At the interchange of 183 and SH45 there are stubs indicating future direct connectors to what I assume would be a continuation of SH45 as a western loop. Just curious if there was a proposed route and where it would have gone? I imagine what ever proposals there were are now dead.
Aerial view of interchange:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=30.468909,-97.798662&spn=0.020196,0.025706&gl=us&ui=maps&t=k&z=15
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/sh/sh0045.htm (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/sh/sh0045.htm)
It is designated all the way around Austin. I guess I'd say it's been "proposed," but that isn't the same as what I'd call "planned." Some designated routes are built decades later, and some will probably never be built. This road itself is a good example; it was designated in 1985 and most of the existing portion wasn't built until 20 years later. I know of no plans to build the west part of the loop, but it has, at a minimum, been proposed.
The cost of right-of-way has probably spiked 10-fold in the past 30 years in west Austin. If anything is built at all, it'll be in segments and will probably take another 30 to complete.
I have a 1994 map that has the "proposed" route. Part of it was supposed to go north across the river and hook up with Quinlan Park Road in Steiner Ranch. But the eastern section that has been built was supposed to be closer in. I will attempt to scan it if I can.
http://www.kvue.com/news/Lakeway-suggests-toll-road-over-Balcones-Preserve-to-relieve-traffic-210633331.html
Lakeway proposed a toll road recently that would form a part of a loop around Austin.
But that area is quite developed, perhaps a toll road even farther west (extreme western Travis County) would be easier to construct before this area becomes developed as well.
Quote from: Road Hog on July 22, 2013, 08:13:35 AM
The cost of right-of-way has probably spiked 10-fold in the past 30 years in west Austin. If anything is built at all, it'll be in segments and will probably take another 30 to complete.
What's interesting though is that halfway between Anderson lane and 2222, they kept enough right of way to build a freeway with frontage roads:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=30.420959,-97.845483&spn=0.020206,0.025706&gl=us&ui=maps&t=k&z=15
Quote from: Chris on July 22, 2013, 09:15:35 AM
http://www.kvue.com/news/Lakeway-suggests-toll-road-over-Balcones-Preserve-to-relieve-traffic-210633331.html
Lakeway proposed a toll road recently that would form a part of a loop around Austin.
But that area is quite developed, perhaps a toll road even farther west (extreme western Travis County) would be easier to construct before this area becomes developed as well.
I'm wondering if a better alternative would be to expand 360 and build a connector along the 2222 corridor from 360 to 620? And then add a few below grade underpasses at the busiest intersections along 620, like they did here with FM1960 in Houston which definitely has little to no right of way:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=30.007469,-95.46366&spn=0.005073,0.006427&gl=us&ui=maps&t=k&z=17
They need a few bridges over Lake Travis
Quote from: thisdj78 on July 22, 2013, 12:09:44 AM
At the interchange of 183 and SH45 there are stubs indicating future direct connectors to what I assume would be a continuation of SH45 as a western loop. Just curious if there was a proposed route and where it would have gone? I imagine what ever proposals there were are now dead.
Aerial view of interchange:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=30.468909,-97.798662&spn=0.020196,0.025706&gl=us&ui=maps&t=k&z=15
Yes
I believe they just set it up to run down 620, and when it got around 2222 it would run further east, away from Lakeway. Before Steiner Ranch was built, anyway.
Quote from: texaskdog on July 22, 2013, 01:35:35 PM
I believe they just set it up to run down 620, and when it got around 2222 it would run further east, away from Lakeway. Before Steiner Ranch was built, anyway.
Further east yes. But the 620 Mansfield Dam bypass bridge was built to freeway standards with expansion of SH 45 in mind. So it would cut east after the bridge.
As others have noted, SH 45 was once planned as a full loop. I recall seeing a map which took it mostly west of RR 620, mostly parallel. But my memory is somewhat dim on the exact alignment.
Once the environmentalists secured political control of the area in the 1990s, the preserves were established and the west loop was killed.
As for the wider right-of-way in NW Austin west of the 183/45 interchange, my recollection is that there were efforts to extend the freeway/tollway to Anderson Mill, but no further. Even that short extension could not move forward. I seem to recall that the nearby neighborhood protested, and that was the end of it.
By the recycling bin today I found a sweet 1995 satelite photo of Austin someone put on foam core. No idea why they were tossing it, I think it was our Executive Directors, who just retired. It actually does show the original 45/130 routing that was further in than was evenutally built.
Quote from: texaskdog on July 31, 2013, 04:03:36 PM
By the recycling bin today I found a sweet 1995 satelite photo of Austin someone put on foam core. No idea why they were tossing it, I think it was our Executive Directors, who just retired. It actually does show the original 45/130 routing that was further in than was eventually built.
Nice!! Congrats on a great find!!
Quote from: US81 on July 31, 2013, 05:33:05 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on July 31, 2013, 04:03:36 PM
By the recycling bin today I found a sweet 1995 satelite photo of Austin someone put on foam core. No idea why they were tossing it, I think it was our Executive Directors, who just retired. It actually does show the original 45/130 routing that was further in than was eventually built.
Nice!! Congrats on a great find!!
Tried to photograph it this morning but it's not working. Also Howard Lane, when it hits McNeil just west of mopac, was projected to head north and run parallel to Mopac, about a mile to it's east.
Hey I have a book with a picture of Business 81 & US 183 both making a left turn. I can't imagine where this photo would have been. I will try to take a picture and post. The picture is easy but posting on here not so much.
It is on my computer but I never have luck with postinghttps://www.facebook.com/texaskdog187/media_set?set=a.10151565927256274.1073741829.598011273&type=3&uploaded=6#!/photo.php?fbid=10151565927526274&set=a.10151565927256274.1073741829.598011273&type=3&theater
(https://www.facebook.com/texaskdog187/media_set?set=a.10151565927256274.1073741829.598011273&type=3&uploaded=6#!/photo.php?fbid=10151565927526274&set=a.10151565927256274.1073741829.598011273&type=3&theater)
crud, can i email it to someone who is good at posting?
Quote from: texaskdog on August 02, 2013, 02:20:46 PM
crud, can i email it to someone who is good at posting?
Just sent you a message
Quote from: texaskdog on August 02, 2013, 02:13:38 PM
Hey I have a book with a picture of Business 81 & US 183 both making a left turn. I can't imagine where this photo would have been. I will try to take a picture and post. The picture is easy but posting on here not so much.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FyGglo1z.jpg&hash=6812aab34fdd48b05c53c63919ebb12ca46d152b)
I'm wondering if this is Guadalupe at 1st street (Cesar Chavez) looking south?
I can tell you that it was approximately 1965 that those '61 spec black squares were first used.
Thanks for the help, thisdj78!
Quote from: texaskdog on August 02, 2013, 03:33:13 PM
Thanks for the help, thisdj78!
This may help answer where this was taken at:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FTf6Bxb0.jpg&hash=da792ce360f2775566b0a73c74728125fa818c3a)
Dude... it gives you the address a couple lines above where your photo cuts off... http://books.google.com/books?id=dqsISgbIjVUC&pg=PA41
(though, given the variable quality of Arcadia Publishing, this could be wrong...)
Thanks I just saw that while reading it this weekend. So it is in fact somewhere near 26th & Guadalupe on this map.
Willing to bet maybe its at 19th & Lavaca.
Quote from: texaskdog on August 05, 2013, 01:25:08 PM
Willing to bet maybe its at 19th & Lavaca.
Judging by the shadows, the picture is looking north, so that is probably correct.
Quote from: Road Hog on August 09, 2013, 08:53:24 AM
Quote from: texaskdog on August 05, 2013, 01:25:08 PM
Willing to bet maybe its at 19th & Lavaca.
Judging by the shadows, the picture is looking north, so that is probably correct.
Good investigative work!
If you take the caption at its word as that building being in the back of a house in the 2600 block of Whitis, it would also be in a good position to have a sign indicating that you want to go left at the fork where Guadalupe dog-legs at 27th Street. The arrow shows a sharper turn than is actually there, but the through route would be straight ahead.
Maybe I need to take a current picture there
Quote from: texaskdog on July 22, 2013, 10:34:47 AM
They need a few bridges over Lake Travis
Expanding 620 between 2222 and 183 into a toll road. We don't want the toll road anywhere near Lake Travis.
Quote from: Cam4rd98 on March 23, 2014, 11:47:23 AM
Quote from: texaskdog on July 22, 2013, 10:34:47 AM
They need a few bridges over Lake Travis
Expanding 620 between 2222 and 183 into a toll road. We don't want the toll road anywhere near Lake Travis.
We don't want any more toll roads.
I want a freeway near Lake Travis.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on March 24, 2014, 08:48:01 AM
I want a freeway near Lake Travis.
I wonder if you could make a nice little freeway from DT Austin to Lake Travis. If only I had one of the fictional map programs.
Okay. It goes up Mopac to 2222. Make 2222 a freeway until it hits 620. Cut off the small bend on the south side of that intersection. Goes along 620 to Hudson Bend and bridge the lake to Lago Vista.
We need to squeeze an overpass at Anderson Mill Road. It can be built at non-freeway standards. Toll-Free Overpasses. and a couple more along the way. We don't want a giant freeway at Anderson Mill because there are already businesses in the way that would have to be demolished if SH 45 was extended all the way to lakeway.
Grade Intersections on 620 that Should be overpassed-
Anderson Mill Road
El Salido Parkway
Pecan Park Blvd
Ridgeline Blvd (and install traffic signal)
Deerbrook Trail
Hatch Road
A mini 4-lane Parkway with frontage roads beside it just like the Wurzbach Parkway in San Antonio!
[;
hjf
Quote from: thisdj78 on July 22, 2013, 09:41:19 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on July 22, 2013, 08:13:35 AM
The cost of right-of-way has probably spiked 10-fold in the past 30 years in west Austin. If anything is built at all, it'll be in segments and will probably take another 30 to complete.
What's interesting though is that halfway between Anderson lane and 2222, they kept enough right of way to build a freeway with frontage roads:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=30.420959,-97.845483&spn=0.020206,0.025706&gl=us&ui=maps&t=k&z=15
No that's the wildlife preserve. They gated it all off from the bikers and you can only hike there 7 months a year.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on July 22, 2013, 02:04:54 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on July 22, 2013, 01:35:35 PM
I believe they just set it up to run down 620, and when it got around 2222 it would run further east, away from Lakeway. Before Steiner Ranch was built, anyway.
Further east yes. But the 620 Mansfield Dam bypass bridge was built to freeway standards with expansion of SH 45 in mind. So it would cut east after the bridge.
I hear now, from someone in Steiner, that they are reviving it
Not sure if it's been mentioned above and I missed it, but there is a little piece of SH45 between the south end of Loop 1 and RM 1826, which might've been part of the proposed west loop. IIRC, when I drove it there was no toll.
Quote from: oscar on March 09, 2015, 09:21:43 PM
Not sure if it's been mentioned above and I missed it, but there is a little piece of SH45 between the south end of Loop 1 and RM 1826, which might've been part of the proposed west loop. IIRC, when I drove it there was no toll.
Yeah, that's the part someone called frontage roads which would explain why it is so wide. I guess it had to connect somewhere.