, there is a great need for United States Highway 287 to be upgraded between Fort Worth and Amarillo;

WHEREAS, the annual average daily traffic on United States Highway 287 is greater than that on proposed Interstate 14;

NOW THEREFORE, Interstate 32 shall be created. It shall overlap United States Highway 287 from its western terminus at Interstate 40 and its eastern terminus at Interstate 35W.

Eighty (80) percent of the funding of Interstate 14 shall be redistributed to Interstate 32.

This bill does not preclude the extension of Interstate 32 west of Interstate 40 or east of Interstate 35W, nor does it preclude decommissioning United States Highway 287.

This bill shall be effective immediately.

clearly You haven't seen the amount of work done south of the Interstate 20 concurrency in the last 20 years. Right now plans are underway for a full interstate standard grade separation with frontage road from Interstate 20 to interstate 45. Bypasses have been built and major interchanges have been constructed in rural areas. Not to mention they are getting ready to break ground on the southeast connector in a few years completely redoing US287 from Wichita St/Bishop St. in Fort Worth to Sublett Road in Arlington. The designs of the new stack interchanges are interesting as they are going to remove several on and off ramps in the funnel section of the I820/US 287 concurrency.