I-10 construction

[Arivechi]

Uh, oh. To add to the mess of the North Loop now I-10 is also going to be ripped up and rebuilt between 45 and 59. For 18 months. Eastbound completely closed this weekend, only one eastbound lane of traffic starting Monday.

======

Stretch of I-10 closing tonight

(Nov. 5) By CAROLYN FEIBEL

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

No construction pain, no roadway gain.

A short stretch of eastbound I-10 near downtown will be completely closed all weekend. It will re-open Monday morning, but with only one through lane.

The good news is that the oldest, most-patched stretch of Houston's I-10 is finally getting a new roadbed. The bad news is that the 2.2 mile interstate stretch downtown, between I-45 and U.S. 59, is going to be under construction for the next 18 months.

The complete closure of the eastbound side starts at 9 p.m. tonight and ends at 5 a.m. Monday. Crews will be re-striping lanes and putting up barriers for the work to come.

On Monday, the road reopens but the eastbound capacity will drop by 50 percent, from the normal two through lanes to just one. That will last about three months, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

“Unfortunately it's going to be a challenging time for us in terms of mobility,” said TxDOT spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis.

Federal stimulus dollars are paying for the $18 million project.

“It certainly is time,” said Lewis. “We've just been patching and making sure we keep it functional and maintaining it to the best of our ability, but after a certain period of time you have to go in.”

128,200 vehicles per day

This is the last segment of I-10 inside the Loop that needs work. Reconstruction of the western portion, between I-45 and the West Loop, ended in 1999. The eastern portion, from the Eastex to the East Loop, was repaved and that work finished in 2007, Lewis said. Work continues on I-10 east of the East Loop.

The highway carries 128,200 vehicles every day, and almost 10 percent of that is truck traffic, which breaks down the road surface more quickly.

For this weekend, drivers are encouraged to avoid the area entirely. But detours will be available: eastbound motorists can take 45 South and loop around downtown, to rejoin I-10 on the East Side. Or they can take 45 North, exit at North Main and U-turn back to 45 South to access I-10 eastbound.

Lewis encouraged drivers to be patient and take the long view: “When the pavement is in good shape, that means it's a safer commute for all drivers and a more efficient commute,” Lewis said.

[JLWM8609]

Well there goes my shortcut from I-45 to 288 when the Pierce Elevated is clogged up. At least I don't have to take that stretch of I-10 4-5 days a week anymore like I did before I graduated from UHD.

I wonder why they can't just do an asphalt overlay like they've done to the rural interstates with bad concrete?

Uh, oh. To add to the mess of the North Loop now I-10 is also going to be ripped up and rebuilt between 45 and 59. For 18 months. Eastbound completely closed this weekend, only one eastbound lane of traffic starting Monday.

======

Stretch of I-10 closing tonight

(Nov. 5) By CAROLYN FEIBEL

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

No construction pain, no roadway gain.

A short stretch of eastbound I-10 near downtown will be completely closed all weekend. It will re-open Monday morning, but with only one through lane.

The good news is that the oldest, most-patched stretch of Houston's I-10 is finally getting a new roadbed. The bad news is that the 2.2 mile interstate stretch downtown, between I-45 and U.S. 59, is going to be under construction for the next 18 months.

The complete closure of the eastbound side starts at 9 p.m. tonight and ends at 5 a.m. Monday. Crews will be re-striping lanes and putting up barriers for the work to come.

On Monday, the road reopens but the eastbound capacity will drop by 50 percent, from the normal two through lanes to just one. That will last about three months, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

“Unfortunately it's going to be a challenging time for us in terms of mobility,” said TxDOT spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis.

Federal stimulus dollars are paying for the $18 million project.

“It certainly is time,” said Lewis. “We've just been patching and making sure we keep it functional and maintaining it to the best of our ability, but after a certain period of time you have to go in.”

128,200 vehicles per day

This is the last segment of I-10 inside the Loop that needs work. Reconstruction of the western portion, between I-45 and the West Loop, ended in 1999. The eastern portion, from the Eastex to the East Loop, was repaved and that work finished in 2007, Lewis said. Work continues on I-10 east of the East Loop.

The highway carries 128,200 vehicles every day, and almost 10 percent of that is truck traffic, which breaks down the road surface more quickly.

For this weekend, drivers are encouraged to avoid the area entirely. But detours will be available: eastbound motorists can take 45 South and loop around downtown, to rejoin I-10 on the East Side. Or they can take 45 North, exit at North Main and U-turn back to 45 South to access I-10 eastbound.

Lewis encouraged drivers to be patient and take the long view: “When the pavement is in good shape, that means it's a safer commute for all drivers and a more efficient commute,” Lewis said.

[20thStDad]

Can't they just wait until they finish the north/east loop job? Now it's all going to suck.

[JLWM8609]

Can't they just wait until they finish the north/east loop job? Now it's all going to suck.

But that would make sense, and that's something that TxDOT's not in the business of doing.

[barracuda]

Can't they just wait until they finish the north/east loop job? Now it's all going to suck.

At least this stretch of I10 needs it. It seems like the north loop construction could have waited awhile longer.

[mkultra25]

I don't normally use that stretch of I-10 regularly, but I do commute home down I-10 East to 45 North every day. I'm fully expecting traffic to suck more than it already does as a result of reducing I-10 down to one lane past 45.

[Justin]

Can't they just wait until they finish the north/east loop job? Now it's all going to suck.

Because it's a Stimulus project, tied into all the rules concerning when they have to start and be finished by and all that stuff.

[gto250us]

What this stretch of I10 needs is additional lanes not new road bed. Has anyone seen what exactly they are doing? The new I10 has 5 lanes each way which funnel down to 2 lanes at I45. Since the Katy was finished all of the daily jams have moved to I10-I45 area.

[C2H]

Does anyboy know if the bridges and overpasses will be improved as well or is it just strictly the road?

[JLWM8609]

What this stretch of I10 needs is additional lanes not new road bed.

Even if they did add new lanes, a new road bed would be to be built anyway.

[gto250us]

Even if they did add new lanes, a new road bed would be to be built anyway.

That stretch of I10 did not need new roadbed it needs additional lanes. But since it is Obama give-a-way money it goes for a useless purpose. I am surprised that Gila Jackson Lee didn't use the money to pave path to her home for the TV crews.

[JLWM8609]

That stretch of I10 did not need new roadbed it needs additional lanes. But since it is Obama give-a-way money it goes for a useless purpose. I am surprised that Gila Jackson Lee didn't use the money to pave path to her home for the TV crews.

Geeze! What don't you understand about additional lanes requiring a new road bed? You keep on talking about slapping on additional lanes. I don't know the last time you drove down an old freeway that had additional lanes added, but they reconstruct old freeways from top to bottom when lanes are added. Take a look at the Katy and Eastex Freeways as good examples. They didn't simply add lanes to the crumbling 1950s/60s infrastructure, they gave them new roadbeds, overpasses everything. Useless project? I guess, if you like driving over pothole ridden, patched up 37 year old pavement that's past its life expectancy and consists a now substandard thickness. By the way, nice attempt to gloss over your ignorance of how local freeways are widened by trying to turn this into something political. Chron.com much?

[musicman]

eastbound is wide open now with several new patches. now i wonder whether it will be a total rebuild.

[JLWM8609]

eastbound is wide open now with several new patches. now i wonder whether it will be a total rebuild.

The new patches are probably akin to the repaving they did to the old Katy Freeway before the rebuild in 2003 to make the road smoother and seem like less of a demolition derby obstacle course during the project. The work is supposed to last 18 months, so that sounds like a total rebuild to me.

[musicman]

The new patches are probably akin to the repaving they did to the old Katy Freeway before the rebuild in 2003 to make the road smoother and seem like less of a demolition derby obstacle course during the project. The work is supposed to last 18 months, so that sounds like a total rebuild to me.

i hoped. i expected them to have a lane or more blocked off with concrete walls and do each lane at a time like they did on i-10 E&W, not occasional patches.

[gto250us]

i hoped. i expected them to have a lane or more blocked off with concrete walls and do each lane at a time like they did on i-10 E&W, not occasional patches.

Yep, it looks like an Obamajob to me.

[barracuda]

Yep, it looks like an Obamajob to me.

I didn't realize President Obama patches freeways in his spare time.

[gto250us]

An Obamajob = throwing money at a problem without addressing the real underlying issues in the hopes that it will cure all.

[JLWM8609]

Yep, it looks like an Obamajob to me.

Yeah, they completed a 545 day long job in a weekend.

http://apps.dot.state.tx.us/apps/project_tracker/stimprojectdetails.htm?projid=050801329&dist=Houston

[gto250us]

Yeah, they completed a 545 day long job in a weekend.

http://apps.dot.state.tx.us/apps/project_tracker/stimprojectdetails.htm?projid=050801329&dist=Houston

Hey, you still cannot answer the main question. Are they adding lanes? If not it is just a waste of money. The problem with that stretch is not poor quality road but a lack of lanes.

Still looks to me like a waste of money in the name of Obama's Economic Viagra.

[RedScare]

Hey, you still cannot answer the main question. Are they adding lanes? If not it is just a waste of money. The problem with that stretch is not poor quality road but a lack of lanes.

Still looks to me like a waste of money in the name of Obama's Economic Viagra.

Seems to me that you ought to take that up with TxDOT, the people who came up with this plan. The Feds merely funded it. Then again, that would require common sense. Never mind.

[JLWM8609]

Hey, you still cannot answer the main question. Are they adding lanes? If not it is just a waste of money. The problem with that stretch is not poor quality road but a lack of lanes.

Still looks to me like a waste of money in the name of Obama's Economic Viagra.

I drove that stretch of road almost daily for four years and I'll tell you that it was poor quality, patches and re-patches everywhere and potholes to boot. Any highway engineer will tell you that all the patching in the world can't delay the inevitable full rebuild of a freeway. Even if lanes aren't added, it's not a waste of money. Lanes won't be added on the section between I-45 and US 59, but part of the project goes from the White Oak Bayou Bridge to I-45 and will have the road widened in that section.

This project has been in the plans for years, probably over a decade, long before Obama took office. All TxDOT was waiting for was the funding. Sooner or later it was going to be done and you probably wouldn't be bitching about it if it wasn't a stimulus funded project. Still not satisfied? Contact Delvin Dennis, P.E., the district engineer for the Houston District of TxDOT and tell him how you know more than him about the condition of the roadways that he's over.

[arisegundo]

This project has been in the plans for years, probably over a decade, long before Obama took office.

It's Clinton's fault!!!11

[JLWM8609]

It's Clinton's fault!!!11

The freeway in question was proposed during the late 40s. Maybe we can blame Truman too?

[AtticaFlinch]

The freeway in question was proposed during the late 40s. Maybe we can blame Truman too?

I say it's Henry Ford's fault. His assembly line enabled inexpensive manufacturing and allowed every Tom, Dick and Harry to purchase automobiles. Without Ford's assembly line, we wouldn't even need freeways.

[Marksmu]

I say it's Henry Ford's fault. His assembly line enabled inexpensive manufacturing and allowed every Tom, Dick and Harry to purchase automobiles. Without Ford's assembly line, we wouldn't even need freeways.

Love or Hate Obama the decision to do this NOW, while 610 is still under construction is because Obama put a time stamp on when it had to be complete so that it would have the appearance of him having done something to have saved the economy. Without the time constraint TXDot would have likely waited to do I-10 until 610 was complete so that there would be a route from East to West through town. When I-10 is completely shut down Eastbound on the weekend, your only route from in town, is cutting through downtown and dealing with the lights, or going through the traffic on the loop unless you feel like avoiding it by taking a FAR longer detour, beltway, highway 90, etc...

There is no really acceptable method of getting to I-10 without bypassing the city if you are coming from the West. Thats poor planning. Poor planning caused by a pointless time restraint. A pointless time restraint implemented by Obama so that he would look like he was trying to do something.

If the project was already planned (which it must have been or it surely would not be in progress already) it would have been done anyway just at a time that made since...by taking the stimulus money and screwing the Houstonians and others who try to drive West to East through town on I-10, all that was accomplished was a shift in the TIME frame the project would have been completed. No job was saved or created, it was simply rescheduled.

Its more Obamanomics.

[AtticaFlinch]

Love or Hate Obama the decision to do this NOW, while 610 is still under construction is because Obama put a time stamp on when it had to be complete so that it would have the appearance of him having done something to have saved the economy. Without the time constraint TXDot would have likely waited to do I-10 until 610 was complete so that there would be a route from East to West through town. When I-10 is completely shut down Eastbound on the weekend, your only route from in town, is cutting through downtown and dealing with the lights, or going through the traffic on the loop unless you feel like avoiding it by taking a FAR longer detour, beltway, highway 90, etc...

There is no really acceptable method of getting to I-10 without bypassing the city if you are coming from the West. Thats poor planning. Poor planning caused by a pointless time restraint. A pointless time restraint implemented by Obama so that he would look like he was trying to do something.

If the project was already planned (which it must have been or it surely would not be in progress already) it would have been done anyway just at a time that made since...by taking the stimulus money and screwing the Houstonians and others who try to drive West to East through town on I-10, all that was accomplished was a shift in the TIME frame the project would have been completed. No job was saved or created, it was simply rescheduled.

Its more Obamanomics.

Obamaaaaaaa!!!! OBAMAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

[JLWM8609]

Without the time constraint TXDot would have likely waited to do I-10 until 610 was complete so that there would be a route from East to West through town. When I-10 is completely shut down Eastbound on the weekend, your only route from in town, is cutting through downtown and dealing with the lights, or going through the traffic on the loop unless you feel like avoiding it by taking a FAR longer detour, beltway, highway 90, etc...

I don't see how construction on 610 impedes east to west flow. The section between I-45 and US 59 has been free of construction for years and is the only stretch of 610 you would need to take to avoid the construction if you wanted to take 610. You don't have to cut through downtown's traffic lights either if I-10 EB is closed. Just take I-45 SB around to 59 NB and catch I-10 east from there. Pretty easy. Of course going all the way around to the beltway would probably make more sense to you, since going out of the way to blame folks in Washington for local stuff seems to be you and gto's forte. Since when was logical planning ever part of TxDOT? These are the guys who will close down a lane for miles without any work going on (personally witnessed 2 weeks ago on Highway 73 between Port Arthur and Winnie).

There is no really acceptable method of getting to I-10 without bypassing the city if you are coming from the West. Thats poor planning. Poor planning caused by a pointless time restraint. A pointless time restraint implemented by Obama so that he would look like he was trying to do something.

If you're coming from the west, just take I-45 SB to US 59 NB to I-10 EB like I said before. Simple instructions + bullheaded people = FAIL.

If the project was already planned (which it must have been or it surely would not be in progress already) it would have been done anyway just at a time that made since...by taking the stimulus money and screwing the Houstonians and others who try to drive West to East through town on I-10, all that was accomplished was a shift in the TIME frame the project would have been completed. No job was saved or created, it was simply rescheduled.

Its more Obamanomics.

Yes, because Obama personally hates people who drive I-10, but not I-45.

[RedScare]

Love or Hate Obama the decision to do this NOW, while 610 is still under construction is because Obama put a time stamp on when it had to be complete so that it would have the appearance of him having done something to have saved the economy. Without the time constraint TXDot would have likely waited to do I-10 until 610 was complete so that there would be a route from East to West through town. When I-10 is completely shut down Eastbound on the weekend, your only route from in town, is cutting through downtown and dealing with the lights, or going through the traffic on the loop unless you feel like avoiding it by taking a FAR longer detour, beltway, highway 90, etc...

There is no really acceptable method of getting to I-10 without bypassing the city if you are coming from the West. Thats poor planning. Poor planning caused by a pointless time restraint. A pointless time restraint implemented by Obama so that he would look like he was trying to do something.

If the project was already planned (which it must have been or it surely would not be in progress already) it would have been done anyway just at a time that made since...by taking the stimulus money and screwing the Houstonians and others who try to drive West to East through town on I-10, all that was accomplished was a shift in the TIME frame the project would have been completed. No job was saved or created, it was simply rescheduled.

Its more Obamanomics.

Conservatives complaining about highway construction.

Oh, the irony.

[ig2ba]

I don't see how construction on 610 impedes east to west flow. The section between I-45 and US 59 has been free of construction for years and is the only stretch of 610 you would need to take to avoid the construction if you wanted to take 610. You don't have to cut through downtown's traffic lights either if I-10 EB is closed. Just take I-45 SB around to 59 NB and catch I-10 east from there. Pretty easy. Of course going all the way around to the beltway would probably make more sense to you, since going out of the way to blame folks in Washington for local stuff seems to be you and gto's forte. Since when was logical planning ever part of TxDOT? These are the guys who will close down a lane for miles without any work going on (personally witnessed 2 weeks ago on Highway 73 between Port Arthur and Winnie).

If you're coming from the west, just take I-45 SB to US 59 NB to I-10 EB like I said before. Simple instructions + bullheaded people = FAIL.

Yes, because Obama personally hates people who drive I-10, but not I-45.

I haven't been in Houston since they started construction on this section of I-10, so I don't know how bad it is. But I can imagine that the timing is not very good, with simultaneous construction on I-610 and I-10.

You're really stretching on the suggestion to take I-45 to US 59 to I-10. It's only 3 extra miles, but I-45 in downtown, especially SB, has traffic all the time. Even on a Saturday - without I-10 construction - speeds average 40 for the whole afternoon and evening. And speeds are frequently much lower, even without an accident or an event downtown. I find myself at dead stop fairly often on a Saturday at 1 pm or so. No wreck, no rain, no festival, just congestion. I imagine this has gotten worse now.

Could the road be resurfaced? Sure. Was it vital? No, I don't think so. I've been on roads that are in much worse condition and I could show you some that are currently worse in Houston. What we REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY need downtown is more lanes. I'm sure the guy you mentioned, district head of the Houston TxDOT office, knows more about managing transportation dollars for maximum benefit than any of us. But it's not entirely his call, is it? They were given constraints by the federal government which they had to follow, so they came up with their wish list of projects, took other low-priority but ready-to-go projects off the back burner and spent the money on them. Look at the connectors at BW 8 North and the Eastex freeway. Those are being funded because they can be easily started now without ROW acquisition, public comment, design, etc. You cannot argue that that was one of TxDOT's top priorities before the Stimulus money came around.

Blame it on Obama or defend him until the cows come home if you like, but it's undeniable that "Stimulus Fever", which many politicians including Obama had, is responsible for this waste.

Maybe TxDOT is forcing the issue of adding lanes though. If you notice, they are pushing ahead with 288 toll lanes, still planning on widening of I-45 in the future, and recently planned a sixth lane on the Katy Freeway. They even recently had a project on their website about adding lanes on 59 between Spur 527 and I-10. Crazy, right? And maybe this rework of I-10 is just a precursor to expansion. Think about it: of all the downtown freeways, this is the shortest one, has the shortest segment which is above grade, and is also the least ROW-constrained freeway. Why not expand it?