Houston: Gulf Freeway future options narrowed to two alternatives

[MaxConcrete]

Today is a public meeting for the future recommendation for Houston's Gulf Freeway (I-45 South) between downtown and Beltway 8. This section is 4x4 with a reversible HOV lane, built to its current configuration in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Two alternatives are being carried forward to the next phase of the study.

Alternative C: keep current 4x4 main lanes and add 2x2 managed lanes.

Alternative F: expand to 5x5 main lanes and add 2x2 managed lanes.

The only other decent alternative is Alternative E, which is 5x5 main lanes and 1x1 managed lanes. But it is not being carried forward. Fortunately the very bad alternatives (A, D) are also dismissed.

There is no information about the future of the substandard interchange at Loop 610, except a statement which says "Improvements to major interchanges may be needed to accommodate future elevated managed lanes."

Since the very expensive NHHIP (I-45 north of downtown) is scheduled to be in progress and consume most available funds until 2042, I don't see any major work starting on the Gulf Freeway until the second half of 2040s. The presentation suggests major work is 20+ years into the future. With current funding levels, there may not be enough resources to move the main project forward at any time in the future, but the less expensive "supplemental improvements" could be done. While I hope Alt F is selected, I may not live long enough to see the main project done.

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[The Ghostbuster]

I would support Alternative F.

[Bobby5280]

I'll just repeat that I think single express lanes just suck. All it takes is one slow poke to utterly ruin the advantage of getting in that lane. A single express lane can be really really bad if a vehicle breaks down in it and doesn't have enough shoulder room to pull over anywhere.

Alternative E should just ditch the 1x1 express lanes design and go with a reversible 2 lane setup. Alternatives C and F are better having dedicated 2 lane express lane roads going in both directions.

But yeah, given the way how major highway projects are funded these days (and litigated in court as well as debated in the political arena) many of us are going to be well into our retirement years if not pushing up daisies by the time that project is finished -if it ever gets finished or built.

[stevashe]

I'll just repeat that I think single express lanes just suck. All it takes is one slow poke to utterly ruin the advantage of getting in that lane. A single express lane can be really really bad if a vehicle breaks down in it and doesn't have enough shoulder room to pull over anywhere.

Alternative E should just ditch the 1x1 express lanes design and go with a reversible 2 lane setup. Alternatives C and F are better having dedicated 2 lane express lane roads going in both directions.

But yeah, given the way how major highway projects are funded these days (and litigated in court as well as debated in the political arena) many of us are going to be well into our retirement years if not pushing up daisies by the time that project is finished -if it ever gets finished or built.

You might have misinterpreted the post above then. Alternative E is not moving forward. The only alternatives selected were C and F, so there will definitely be 2x2 express lanes either way.

I agree with you on single express lanes sucking, though in the Seattle area, the problem is moreso that there's so much traffic that a single express lane can easily be overwhelmed and end up with the almost as much congestion as the main lanes...

[Bobby5280]

I saw what they did with I-25 between Colorado Springs and Denver. I-25 was a 2x2 road and they added a single tolled express lane in each direction. What a bunch of crap. The highway only gets wider just North of Castle Rock on the Southern outskirts of Denver. The damned Interstate could be 4x4 the whole way between the two cities.