An Easy Temporary Fix For Highway 290

[DJ2025]

I notice that an area that is continously slow on 290, is between Hollister and Beltway 8......and I think it is mostly due to the exit and entrance ramps not having an acceleration or continous lane. Look at this picture:

This would probably solve 25% of the traffic issues on 290 (at least in that section of it), until they completely overhaul the freeway.

I don't know why they didn't do this with Katy Freeway either (Between Gessner and Wirt Rd)

Any thoughts?

[sevfiv]

i think it is a good idea, although i don't know how feasible it would be on the department of transportation's priority list...

but yeah, it seems the drivers entering and exiting the freeway in that area don't know the meaning of the word "merge"

[Subdude]

I'm no expert on it, but hasn't there been a movement to eliminate the lanes used for both entrance and exit? The problem is that one lane shares cars getting both on and off, and the traffic flows interfere with each other. With separate lanes the flows are, at least in theory, kept apart. That was how they redesigned the Southwest Fwy a few years back, when there were consecutive on/off ramps between Greenbriar/Shepherd & Kirby, and Kirby and Buffalo Speedway.

[Casual Observer]

I'd be willing to give it a try. I'd have to think at this point with US290 - ANYTHING is better than NOTHING.

[RedScare]

This is exactly what the redesign of the West Loop is designed to get rid of. The cars entering that lane are accelerating as cars from the freeway enter and decelerate. It was a design that made sense on paper and was a disaster in practice.

The preferred design, and what the new Loop will do, is to have exiting traffic get off before entering traffic gets on. That way the merging, if any, is done on the feeder road at slower speeds. In fact, the loop exits actually travel OVER the entrance ramp, so there is no merge at all.

[westguy]

I think they added a new one to 59 with the Westpark Tollway. It's pretty much a suicide lane unless you want to be forced off at Chimney Rock.

[kjb434]

US 290 will have re-align the ramps to what is called a spider configuration verses the current diamond. It is what is used on most of US 59 and it is being used on the rebuilt I-10. It's already in place on the completed parts.

You'll exit on top of the road that precedes the road you are actually exiting. For example, to exit for Fry road when you heading westbound on I-10, you exit on top of Greenhouse road. If you getting on from Greenhouse, you enter just before Fry. This places most of the merging issues along the feeder road and not the freeway.

US 290 would go to some aspect of this when it is rebuilt.

I thing TxDOT will be holding off of any rebuild until the US 290 companion tollway is built along Hempstead.

[CDeb]

I notice that an area that is continously slow on 290, is between Hollister and Beltway 8......and I think it is mostly due to the exit and entrance ramps not having an acceleration or continous lane.

It certainly wouldn't hurt. Having extra space to accelerate and merge helps a ton.

I think its effectiveness would depend on how far apart those two ramps are.

If they are close together, that tight weaving area could still be a big problem no matter what you do.

[Heights2Bastrop]

If you traveled out 290 every afternoon and at various times, you would notice that the first slowdown occurs between Tidwell/Hollister and Fairbanks/North Houston. I used 290/Hempstead to get to work from