General Houston-area projects thread

[CoreySamson]

The proposed expansion of I-10 from 3x3 lanes to 5x5 would have its Western end at the Cane Island Parkway exit (in front of Buc-ee's). They ought to widen I-10 from 3x3 to 4x4 at that point out to the US-90/I-10 split or even extend a 4x4 lanes arrangement as far West as Sealy. If certain highway expansions go thru for the Western Houston exhurbs, such as extending the Westpark Tollway out to TX-36 in/near Wallis, it could put more pressure on I-10, forcing a 4x4 configuration of I-10 farther West of Sealy.

The new I-10 Colorado River bridge near Columbus is being built out as a 4x4 if I remember correctly.

[The Ghostbuster]

The closest parallel roadway to Interstate 10 west of Houston is the Westpark Tollway. Would it be possible to eventually extend it further west (which it is planned to do), and possibly have it terminate at Interstate 10 like the Dallas North Tollway will eventually terminate at US 75 (so the WPT could be utilized as an Interstate 10 relief route)?

[thisdj78]

The closest parallel roadway to Interstate 10 west of Houston is the Westpark Tollway. Would it be possible to eventually extend it further west (which it is planned to do), and possibly have it terminate at Interstate 10 like the Dallas North Tollway will eventually terminate at US 75 (so the WPT could be utilized as an Interstate 10 relief route)?

When Westpark Tollway was first being built, I imagined it as a road that could eventually connect to I-10 at Sealy.

[MaxConcrete]

The closest parallel roadway to Interstate 10 west of Houston is the Westpark Tollway. Would it be possible to eventually extend it further west (which it is planned to do), and possibly have it terminate at Interstate 10 like the Dallas North Tollway will eventually terminate at US 75 (so the WPT could be utilized as an Interstate 10 relief route)?

When Westpark Tollway was first being built, I imagined it as a road that could eventually connect to I-10 at Sealy.

A long time ago (maybe 20 years ago) I seem to remember FBCTRA considered continuing the Westpark Tollway along FM 359 to connect it to I-10 at Brookshire. That concept was discarded.

The current plan is to extend it west along FM 1093 to Simonton.

It is possible it will be extended further west, and a connection to I-10 is also possible. However, I think a connection to I-10 is very unlikely if the 36A South project proceeds, since 36A will provide a north-south freeway/tollway between the Westpark Tollway and I-10.

[Chris]

At what point would extensions of the Westpark Tollway become problematic on its existing route?

According to the TxDOT map the AADT west of Beltway 8 is already over 80,000 per day, while the Westpark Tollway only has 4 lanes and no frontage roads.

It's a narrow road, in particular by Houston standards. No frontage roads, no right of way for an expansion, no median to pave over or fill in.

https://www.dot.state.tx.us/apps/statewide_mapping/StatewidePlanningMap.html

[Bobby5280]

It's a narrow road, in particular by Houston standards. No frontage roads, no right of way for an expansion, no median to pave over or fill in.

Are you not looking at the Western end of the Westpark Tollway? West of Beltway 8 it runs in the median of FM-1093. Going West of Spring Green Blvd FM-1093 is arranged like frontage roads with a wide median. That configuration extends to the Main Street intersection in Fulshear.

Between Fulshear and Simonton the ROW for a future extension of the toll road looks like it is still mostly intact, FM-1093 is running along the South side of the ROW. It looks like a canal is running next to FM-1093 most of the way between Simonton and Wallis. If the Westpark Tollway was extended to the TX-36 corridor the last few miles might have to be built on a new terrain path.

[MaxConcrete]

At what point would extensions of the Westpark Tollway become problematic on its existing route?

According to the TxDOT map the AADT west of Beltway 8 is already over 80,000 per day, while the Westpark Tollway only has 4 lanes and no frontage roads.

It's a narrow road, in particular by Houston standards. No frontage roads, no right of way for an expansion, no median to pave over or fill in.

https://www.dot.state.tx.us/apps/statewide_mapping/StatewidePlanningMap.html

The Harris County section of the Westpark Tollway is already problematic, mainly due to its small size.

This problem is especially troublesome for Fort Bend County, since everyone coming from Fort Bend County uses the Harris County section.

Fort Bend County is the main driver of the Westpark Tollway Mobility Study.

However, Harris County has blocked or delayed all proposed HCTRA system improvements since Democrats took control of Harris County Commissioners Court in 2019. So I had low expectations for this study.

The good news arriving earlier this week is that the progressive, anti-HCTRA county judge Lina Hidalgo announced she will not seek reelection next year. So there will be a new county judge in 2027, and the new judge could be pro-HCTRA system expansion.

I think the most realistic option for the Westpark Tollway is to make it 3-1(reversible HOV)-3, since that configuration will mostly fit in the available right-of-way. But there will be difficult sections for any expansion.

[Bobby5280]

All of the existing Westpark Tollway is just 2x2 lanes. The zone from just West of Beltway 8 out to just West of the TX-6 crossing is a really tight squeeze. It might be more feasible to expand the Westpark Tollway to a 3x3 lanes configuration West of the point where FM-1093 diagonally dovetails into the corridor. However, making room for a reversible 1 lane HOV/Express lane appears really problematic.

The lane itself might be able to physically fit into the corridor. The entrance/exit ramps in/out of the express lane are another problem.

I really dislike single lane express lanes regardless of how much room is available to build them. I think they need a second passing lane. If that can't be managed then it's not worth the bother. In the case of the Westpark Tollway the entire highway is a toll road already. So an express lane would need some kind of HOV requirement. It's either that or they would be adding a premium toll level in the express lane on top of the base toll level. And that's a single lane likely to catch some slow pokes who clog up the whole idea of an express lane in the first place.

[MaxConcrete]

All of the existing Westpark Tollway is just 2x2 lanes. The zone from just West of Beltway 8 out to just West of the TX-6 crossing is a really tight squeeze. It might be more feasible to expand the Westpark Tollway to a 3x3 lanes configuration West of the point where FM-1093 diagonally dovetails into the corridor. However, making room for a reversible 1 lane HOV/Express lane appears really problematic.

The lane itself might be able to physically fit into the corridor. The entrance/exit ramps in/out of the express lane are another problem.

I really dislike single lane express lanes regardless of how much room is available to build them. I think they need a second passing lane. If that can't be managed then it's not worth the bother. In the case of the Westpark Tollway the entire highway is a toll road already. So an express lane would need some kind of HOV requirement. It's either that or they would be adding a premium toll level in the express lane on top of the base toll level. And that's a single lane likely to catch some slow pokes who clog up the whole idea of an express lane in the first place.

To understand the rationale for my preferred outcome, you need to understand the context of the Westpark Corridor.

The corridor was originally a railroad with a 100-foot wide (30.5m) right of way. It was purchased by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) for use as a public transit corridor. I don't know exactly when, probably early to mid 1990s. HCTRA had nothing to do with the original purchase.

However, Metro had no immediate or medium-term plans to use the corridor. It was purchased for potential long-term projects. So the corridor would be unused, possibly for decades.

Around the late 1990s, HCTRA expressed interest in using some of the corridor for the Westpark Toll Road. Metro agreed to allow HCTRA to use 50 feet of the 100-foot-wide corridor, so Metro could preserve a 50-foot-wide corridor for future public transit use. I don't know the terms of the agreement, whether HCTRA purchased the land or if it is a long-term lease.

A 50-foot strip is not enough for the toll road, so HCTRA used land from the adjacent Westpark Road or adjacent high voltage easements to get to the needed corridor width around 75 feet.

However, in Fort Bend County, the FBCTRA was able to get all of the FM 1093 corridor (around 100 feet), 50 feet of the railroad and then they acquired more property to get a wider corridor, which varies between 220 and 300 feet.

So the main problem for widening is the Harris County section. The key influences are

• In Harris County, there is a strip of land along the south side of the tollway which is normally 50 feet wide.
• Metro owns this land and has retained it for future public transit use
• Metro has long term plans (possibly decades in the future) to build a bus rapid transit line inside Beltway 8. This means they are unlikely to relinquish any of the 50-foot-wide strip inside Beltway 8. But since they have no long-term plans for the strip of land outside Beltway 8, they could be open to allowing it to be used for a Westpark Tollway expansion.

Houston's Southwest, Gulf, Eastex and North Freeways all have single-lane, reversible HOV lanes. These work well for transit service, and they also allow 2+ HOV and toll-paying vehicles.

So, after all this background, here is the logic for my preferred outcome.

• Metro and political leadership which promotes public transit will want some kind of public transit element in the corridor.
• There is 50 feet available. An HOV lane is 22 feet, and two general purpose lanes are 24 feet, for a total of 46 feet required.
• Outside of Beltway 8, Metro could give the 50-foot-wide strip of land to the tollway expansion in exchange for an HOV lane for their future transit service.
• Inside Beltway 8, I don't think Metro will be willing to give up any land, which means an expansion of the toll road is probably impossible. But expansion outside Beltway 8 along with adding missing direct connections at Beltway 8 will be a huge and worthwhile improvement.
• Sure, it would be better to get 4x4 for the tollway for the full length, but I don't see that as a realistic option due to displacements required for a much wider corridor, which would drastically increase cost. For example, Westpark, Harwin and Alief-Clodine roads would need to be relocated, requiring a major right-of-way clearance.