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I-6 In Texas

Started by ethanhopkin14, July 28, 2020, 06:00:37 PM

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Roadgeekteen

This belongs in fictional since I-6 doesn't exist.
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https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5


sprjus4

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on August 06, 2020, 08:20:55 PM
This belongs in fictional since I-6 doesn't exist.
Freer to Corpus Christi - "I-6"  - is an official proposal. It's not fictional.

sturmde

I-6 should go ahead and be signed on the freeway parts of SR 44, north on SR 358, cosigned on I-37, US 181, and along SR 35 for the freeway parts as they are extended east...

ethanhopkin14

Quote from: sturmde on August 07, 2020, 12:54:05 AM
I-6 should go ahead and be signed on the freeway parts of SR 44, north on SR 358, cosigned on I-37, US 181, and along SR 35 for the freeway parts as they are extended east...

Agreed.  I have always wanted the Harbor Bridge and the freeway northeast of there to Aransas Pass to carry an interstate shield.  That would unfortunately require one of my most hated things:  a route that is cosigned and dies in the cosign.  Whether it be two routes that terminate together on the same pavement or, one terminates and the other continues.  You could truncate I-37 about 6ish miles, then you have to change 147 miles of mile markers and exit numbers!

Bobby5280

In the scenario of an I-6 route being built thru Corpus Christi and over the new Harbour Bridge to Aransas Pass and farther East, it would open a new possibility for I-37. Make I-37 consume the TX-358 freeway and terminate at North Padre Island. I-6, coming by way of TX-44, would have a short concurrency with I-37 on the North end of the TX-358 freeway. Then I-6 would turn East and take over the last couple or so miles of freeway currently used by I-37.

CoolAngrybirdsrio4

Quote from: Bobby5280 on August 07, 2020, 01:46:14 PM
In the scenario of an I-6 route being built thru Corpus Christi and over the new Harbour Bridge to Aransas Pass and farther East, it would open a new possibility for I-37. Make I-37 consume the TX-358 freeway and terminate at North Padre Island. I-6, coming by way of TX-44, would have a short concurrency with I-37 on the North end of the TX-358 freeway. Then I-6 would turn East and take over the last couple or so miles of freeway currently used by I-37.

If Interstate 6 were to be extended northeastwards from Corpus Christi to Aransas Pass and further east, where will it ultimately end?
Renewed roadgeek

Thegeet

TBH, if it were to be designated as an I-69 auxiliary route, this connects three branches different from mainline route, so my hot take is I-1069. It may be fictional in numbering,but it's still related to I-69.

In all seriousness, I-6(?) would be designated in the next decade or so, considering the timeline for the direct connectors. And I predict the routing to be from US 59 in Freer, to SH 358 in CC.

CoreySamson

Quote from: CoolAngrybirdsrio4 on December 31, 2021, 12:24:22 AM
Quote from: Bobby5280 on August 07, 2020, 01:46:14 PM
In the scenario of an I-6 route being built thru Corpus Christi and over the new Harbour Bridge to Aransas Pass and farther East, it would open a new possibility for I-37. Make I-37 consume the TX-358 freeway and terminate at North Padre Island. I-6, coming by way of TX-44, would have a short concurrency with I-37 on the North end of the TX-358 freeway. Then I-6 would turn East and take over the last couple or so miles of freeway currently used by I-37.

If Interstate 6 were to be extended northeastwards from Corpus Christi to Aransas Pass and further east, where will it ultimately end?
You could theoretically route it up TX-35 up to Houston in accordance with the new TX-35 freeway between I-610 and Alvin that's been in the cards for a while now. I pondered doing that in my fictional highways thread but decided against it.
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Thegeet

#33
Quote from: CoreySamson on December 31, 2021, 01:44:57 PM
Quote from: CoolAngrybirdsrio4 on December 31, 2021, 12:24:22 AM
Quote from: Bobby5280 on August 07, 2020, 01:46:14 PM
In the scenario of an I-6 route being built thru Corpus Christi and over the new Harbour Bridge to Aransas Pass and farther East, it would open a new possibility for I-37. Make I-37 consume the TX-358 freeway and terminate at North Padre Island. I-6, coming by way of TX-44, would have a short concurrency with I-37 on the North end of the TX-358 freeway. Then I-6 would turn East and take over the last couple or so miles of freeway currently used by I-37.

If Interstate 6 were to be extended northeastwards from Corpus Christi to Aransas Pass and further east, where will it ultimately end?
You could theoretically route it up TX-35 up to Houston in accordance with the new TX-35 freeway between I-610 and Alvin that's been in the cards for a while now. I pondered doing that in my fictional highways thread but decided against it.
If it were the case, would the freeway be routed on the current LBJ Causeway bridge near Fulton, or would it require a new bridge west of it?

Otherwise, this routing would potentially require bypasses in Tivoli, Port Lavaca, Palacios, Bay City, West Columbia, and Angleton, about 6 bypasses at least. In Port Lavaca, I don't think the median is wide enough to fit four new lanes, even with a barrier, only barely more than 100ft wide.

Bobby5280

#34
Quote from: CoolAngrybirdsrio4If Interstate 6 were to be extended northeastwards from Corpus Christi to Aransas Pass and further east, where will it ultimately end?

There are a couple possibilities. The first would be signing I-6 over TX-35 to Aransas Pass and the current dead end of the TX-35 freeway in Fulton. It's possible to extend that freeway straight NE, skirting by the Aransas County Airport to the Northwest. There is undeveloped ROW in front of that freeway dead end. A new causeway would be needed across Copano Bay to a point near Holiday Beach where the highway can merge back into the existing TX-35 highway. Trying to push an I-6 route over to the existing causeway would be too disruptive. If money was no object I'd build an I-6 tunnel under Copano Bay to Holiday Beach. But that's too costly.

Farther Northeast in the towns of Port Lavaca and Point Comfort the TX-35 roadway is Interstate-ready. But the Lavaca Bay Causeway would need some serious upgrades to be made Interstate-quality.

I wouldn't have an I-6 route divert down to Palacios, but rather go direct from Point Comfort to Blessing and Bay City. Next stop is Old Ocean and the refinery there. The I-6 route would then need a new terrain bypass of West Columbia and Angleton.

If it was up to me I'd ultimately have I-6 ending at I-45 in Texas City just on the other side of West Bay from Galveston. Some might be bothered by I-6 and TX-6 crossing each other, but I don't see that as a problem at all. I-69 and US-69 will cross each other in Texas too.

An Interstate between Corpus Christi and Galveston could serve multiple purposes. There are multiple oil refineries along the way; I-6 would help move related commercial traffic. I-6 would help business in nearby beach communities. And it would be another major lateral arterial to aid in hurricane evacuation.

sprjus4

A freeway along the SH-35 corridor just seems redundant to US-77 and US-59, which is already a four lane divided highway that's free-flowing between Corpus Christi and Houston, and will eventually be I-69.

Not to mention, the fastest route now between Corpus Christi and Galveston is still US-77 / US-59, the Sam Houston Tollway, and I-45. Once the SH-99 Grand Pkwy is completed along the southern side, it will improve that routing further.

And a side note, the SH-35 route near Rockport and Fulton is merely a four lane divided highway, it's not a freeway. It's a high quality, 75 mph roadway with no traffic signals, but not fully interstate standard. You'd need a few interchanges and frontage roads.

Bobby5280

Quote from: sprjus4A freeway along the SH-35 corridor just seems redundant to US-77 and US-59, which is already a four lane divided highway that's free-flowing between Corpus Christi and Houston, and will eventually be I-69.

It's not any more redundant than I-69E and I-69C going into far South Texas. TX-35 runs much closer to the coast than US-59/Future I-69 and US-77. US-77 diverges Northward at Victoria. TX-35 directly connects a series of oil refineries close to the coast. The Houston metro is pretty gigantic in size and population scale. Based on previous events the current escape routes for incidents like incoming hurricanes are insufficient. An I-6 route built from Corpus Christ to Texas City could be another high speed escape route to distribute some of the burden.

There are several other highly populated regions of the US that have 2 or even 3 parallel super highways carrying traffic. South Florida has I-95 and the Florida Turnpike doing double duty.

I can't see any other realistic place within the contiguous 48 states where an I-6 route could be located other than South Texas. But it would kind of suck if an I-6 route was built only run between Freer and Corpus Christi. It wouldn't be much longer than that dinky I-97 route in Maryland.

The Ghostbuster

Could an "Interstate 6" along the TX 44 corridor theoretically continue west of US 59/future Interstate 69W in Freer, to Interstate 35 in Encinal? Or are traffic counts too low to justify such an extension?

Bobby5280

I doubt if such an upgrade to Encinal would be worth it. It's not a significant destination like Laredo and its extremely busy border crossing. One exception to that would be if the grander visions of an I-27 extension were realized: an extension South of Lubbock down thru Midland/Big Spring (the I-27W/I-27E thing), San Angelo, Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Laredo. An I-6 route that began on that I-27 extension running thru Encinal to Freer might work out better in a big picture scheme. Still I don't think the traffic counts are there to justify it.

CoolAngrybirdsrio4

Quote from: Bobby5280 on December 31, 2021, 07:54:49 PM
Quote from: CoolAngrybirdsrio4If Interstate 6 were to be extended northeastwards from Corpus Christi to Aransas Pass and further east, where will it ultimately end?

There are a couple possibilities. The first would be signing I-6 over TX-35 to Aransas Pass and the current dead end of the TX-35 freeway in Fulton. It's possible to extend that freeway straight NE, skirting by the Aransas County Airport to the Northwest. There is undeveloped ROW in front of that freeway dead end. A new causeway would be needed across Copano Bay to a point near Holiday Beach where the highway can merge back into the existing TX-35 highway. Trying to push an I-6 route over to the existing causeway would be too disruptive. If money was no object I'd build an I-6 tunnel under Copano Bay to Holiday Beach. But that's too costly.

Farther Northeast in the towns of Port Lavaca and Point Comfort the TX-35 roadway is Interstate-ready. But the Lavaca Bay Causeway would need some serious upgrades to be made Interstate-quality.

I wouldn't have an I-6 route divert down to Palacios, but rather go direct from Point Comfort to Blessing and Bay City. Next stop is Old Ocean and the refinery there. The I-6 route would then need a new terrain bypass of West Columbia and Angleton.

If it was up to me I'd ultimately have I-6 ending at I-45 in Texas City just on the other side of West Bay from Galveston. Some might be bothered by I-6 and TX-6 crossing each other, but I don't see that as a problem at all. I-69 and US-69 will cross each other in Texas too.

An Interstate between Corpus Christi and Galveston could serve multiple purposes. There are multiple oil refineries along the way; I-6 would help move related commercial traffic. I-6 would help business in nearby beach communities. And it would be another major lateral arterial to aid in hurricane evacuation.

It would be interesting to see a freeway ultimately run from Galveston to Corpus Christi, bypassing Houston.
Renewed roadgeek

Bobby5280

Another thing to consider if a Gulf Coast freeway like this I-6 concept could be built from Corpus Christi to Galveston: what if the highway didn't have to end at I-45? Has there ever been any proposals to tunnel across Galveston Bay from Texas City to the Bolivar Peninsula on the other side? Currently the only way to get across is the ferry on the East side of Galveston.

An Interstate quality tunnel to the Bolivar Peninsula and a freeway on the other side could blow open a lot of business opportunity there. And it could allow this I-6 concept to go even farther East to Port Arthur, Bridge City and meet up with I-10 somewhere near the Louisiana border. That kind of concept would make I-6 pretty legit.

CoolAngrybirdsrio4

Quote from: Bobby5280 on December 31, 2021, 11:53:42 PM
Another thing to consider if a Gulf Coast freeway like this I-6 concept could be built from Corpus Christi to Galveston: what if the highway didn't have to end at I-45? Has there ever been any proposals to tunnel across Galveston Bay from Texas City to the Bolivar Peninsula on the other side? Currently the only way to get across is the ferry on the East side of Galveston.

An Interstate quality tunnel to the Bolivar Peninsula and a freeway on the other side could blow open a lot of business opportunity there. And it could allow this I-6 concept to go even farther East to Port Arthur, Bridge City and meet up with I-10 somewhere near the Louisiana border. That kind of concept would make I-6 pretty legit.

I was thinking of having a possible eastern terminus in Winnie or Orange, Texas if it were to be extended onto the the Bolivar Peninsula and continue northeast.
Renewed roadgeek

Bobby5280

An I-6 concept going that far would have to tie into I-10 a bit West of Orange, TX due to all the existing development on the existing TX-73 and TX-87 corridors thru Bridge City and Orange on the way to I-10.

Rothman

This thread is fictional malarky.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

sprjus4

Quote from: Rothman on January 01, 2022, 01:24:51 AM
This thread is fictional malarky.
Yup... the only official segment of "I-6"  (not yet designated) is SH-44 between SH-358 and US-59 (Future I-69W) at Freer.

Anything north of Corpus Christi is pure fictional, and even more so beyond Lake Jackson.

edwaleni

This should be moved to fictional.

There is no record at the FHWA for any planned use of number 6 for interstate use.

There is no record of *any* federal legislation authorizing the use of I-6.

There is no (and never has been) appropriation bill proposing the use of I-6.

I couldn't locate any state legislation in Texas looking to request *any* road be called I-6.


Thegeet

I have asked TxDOT what the number might be, and if I-6 is said by them, by all means, this thread may be kept. If not, I would create a new thread.

sprjus4

Quote from: edwaleni on January 01, 2022, 02:06:55 AM
This should be moved to fictional.

There is no record at the FHWA for any planned use of number 6 for interstate use.

There is no record of *any* federal legislation authorizing the use of I-6.

There is no (and never has been) appropriation bill proposing the use of I-6.

I couldn't locate any state legislation in Texas looking to request *any* road be called I-6.
The thread is in reference to the proposed interstate along SH-44 between SH-358 and US-59 in Texas, which is not fictional - it is an official proposal apart of the I-69 system.

The only fictional part is the "I-6"  label, which if anything, should simply be removed from the title of the thread.

roadman65

#48
Yeah you make it sound official.  That freeway has been planned bot TexDOT won't assign it a designation  yet.  I thought that this was news being reported.

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jbnv

This topic should probably just be moved to Fictional. Far more fictional speculation than discussion of actual plans for TX-44.
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