Wide Median on Toll 130, north of Tesla

[thisdj78]

Curious if anyone knows what was originally planned for this median area on 130, north of Tesla?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/S5M7dALYhrnGSLtg8?g_st=ic

[wxfree]

I seem to remember a wide spot being used for facilities to support construction, such as a concrete plant.  This provides a nearby source for one of the main ingredients and enables the work crews to run along the alignment to haul the material, rather than jamming up and damaging other roads.  It also gives them a permanent location to store stuff in the future.

[thisdj78]

I seem to remember a wide spot being used for facilities to support construction, such as a concrete plant.  This provides a nearby source for one of the main ingredients and enables the work crews to run along the alignment to haul the material, rather than jamming up and damaging other roads.  It also gives them a permanent location to store stuff in the future.

Yeah that's how they're using it currently, but before they started widening 130, it was mostly bare grass there with a patch of concrete and rocks. I feel like I read somewhere that it was built like that for "future use" shortly after the toll opened, but I can't find that reference anymore.

[bwana39]

It looks like the current mainlanes are the future frontage roads or perhap free lanes versus toll. Either way. It looks like it is for future paving.

[djlynch]

I can remember hearing two possible explanations but I don't remember which is the correct one.

One is that it was going to be the "Austin" stop for the rail network that was a part of the Trans-Texas Corridor plans.

The other is that it was going to be a service area with food and fuel, but that got dropped when it didn't draw as much long-distance traffic off of I-35 as had been hoped.

[rte66man]

I can remember hearing two possible explanations but I don't remember which is the correct one.

One is that it was going to be the "Austin" stop for the rail network that was a part of the Trans-Texas Corridor plans.

The other is that it was going to be a service area with food and fuel, but that got dropped when it didn't draw as much long-distance traffic off of I-35 as had been hoped.

The latter was what I had heard a while back.

[longhorn]

I can remember hearing two possible explanations but I don't remember which is the correct one.

One is that it was going to be the "Austin" stop for the rail network that was a part of the Trans-Texas Corridor plans.

The other is that it was going to be a service area with food and fuel, but that got dropped when it didn't draw as much long-distance traffic off of I-35 as had been hoped.

Buccees!!!!

[Bobby5280]

It would be laughable to try to place a high speed rail line in the median of the TX-130 toll road. The train would be capable only of slow/normal speeds due to the highway path being so crooked.

A typical Buc-ee's store requires far too much acreage to fit in the median of a toll road. Additionally, Buc-ee's does not build any of its stores next to a toll road. All the existing locations are next to/near "free" super highway routes.

[LilianaUwU]

Couldn't have said "north of the airport" or "north of exit 446", it HAD to be Tesla?

[kphoger]

Couldn't have said "north of the airport" or "north of exit 446", it HAD to be Tesla?

cry me a river

[CoreySamson]

Couldn't have said "north of the airport" or "north of exit 446", it HAD to be Tesla?

cry me a river

Some people are just impleasable.

[sprjus4]

North of SH-71, near Tesla.