North Houston Highway Improvement Project (project resumed March 2023)

[The Road Warrior]

That is absurd.  The project should never be approved until the highway has a plan to cap.  Just awful.

This is outdated information. The final plan now has the freeway caps being built by TXDOT. The only thing that's not covered in the current plans are anything that will be built on the caps (whether that's parks or private development). That will have to be handled by private interests.

[bwana39]

[/color]

That is absurd.  The project should never be approved until the highway has a plan to cap.  Just awful.

This is outdated information. The final plan now has the freeway caps being built by TXDOT. The only thing that's not covered in the current plans are anything that will be built on the caps (whether that's parks or private development). That will have to be handled by private interests.

While the CAPS are part of the engineering for the freeway, is the funding in place for them? TxDOT doesn't normally pay for them even though they secure the engineering and let the contracts for them.  The promise right now is caps. What will actually get built 15 years from now is still up in the air. I feel there is a 50% likelihood the Pierce Elevated will still be standing and utilized as a freeway when I am gone. (I am 62.)

[Plutonic Panda]

It would be nice if they would just rebuild the Pierce Elevated and keep it but build it higher so more sunlight reaches the bottom making it less of a dividing road.

[bwana39]

It would be nice if they would just rebuild the Pierce Elevated and keep it but build it higher so more sunlight reaches the bottom making it less of a dividing road.

It isn't about the sunlight. It is about the people who reside under it. Getting rid of it is mainly about getting the homeless out of downtown.

Downtown Houston is over 1,000 acres. People are walking in less than half of it. After dark, most of it is a ghost town except for the bedded down homeless and a few of them who wander.

[TheBox]

I just realized something, that Love's Travel Stop at I-45 @ Patton St is the only major truck stop within the I-610 inner loop, and its not even in the cities eastern half (which is more industrial) but rather the middle, and on top of that the closest one to Downtown by far

Since it's probably gonna be capped, are they gonna make a new exit to Patton St or maybe worse-case scenario demolish that truck stop all together if there's enough buzz and uproar about that one?

[hotdogPi]

Do urban areas even need truck stops? I live on a long-distance corridor (the northern half of I-495), and the only truck stop I'm aware of that's anywhere remotely close to here is I-95 exit 3 in New Hampshire.

[bwana39]

I just realized something, that Love's Travel Stop at I-45 @ Patton St is the only major truck stop within the I-610 inner loop, and its not even in the cities eastern half (which is more industrial) but rather the middle, and on top of that the closest one to Downtown by far

Since it's probably gonna be capped, are they gonna make a new exit to Patton St or maybe worse-case scenario demolish that truck stop all together if there's enough buzz and uproar about that one?

That is far outside the capped part.   This said, The 610 loop on the north and east side of downtown is only 3-4 miles from the city center and less than ten in the other directions.

[Chris]

Do urban areas even need truck stops?

Urban cores usually don't have space for them, but there is a significant demand for overnight truck parking close to major cities. Truck drivers often need to deliver their load in the morning, but cannot find parking within reasonable driving range.

There is a huge shortage of truck parking, especially in more urbanized regions. Trucking is not just driving long-distance, shippers and receivers are typically in metropolitan areas to serve their customers.

[Rothman]

Do urban areas even need truck stops?

Urban cores usually don't have space for them, but there is a significant demand for overnight truck parking close to major cities. Truck drivers often need to deliver their load in the morning, but cannot find parking within reasonable driving range.

There is a huge shortage of truck parking, especially in more urbanized regions. Trucking is not just driving long-distance, shippers and receivers are typically in metropolitan areas to serve their customers.

And then you have tight restrictions in places like NYC, where some shippers have to break up 53' loads and allocated time slots.

[TheBox]

As someone who lives in a small neighborhood with not 1 but now 2 trucking businesses, one of them know what to be (tho they shifted from flatbed for the longest time to sea-containers last year, and now recently back to flatbed's seemingly, likely with a deal/contractor), and the other has the same 5-6 flatbeds and 5-6 dumps (half of which are 18-wheelers) parked there and feels more like of another expansion of the mix mash of different kinds of small 18-wheelers businesses in 1 spot from the other 2 streets nearby to the east (also the same trucks that always park there too), and that's not the only one around it.
It's inside the beltway but outside the 610 inner loop and thus still far from Downtown.

These ones specifically go to West Loop (via S. Post Oak), South Loop (via Hiram Clarke and then S. Main), South Fwy (via W. Orem), and Southwest Fwy (via again W. Orem and S. Main but to the west)

[MaxConcrete]

The demolition of Clayton Homes is complete.  Photo credit to Hindesky on HAIF
https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/45066-i-45-rebuild-north-houston-highway-improvement-project/page/64/#comments

[MaxConcrete]

TxDOT has resumed eminent domain acquisition for the project. This month's list includes 23 parcels. All parcels are located along I-10 east of I-69, and they are all small parcels.

Details start on page 599
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot/commission/2023/0711/7.pdf

[MaxConcrete]

TxDOT is having 3 public meetings this month. Today's meeting focused on the downtown section, and numerous design changes were presented.

Presentation boards

The design changes do not affect any of the originally-planned main lanes.

The downtown work is now estimated at $5.7 billion. (I don't know if this is a change from the previous estimate, since I'm not aware of a direct comparison value.)

All downtown work is scheduled to be completed in 2037.

I-69 from SH 288 to I-45: This is the first section to be built, scheduled for 2025 to 2030. Estimated cost is $152 million for drainage improvements and $496 million for highway improvements. Design changes are minimal, none affecting the main lanes. The "signature" bridge designs are not finalized. The depictions in the display board suggest that the arches are purely aesthetic, with no structural role.

I-59 I-69 from Spur 527 to SH 288: This will be the second section to begin construction, starting in 2026 and completing in 2032. No changes to main lanes. The freeway caps have been extended. The planned frontage roads along I-69 are eliminated. Loss of the westbound frontage road is a negative impact in my opinion, but loss of the eastbound frontage road has a negligible impact. However, the right-of-way is being widened on the north side (in spite of the frontage road removal) due to the need for specialized "D-wall" retaining walls resulting from the deep trench and high groundwater.

I-10 in the UH-Downtown area: adjustments to adjacent streets. No changes to main lanes.

I-10/I-45 shared section: This has the most lanes of any section in NHHIP (around 36), using multiple elevated structures. The updated design says that all roadways will pass over the railroad. This may cause all structures to be moved upward, but I can't say for certain. For those familiar with Houston, this railroad is the "Be Someone" crossing which is a graffiti magnet, and it appears it will be at ground level in the new design.

I-10/I-69 interchange: minor adjustments to I-10 frontage road, ramp and adjacent street

There are some right-of-way reductions, mostly along I-10 in the vicinity of I-69.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^ I think you meant I-69 instead of I-59. I'm not too familiar with Houston but I looked around and couldn't find I-59 anywhere. Though if it's I-69 I am surprised they'd remove the service roads and not build a cantilever design like US-75 in Dallas.

[Some one]

^^^ I think you meant I-69 instead of I-59. I'm not too familiar with Houston but I looked around and couldn't find I-59 anywhere. Though if it's I-69 I am surprised they'd remove the service roads and not build a cantilever design like US-75 in Dallas.

It's surprisingly common for people to refer to I-69/US 59 as I-59. It doesn't help that the real I-59 is about 200 miles to the right LOL. Off-topic, but I remember a year ago when I was driving down Sugar Land, there were detour signs for I-59.  .

As for the design changes, it's disappointing they aren't doing more to reduce ROW acquisitions, but I'm glad they're at least making the efforts to make the projects less disruptive/more manageable.

[MaxConcrete]

Good news! Actually, great news.

John Whitmire was elected Mayor of Houston in Saturday's runoff over Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee with a decisive 64.4% of the vote.

Whitmire is a traditional Democrat and is generally suppportive of NHHIP. I don't recall that he ever made any statements against the project, although he has endorsed additional community involvement.

Jackson Lee is a leader of anti-NHHIP efforts. She is a longtime enemy of TxDOT. She is very anti-TxDOT and anti-freeway. In the early 1990s she lead an opposition effort against the West Loop expansion, and she succeeded in getting it canceled. Today, the West Loop is consistently the most congested freeway segment in Texas. Having her as mayor would be disastrous for Houston's future mobility plans, and she would also be bad news for the business climate. I expect she'll remain politically active (e.g. a community organizer), but she won't have any power.
UPDATE: Jackson Lee will not retire from congress at the end of her current term. She will run to retain her seat in the U.S. House.

I'm hopeful Whitmire will try to accelerate the project to get it done sooner than the current schedule, which extends to the late 2030s. Getting it done by the end of a second term (2032) would be a nice goal.

[Some one]

Good news! Actually, great news.

John Whitmire was elected Mayor of Houston in Saturday's runoff over Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee with a decisive 64.4% of the vote.

Whitmire is a traditional Democrat and is generally suppportive of NHHIP. I don't recall that he ever made any statements against the project, although he has endorsed additional community involvement.

Jackson Lee is a leader of anti-NHHIP efforts. She is a longtime enemy of TxDOT. She is very anti-TxDOT and anti-freeway. In the early 1990s she lead an opposition effort against the West Loop expansion, and she succeeded in getting it canceled. Today, the West Loop is consistently the most congested freeway segment in Texas. Having her as mayor would be disastrous for Houston's future mobility plans, and she would also be bad news for the business climate. I expect she'll remain politically active (e.g. a community organizer), but she won't have any power.

I'm hopeful Whitmire will try to accelerate the project to get it done sooner than the current schedule, which extends to the late 2030s. Getting it done by the end of a second term (2032) would be a nice goal.

Tbf the West Loop expansion was going to cut into Memorial Park, so I can see why it got canceled. As for NHHIP, I hope that Whitmire finds a nice compromise and get NHHIP through while mitigating ROW acquisition/damages and exploring multimodal options, like the future bike lanes and METRORapid.

[armadillo speedbump]

Tbf the West Loop expansion was going to cut into Memorial Park, so I can see why it got canceled. As for NHHIP, I hope that Whitmire finds a nice compromise and get NHHIP through while mitigating ROW acquisition/damages and exploring multimodal options, like the future bike lanes and METRORapid.

Very little effect on Memorial Park, and it was ridiculous to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  I'm going to assume you don't have to commute via the I-10 to US 59 segment of the West Loop.  Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Mars) never has to either, and she has a driver, so no skin off her back.  She (and the Galleria area snobs that keep torpedoing 610W solutions) did a terrible disservice to the city.

[Some one]

Tbf the West Loop expansion was going to cut into Memorial Park, so I can see why it got canceled. As for NHHIP, I hope that Whitmire finds a nice compromise and get NHHIP through while mitigating ROW acquisition/damages and exploring multimodal options, like the future bike lanes and METRORapid.

Very little effect on Memorial Park, and it was ridiculous to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  I'm going to assume you don't have to commute via the I-10 to US 59 segment of the West Loop.  Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Mars) never has to either, and she has a driver, so no skin off her back.  She (and the Galleria area snobs that keep torpedoing 610W solutions) did a terrible disservice to the city.

I don't, but I'm aware of how shitty that part of I-610 is. I'm pretty sure it's common among Houstonians that 610 between 59 and I-10 is unbearable to drive in. I'm all for TXDOT improving that section of 610, but unfortunately, any plans to expand it are dead on arrival. So ig all they can do now is find other ways to improve that section. I wouldn't say they did a terrible disservice. It sucks, yeah but Uptown and Memorial Park aren't suffering from the cancellation.

FWIW, I'm not a huge fan of Sheila Jackson either. But I don't entirely disagree with her stance on freeways, urban ones at least.

ETA: Here's to hoping that if/when the University BRT and/or Inner Katy/Gulfton BRT extension get built, we'll see more people using the uptown bus lanes, thus taking cars off the West Loop. One can only hope   

[MaxConcrete]

TxDOT had a meeting last week to solicit consultants for PS&E (plans, schedule and estimates) for NHHIP sections 3C-4 and 2A.

Presentation

See map on page 9 of the presentation for the sections.
3C-4 is Interstate 10 on the northwest side of downtown, including the huge interchange complex with I-45.
2A is I-45 north of I-10 to just south of I-610 (excluding any work at the Loop 610 interchange).

There's no "new" news but items of interest are

• Section 2A: estimated cost is $444 million and estimated letting is November 2027
• Section 2A proposed changes under evaluation (page 21) are negligible in terms of the freeway main lanes
• Section 3C: estimated cost is $786 million and estimated letting is February 2028
• The graphic on page 25 shows two direct connect ramps from eastbound I-10 to northbound I-45. The configuration and curvature of the ramps is different from the official current schematic, with the managed lanes connector now going on the top level. The presentation mentions that the regular traffic connector ramp for this movement is under study for adjustments.
• Page 26 shows 36 lanes at the center of the interchange complex, which is the same as previously published plans.
• Page 27 labels the existing railroad bridge as "Existing railroad bridge to remain", which was not the original plan. My understanding is that all lanes will go over the railroad. Currently, all regular traffic lanes go under the railroad bridge. This will lift up the interchange substantially, as suggested on page 26.

[ski-man]

Have they ever said if the existing portion of I-45 from the I-10 split to where the Pierce Elevated starts will be given a 3-digit designation like I-145 or I-545??

[MaxConcrete]

Have they ever said if the existing portion of I-45 from the I-10 split to where the Pierce Elevated starts will be given a 3-digit designation like I-145 or I-545??

I have not heard anything about a new route designation. The section you mention is usually called the downtown connector. It is scheduled to start construction in 2031 and be completed in 2037, so there's no hurry for the route designation.

[Henry]

Have they ever said if the existing portion of I-45 from the I-10 split to where the Pierce Elevated starts will be given a 3-digit designation like I-145 or I-545??

I have not heard anything about a new route designation. The section you mention is usually called the downtown connector. It is scheduled to start construction in 2031 and be completed in 2037, so there's no hurry for the route designation.

If anything, it would stay unsigned, like I-345 in Dallas is, but if they insist on a designation, then I-145 would certainly be the way to go.