Top 5 Unnecessary Freeways in TX

[thisdj78]

We spend a lot of time discussing new freeway projects but curious what freeways in TX you think are obsolete or unnecessary at this point?

[CoreySamson]

I think with all of these, they are less "obsolete" and more of "nice to have." And there's a lot of freeways built with expected expansion in mind that we don't know how useful or unnecessary they will ultimately be (the Dallas tollways, the Grand Parkway, I-69, etc.). I think this is also heavily weighted towards routes I have been on, so take this with a grain of salt. With that in mind here are my top 5:

1. TX Loop 151 in Texarkana
2. Fort Bend Tollway in Houston
3. The southern sections of TX 45 in Austin
4. TX Spur 5 in Houston
5. TX 44 freeway in Corpus Christi

Out of those, TX Loop 151 is really the only one that feels truly unnecessary to me. The others either will be extended or form a moderately important connection.

[NE2]

SH 352 is becoming less useful now that that there more signal work being along the corridor to install more traffic signals along intersections and also longer freight trains cross SH 352 near Dixon Avenue which stops traffic for longer times. It used to be alternative to I-30 during the morning rush hour and the poorly maintained Military Parkway in the city of Dallas limits.

Where is 352 a freeway?

[texaskdog]

I-10 in West Texas   Seriously if not for the interstate system, stretches of I-10 would never be freeways.

[thisdj78]

I-10 in West Texas   Seriously if not for the interstate system, stretches of I-10 would never be freeways.

Yep, it would be like most of the Trans Canadian Highway in Western Canada.

But with our semi-truck traffic, it's necessary.

[NE2]

I-10 in West Texas   Seriously if not for the interstate system, stretches of I-10 would never be freeways.

I'm gonna tell him...

[bwana39]

Out of those, TX Loop 151 is really the only one that feels truly unnecessary to me. The others either will be extended or form a moderately important connection.

The 151 was built when I-49 was supposed to track the currently signed portion of I-369. It probably is unnecessary, but it does form a good Texarkana TEXAS to I-49 access.

[Stephane Dumas]

I-10 in West Texas   Seriously if not for the interstate system, stretches of I-10 would never be freeways.

The same might be probably said about I-20 west of Midland-Odessa to its western end at I-10.

[Bobby5280]

I don't like it at all that I-10 and I-40 in far West Texas have at-grade intersections.

If I was running one of the mapping companies, I would draw/color those route segments as being no different at all from regular 4-lane divided highways. Those segments are NOT limited access.

I-40 would be the easiest one to fix; they just need to build new frontage roads between exit 0 and 18. That can cut off the at-grade crossings.

The problem with I-20 between Midland-Odessa and the merge with I-10 is lots of improvised dirt road driveways onto the I-20 main lanes. Flanking frontage roads are present much of the way. Nevertheless, lots of service trucks are driving thru the medians directly onto the main lanes. That problem can be solved with fences and cable barriers.

I-10 from El Paso to San Antonio is a mess. There are actual at-grade intersections with all the signing typical of a standard 4-lane divided highway. Doesn't feel like an Interstate at all. Add to that dozens of improvised dirt road access points onto the I-10 main lanes. It sucks.

1. TX Loop 151 in Texarkana
2. Fort Bend Tollway in Houston
3. The southern sections of TX 45 in Austin
4. TX Spur 5 in Houston
5. TX 44 freeway in Corpus Christi

The Texarkana cities in Texas and Arkansas have a combined population around 66,000 people. That isn't much for a city with a partial loop highway. However, Texarkana resides at a major junction point in the highway network. The TX-151 freeway still looks like it will be the final last few miles of the larger I-369 highway.

The Fort Bend Tollway is an odd, little turnpike. The North end doesn't intersect with another limited access highway, but rather a "super street" (US-90). The Fort Bend Tollway has a volleyball connection with Loop 8. No direct connect ramps. As modest as it is, the Fort Bend Tollway is the only North-South limited access highway in a pretty broad stretch on the SW side of Houston. TX-288 is nearly 7 miles to the East. I-69 is almost the same distance to the West. There are plans to extend the Fort Bend Tollway farther West.

The Southern section of TX-45 in Austin may not seem valuable currently. That will change when the gap between I-35 and FM-1626 is filled. Further, there are plans to extend TX-45 West to dovetail into the future US-290 freeway extension to Dripping Springs. The finished work would function as a more effective Southern bypass for Austin. Of course, they still have to extend the US-290 freeway farther West thru or around Dripping Springs.

Spur 5 in Houston does look like a head-scratcher. The only purpose I see for it is a relief valve for the I-45/I-610/TX-35 interchange. There is a big rail yard and other logistical buildings next to the alignment. The University of Houston campus is on the West side of the new freeway spur.

The TX-44 freeway from Corpus Christi to Robstown will become part of a longer I-69 network freeway to Alice and Freer. There's no telling what the highway designation could be, whether it's an I-x69 route, or "I-6" or maybe just TX-44 as it is.

[CoreySamson]

1. TX Loop 151 in Texarkana
2. Fort Bend Tollway in Houston
3. The southern sections of TX 45 in Austin
4. TX Spur 5 in Houston
5. TX 44 freeway in Corpus Christi

The Texarkana cities in Texas and Arkansas have a combined population around 66,000 people. That isn't much for a city with a partial loop highway. However, Texarkana resides at a major junction point in the highway network. The TX-151 freeway still looks like it will be the final last few miles of the larger I-369 highway.

I can agree that I-369 as it currently stands is a very necessary highway. However, on the few times I have used Loop 151 instead to get through Texarkana, I think it doesn't really offer any value in bypassing Texarkana (I guess if you don't like the construction and trucks on I-30, maybe it has some value?), and traffic is basically nonexistent on it, much like it is on I-49 in southwest Arkansas. It could easily be an arterial or divided highway like US 71 on the north side of Texarkana where it straddles the TX/AR border.

The Fort Bend Tollway is an odd, little turnpike. The North end doesn't intersect with another limited access highway, but rather a "super street" (US-90). The Fort Bend Tollway has a volleyball connection with Loop 8. No direct connect ramps. As modest as it is, the Fort Bend Tollway is the only North-South limited access highway in a pretty broad stretch on the SW side of Houston. TX-288 is nearly 7 miles to the East. I-69 is almost the same distance to the West. There are plans to extend the Fort Bend Tollway farther West.

The Southern section of TX-45 in Austin may not seem valuable currently. That will change when the gap between I-35 and FM-1626 is filled. Further, there are plans to extend TX-45 West to dovetail into the future US-290 freeway extension to Dripping Springs. The finished work would function as a more effective Southern bypass for Austin. Of course, they still have to extend the US-290 freeway farther West thru or around Dripping Springs.

Spur 5 in Houston does look like a head-scratcher. The only purpose I see for it is a relief valve for the I-45/I-610/TX-35 interchange. There is a big rail yard and other logistical buildings next to the alignment. The University of Houston campus is on the West side of the new freeway spur.

With these three, they are all unnecessary in their current state, though I can see them becoming necessary in the future. The Fort Bend Tollway's southern terminus might eventually link up with I-69 near Kendleton, so it could gain some use that way. I agree that TX 45 will become useful once that gap near Manchaca is completed. And Spur 5 is eventually going to be extended south through Pearland all the way to Alvin to connect with the Grand Parkway.

The TX-44 freeway from Corpus Christi to Robstown will become part of a longer I-69 network freeway to Alice and Freer. There's no telling what the highway designation could be, whether it's an I-x69 route, or "I-6" or maybe just TX-44 as it is.

TX 44 being a freeway has some usefulness I suppose, but I think it would also be fine as a divided highway, just like Loop 151. But generally, my inclusion of it here is more representative of the fact that Texas really does not have many freeways that are unnecessary that the idea that TX 44 is overbuilt.

[Stephane Dumas]

The Fort Bend Tollway is an odd, little turnpike. The North end doesn't intersect with another limited access highway, but rather a "super street" (US-90). The Fort Bend Tollway has a volleyball connection with Loop 8. No direct connect ramps. As modest as it is, the Fort Bend Tollway is the only North-South limited access highway in a pretty broad stretch on the SW side of Houston. TX-288 is nearly 7 miles to the East. I-69 is almost the same distance to the West. There are plans to extend the Fort Bend Tollway farther West.

But the Ford Bend Tollway/Parkway was once planned for bigger plans who was once planned to be TX-122.
https://wiki.aaroads.com/wiki/Fort_Bend_Parkway
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bend_Parkway_Toll_Road

[bwana39]

The Texarkana cities in Texas and Arkansas have a combined population around 66,000 people. That isn't much for a city with a partial loop highway. However, Texarkana resides at a major junction point in the highway network. The TX-151 freeway still looks like it will be the final last few miles of the larger I-369 highway.

I can agree that I-369 as it currently stands is a very necessary highway. However, on the few times I have used Loop 151 instead to get through Texarkana, I think it doesn't really offer any value in bypassing Texarkana (I guess if you don't like the construction and trucks on I-30, maybe it has some value?), and traffic is basically nonexistent on it, much like it is on I-49 in southwest Arkansas. It could easily be an arterial or divided highway like US 71 on the north side of Texarkana where it straddles the TX/AR border.

Corey,

I live here. Loop-151 is as you have said underutilized. It primarily has value from Texarkana Texas to I-49 (Shreveport) and I-30 EB to Shreveport. It is about 2 miles farther from US-59 to I-30EB (Hope) but as you mentioned, you miss the heavy traffic and for the past 5 years the construction on I-30 through Texarkana.  I-369 while possibly better to be built farther west than Loop 151 does make a lot of sense as a freeway to complete I-69 from Panola County to I-30 / I-49. I clearly separate it from the overall SL-151 parts.

My take is SL-151 needed to be freeway or not at all. By the way. From US-59 to I-49 is about 4 miles.

The story of it is like this. Decades ago, when I-49 was still being called "NEW US-71" the plan was for US-71 to go from about the current US-71 / IH-49 junction (on the south side of Texarkana Arkansas) and track the current AR-151, TX Loop 151, and IH-369 to I-30 and track from IH-30 on a mostly northerly track (through Texarkana Texas ...unbuilt)  to cross the Red River where the current plan for the I-49 crossing is. I-49 should still cross into Texas and cross nort of town.

At some point, Arkansas decided to build the freeway around the East Side of town. What was supposed to be a joint project, became a unilateral one that left Texarkana Texas hanging.

[Bobby5280]

With these three, they are all unnecessary in their current state, though I can see them becoming necessary in the future. The Fort Bend Tollway's southern terminus might eventually link up with I-69 near Kendleton, so it could gain some use that way. I agree that TX 45 will become useful once that gap near Manchaca is completed. And Spur 5 is eventually going to be extended south through Pearland all the way to Alvin to connect with the Grand Parkway.

If the Fort Bend Tollway is extended farther West, at least to an intersection with a future extension of the Grand Parkway, it will be a more valuable route. In its current state it's not bad for all the new-ish neighborhoods built near the Brazos River. They can drive from the TX-6 corridor to the I-610 loop and not hit any traffic signals until reaching 610 itself.

The existing disconnected segment of TX-45 near Manchaca seems oddly designed. It's looks more like a modest, narrow parkway rather than a super highway. There's even a shared use path built next to it. The alignment goes much wider West of the TX-1 interchange. I'm pretty sure once the that portion of TX-45 is connect to I-35 and extended West to US-290 the traffic counts are really going to go up. The road will almost certainly have to go from a narrow 2x2 design to 3x3.

TX 44 being a freeway has some usefulness I suppose, but I think it would also be fine as a divided highway, just like Loop 151. But generally, my inclusion of it here is more representative of the fact that Texas really does not have many freeways that are unnecessary that the idea that TX 44 is overbuilt.

TX-44 as a freeway might seem unnecessary. However, Corpus Christi is a fairly big city (over 300,000 in city limits alone). There is a lot of traffic moving to/from beach areas. TX-44 might have to serve the purpose as a hurricane evacuation route; it would help I-37 from getting too over-loaded with traffic.