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Texas Urban Road designation to be removed

Started by wxfree, November 13, 2018, 11:11:22 PM

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wxfree

Quoth the minute order:
"Minute Order 105686, dated June 27, 1995, established a subdivision of the state highway system classified as the Urban Road (UR) system. The order provided that Farm to Market (FM) or Ranch to Market (RM) roadways within urbanized areas with populations of 50,000 or more were eligible for the UR designation and certain FM and RM roads were redesignated as Urban Roads.

The provisions of Minute Order 105686 were never implemented by the Texas Department of Transportation (department). The UR designation was not reflected in any roadway inventory database and no UR signs were erected. Neither the department nor the public adopted the UR designation into common usage. The only system which presently references the UR designation is the department's highway designation files website. Maintaining those UR designations causes confusion because the files reference the cancellation of FM and RM roadway designations which are still active."

It then has a list of URs divided by district and a description of them.  It isn't stated explicitly, but presumably all of them will officially become part of the FM/RMs they were before.  This hasn't been approved yet, but by the time a matter gets to the commission as a proposed minute order, it's usually a foregone conclusion.

http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/commission/2018/1115/4.pdf
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Road Hog

I'm familiar with a number of these roads and never had a clue they had ever been designated as URs. A nothingburger from the start.

txstateends

I've wondered before why TX didn't consider converting the more urban FMs/RMs to primary state roads, if local officials and/or TxDOT districts wanted to continue having a designation on any of them at all.  It wouldn't be that big a deal, and it's not like TX is running out of primary route numbers anytime soon.
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kphoger

Quote from: wxfree on November 13, 2018, 11:11:22 PM
Quoth the minute order:
"... no UR signs were erected. ..."

Not quite...

Quote from: kphoger on January 04, 2018, 12:57:27 PM
Almost true.  The city of Victoria had actually already gotten around to putting one UR-1315 sign up on Salem Road, but it was later replaced.  Alas, I cannot find a picture of it anywhere;
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Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

wxfree

#4
As a formality, it should be noted that this minute order was passed and is numbered 115371.  That number will soon appear in the FM/RM designation files of the roads affected.

As an interesting (to me) note, aside from the lack of signage and recognition, the system was already broken.  FM 1187 was changed to UR 1187 for the entire section east of US 377.  An old portion of that route was changed to BF 1187, a business route of the FM system.  Since there is (was) no Business UR system, a bypassed section of this UR was changed to a business route for a different system.  Also, FM 1960 was changed to UR when there was already a BF 1960, separating that business route from its parent.  The new minute order will correct these breaks.
I'd like to buy a vowel, Alex.  What is E?

Brian556

Yet another example of going back to the old way because it was better

wxfree

There's an update to this topic.  They're finally changing the Highway Designation Files.  I just now noticed it.  The UR pages are being removed, and each affected FM file is being updated.  Rather than adding the update to the end, it's being placed as an addendum to the UR designation, because the change is retroactive, so now it never actually was an Urban Road.  They seem to be going in numerical order.  FM 157 has been changed back.  Now it looks like the lowest UR number is 188.  This is the relevant part of the file for FM 157, starting with the UR minute order, and then addendum to rescind that MO.

"Minute Order 105686, dated 06/27/1995; DesLtr 03-1995, dated 06/30/1995
Minute Order 115371, dated 11/15/2018 (Rescinds Minute Order 105686)

Minute Order 105686: From US 287, approx. 3.0 miles southeast of Mansfield, southward via Venus to FM 66 at Maypearl, a distance of approx. 22.656 miles.  (Tarrant, Johnson, and Ellis Counties)  New description; mileage from SH 121 southward to BU 287-P transferred to UR 157.

Minute Order 115371 general description: Minute Order 115371 rescinds Minute Order 105686. The result of this rescission is the elimination of the Urban Road (UR) system. The Farm to Market (FM) and Ranch to Market (RM) roadways which were intended to be redesignated as Urban Roads under the provisions of Minute Order 105686 revert back to their FM/RM designations. Minute Order 115371 declares that the provisions of Minute Order 105686 were never implemented, and although the UR designations were in effect during the interim between these two Minute Orders, the affected roadways continued to be referred to by their FM or RM designations. Only the Highway Designation Files made reference to the UR designations during this interim period. Upon the passing of Minute Order 115371, the affected Highway Designation Files have been updated retroactively to reflect the FM/RM designations.

Minute Order 115371 as it affects FM 157: Any mileage that was previously described as "transferred to UR 157" reverts back to FM 157. This is retroactive to the date of passage of Minute Order 105686. The Highway Designation File (HDF) page for UR 157 has been removed. HDF entries for UR 157 have been transferred to the HDF page for FM 157 and revised accordingly. "

http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/fm/fm0157.htm

It's interesting to note, something I hadn't noticed before, that this road was referred to as "FM 157" even in internal documents, such as minute orders changing the description.  It was technically wrong at the time, but the 2018 minute order makes it retroactively correct.
I'd like to buy a vowel, Alex.  What is E?

Perfxion

Urban Roads seemed like a solution in search of a problem. If the road was getting upgraded should have either done the FM-149 turning into SH-249 or FM-1960 into Cypress Creek Parkway and be done with it. The actual UR would be unneeded.
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