Grand Parkway residents say they're forced to pay tolls just to leave their home

[ZLoth]

From KHOU (Houston, Texas):

Grand Parkway residents say they're forced to pay tolls just to leave their homes

These Bridgeland homeowners say they were never warned about a costly surprise that hits them every time they leave or drive home.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Google Map of the area - If you say "But they have the  Red Medina Trail", that's a dirt road.

[hotdogPi]

They could do something similar to the Thousands Islands bridge in New York. My info is a few years outdated, but I seem to remember that anyone who lives on the island has a 9¢ toll for the bridge to the south rather than the typical toll of several dollars.

[kalvado]

Looking at all the road stubs, a few other roads seem to be planned resolving the issue. I wonder what are the schedules for those (if any)

[Max Rockatansky]

From KHOU (Houston, Texas):

Grand Parkway residents say they're forced to pay tolls just to leave their homes

These Bridgeland homeowners say they were never warned about a costly surprise that hits them every time they leave or drive home.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Google Map of the area - If you say "But they have the  Red Medina Trail", that's a dirt road.

Looks graded to me.  The actual issue that there is a closed gate on the House Road side.

Maybe it is just me, but if you live in the sticks it doesn't seem unreasonable to have part of your commute consist of a dirt road or two.  It didn't seem all that unusual when I drove my Camaro up and down a dirt road in Florida Keys on work days.

[vdeane]

Making matters worse, homeowners say they weren't warned about the tolls when they purchased their properties. When residents first moved in, the toll booths were under construction and not yet operational.

And that didn't prompt anyone to think "we'll have to pay tolls when the construction finishes"?  That said, it's really odd that there are no frontage roads there, or at least none that connect to anything.

[The Ghostbuster]

Surely the residents knew that the other segments of the Grand Parkway is tolled. Considering how many toll roads there are in the Houston area, they shouldn't have been naive to believe the newly-built roads wouldn't be toll roads as well.

[ZLoth]

I pulled up Zillow and did a sampling of homes in that neighborhood. The property tax history goes back to 2023, so these homes were probably purchased around 2022. This is around the tail end of the low interest rates. How many of these home purchases were "Fear Of Missing Out" purchases to take advantage of the low mortgage rates? This was a surreal estate time where some bad home decision making was made.

It would be resolved if the county constructed the frontage road northward.

[kalvado]

It would be resolved if the county constructed the frontage road northward.

A stub of Jack rd further east suggests development on east side of 99 is planned, and connecting two stubs would open up room for development, and connect affected residents to us290 and  commercial area along it.

[chrisdiaz]

They could do something similar to the Thousands Islands bridge in New York. My info is a few years outdated, but I seem to remember that anyone who lives on the island has a 9¢ toll for the bridge to the south rather than the typical toll of several dollars.

I believe its the same for the Grand Island bridges near Buffalo.

[Henry]

Talk about being screwed to the wall, and these are probably residents with six-figure incomes too!

It would be resolved if the county constructed the frontage road northward.

A stub of Jack rd further east suggests development on east side of 99 is planned, and connecting two stubs would open up room for development, and connect affected residents to us290 and  commercial area along it.

Hopefully the connecting part gets built, even if the planned development never comes to be. That would be the most ideal solution to this fustercluck of a situation.

[kalvado]

They could do something similar to the Thousands Islands bridge in New York. My info is a few years outdated, but I seem to remember that anyone who lives on the island has a 9¢ toll for the bridge to the south rather than the typical toll of several dollars.

I believe its the same for the Grand Island bridges near Buffalo.

Staten island and verrazano bridge as well, although still not neager 56 cents.

[Anthony_JK]

I figured that not building the Grand Parkway with proper continuous access roads like the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8 would come back and bite someone's ass.

[Bobby5280]

The issue with the Creekland Village neighborhood is complicated further by how the Grand Parkway was designed in that area. Drainage ditches were built where frontage roads would normally be located. I wonder how much of that area is in the flood plain.

It seems like a foregone conclusion new housing subdivisions will fill in the vacant areas where new homes can be built. Eventually Jack Road is going to tie into other surface arterials. In the near term Jack Road will connect to Katy Hockley Road off to the West. It looks like Peek Road will be extended into Creekland Village from the South. Jack Road will probably be extended East to connect with another existing segment nearby. That will give Creekland Village residents a toll free way to get to US-290.

[ElishaGOtis]

I figured that not building the Grand Parkway with proper continuous access roads like the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8 would come back and bite someone's ass.

It's not the craziest thing they've done...

Twice...

At least here they shut the exit until it was connected to something, even if it's just a dead-end...

You gotta wonder how many transactions those dead-end ramps get, if the gantries are even active in the first place (website and signs suggest they are). Even then, why are those exits open?

[Bobby5280]

Those two dead end exits on the NE section of the Grand Parkway have been there for about 3 or 4 years. I guess they were anticipating some planned housing/retail developments going into those locations. The developments just haven't been built yet. Considering the direction where the housing market is going along with the broader economy it may be a few more years before anything gets built there.

Aside from economic issues, I imagine prospective developers would like to see that portion of the Grand Parkway more fleshed out. The toll road segment is a minimal configuration: limited access Super 2 with no frontage roads. The only step lower than that is Super 2 with at-grade intersections.

[TheCatalyst31]

I figured that not building the Grand Parkway with proper continuous access roads like the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8 would come back and bite someone's ass.

It's not the craziest thing they've done...

Twice...

At least here they shut the exit until it was connected to something, even if it's just a dead-end...

You gotta wonder how many transactions those dead-end ramps get, if the gantries are even active in the first place (website and signs suggest they are). Even then, why are those exits open?

This reminds me of when the Chongqing subway expanded before the surrounding development was built, so one station was just sitting in an overgrown field for a couple of years (before and after pics here). Except it's Houston, so it's the toll road/exurban sprawl version of that instead.

[chrisdiaz]

Looks like there is now a free way for them to exit their neighborhood

Houston-area subdivision no longer trapped behind a toll road after new route opens

[Anthony_JK]

You mean to tell me with all the revenue those toll roads get, they couldn't find any way to build out one-way frontage roads from there to where GP/99 meets 290? Or, they couldn't have built that subdivision closer to 290? Somebody screwed up here. Or, some deals must have been made under the table. 

[MaxConcrete]

Looks like there is now a free way for them to exit their neighborhood

Houston-area subdivision no longer trapped behind a toll road after new route opens

I was in the area on Saturday and Jack Road was open at Katy-Hockley Road, making the connection described in the news report.

All land adjacent to the new section of Jack Road are huge construction zones, preparing sites for new homes and amenities. Below is a photo at Peek Road.

Full size

[kphoger]

You mean to tell me with all the revenue those toll roads get, they couldn't find any way to build out one-way frontage roads from there to where GP/99 meets 290? Or, they couldn't have built that subdivision closer to 290? Somebody screwed up here. Or, some deals must have been made under the table.

Or it's just that the problem never occurred to anyone till it was already a problem.

[armadillo speedbump]

So the whiners who failed to do basic due diligence on the biggest investment of most of their lives are now whining about the free solution that just opened.  (I bet they didn't look at the flood plain maps, either.  The developer will be required to meet the required standards, which have been improving, but....)

Also note that the free option opened 1.5 months after the original article, so it must have already been under construction.  Poor journalism to leave out how close it was to completion, with instead just a mention of it being considered by stakeholders.  "When could it be completed?" seems like an obvious question for a reporter.  Skipped the follow up?   

[Max Rockatansky]

So the whiners who failed to do basic due diligence on the biggest investment of most of their lives are now whining about the free solution that just opened.  (I bet they didn't look at the flood plain maps, either.  The developer will be required to meet the required standards, which have been improving, but....)

Whining certainly didn't hurt since this story got traction with media sources. 

[kphoger]

squeaky wheel and all that

[Max Rockatansky]

squeaky wheel and all that

Stories that involve "will someone think of the homeowners" get attention.  If anything I'll wager this didn't hurt the chances of construction of other connecting roads being somehow expedited.