Lighting Up The Montrose Bridges Over I59

[trymahjong]

got an email from the Montrose Management District--

 

Breaking News:

the Texas Transportation Commission received their recommended list of projects from staff and voted to approve the Montrose Management District’s application for funding to re-light the bridges over US Hwy 59 at their meeting Thursday morning.

 

This project will replace the non-functioning original light strands with a state-of-the-art LED lighting system that not only will bring back the illumination that has been missing from the US 59 corridor for almost ten years, but will also create a safer environment both below the bridge decking and also for vehicular & pedestrian traffic on the bridges.

The linkage provided by the Montrose bridge cannot be understated. Montrose is the only north/south connector west of the Central Business District that connects traffic from the heavily traveled I-10 to the Medical Center. The bridges not only provide a vital mobility link to communities on both sides, but also are a source of pride for the entire region due to their iconic nature.

 

 

 

then I googled this:

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/west_university/news/m-grant-awarded-for-lighting-of-bridges-over-hwy/article_b4584127-5b33-5eb0-ad79-dd1d1239f519.html

Edited July 30, 2013 by trymahjong

[TowerSpotter]

I am really glad their going to add led lighting to it and also will make the area more attractive.

[jt16]

When does TXDOT give up on the stupid vegetation on 59 and start over?  It looks atrocious driving through there.  There are trees growing out of what should be crawlers up the freeway. 

[TowerSpotter]

When does TXDOT give up on the stupid vegetation on 59 and start over? It looks atrocious driving through there. There are trees growing out of what should be crawlers up the freeway.

I agree the vines and the trees already make it atrocious but adding led lights will make even more atrocious.

[Texasota]

What? That section of 59 is the prettiest freeway in the city. The vines are fantastic.

[trymahjong]

I'm really glad MMD used State funds-----I'm still hoping for beautification of Montrose Public places. . . . . . Maybe not possible to the same extent as the Galleria- but still I'd like to see some "wow" factor

[TowerSpotter]

What? That section of 59 is the prettiest freeway in the city. The vines are fantastic.

 

I didn't mean that is was ugly,  I meant attractive. I didn't know that atroucious meant horrifying. (Feeling dumb) 

 

Edited July 31, 2013 by TowerSpotter

[RedScare]

a·tro·cious  

/əˈtrōSHəs/

 

Adjective

1. Horrifyingly wicked: "atrocious cruelties".

Of a very poor quality; extremely bad or unpleasant: "atrocious weather".

 

 

Synonyms

horrible - ferocious - cruel - brutal - terrible

 

 

HaHa! I am not laughing at you, but your mistake did give me a good laugh.    

 

And, I agree that the vegetation looks wonderful.

[Slick Vik]

Great

[jt16]

I maintain it looks atrocious. The vegetation is half dead and completely neglected.

[RedScare]

Do you mean horrifyingly wicked?

[jt16]

Of a very poor quality. (And, however you did your smiley emoticon thing)

[Texasota]

Would you prefer bare concrete?

 

[jt16]

I'd prefer they put something they will maintain. The galleria 610 is beautiful and this stretch looks bad to me. It's my opinion, I didn't say it was right but I'm entitled to it

[TowerSpotter]

I'd prefer they put something they will maintain. The galleria 610 is beautiful and this stretch looks bad to me. It's my opinion, I didn't say it was right but I'm entitled to it

 

I'd say every highway should be different from each other, thats what makes them unique.

[fatesdisastr]

I've always liked that stretch of 59, 610 and the Galleria as well as 610 and Bellaire with all the pine trees. I am certainly thankful for the roadside tree planting projects in the past decade that are starting to grow and look better.

[rsb320]

Maybe they've been there for a while, but I just noticed the other day.  There are now street signs indicating what street the bridges are.

[Montrose1100]

I usually take 59 South home, and the greenary is very welcome. However, I'm kind of torn about how wild it has gotten. It kind of represents our natural vegitation and how some of our bayous look like Vietnam. But I've noticed after the sun sets a couple of the lights have been out, and are starting to orange fog over. I'd imagine with some of the plants growing almost over the bulb that it would be hard to change them.

[jt16]

I usually take 59 South home, and the greenary is very welcome. However, I'm kind of torn about how wild it has gotten. It kind of represents our natural vegitation and how some of our bayous look like Vietnam. But I've noticed after the sun sets a couple of the lights have been out, and are starting to orange fog over. I'd imagine with some of the plants growing almost over the bulb that it would be hard to change them.

To be clear I like vegetation but the out of control look drives me crazy. It's my personality. Some people like the wild look but I like the clean cut look.

[TowerSpotter]

To be clear I like vegetation but the out of control look drives me crazy. It's my personality. Some people like the wild look but I like the clean cut look.

Well yea couldn't disagree with you on that, at first I thought you meant that you didn't like the vines. I would say it would look a lot better if they maintained it every once and a while too.

[jt16]

I also understand the galleria area has the benefit of a budget by way of a tirz and 59 has to rely on a regional txdot office with most likely a small maintenance budget

[lockmat]

I think the vines look pretty good too, but it wouldn't hurt to trim them once a year, that would be enough I think, but it would probably cost at least 10k...not terribly bad

[TGM]

Maybe the solution is to pick up a ton of that cheap restaurant plastic ivy and weave it into the walls and bridge. Act soon on this one before the historic folks get involved.

[cloud713]

man this thread was a rollercoaster. first we hated the vines. then we loved them. now we all agree they need to be trimmed up a bit. this has always been one of my favorite stretches of highway, (partly due to the vines on the walls, and partly due to the cool bridges), so im really glad they are re lighting the bridges with some proper LEDs. now if they could just trim the vines back a little (though i kind of like the way the vines have grown on some of the light poles).

[Triton]

Whatever happened with this? We heard about it last year but I haven't noticed anything. Did they actually put new lights on the bridges?

[Montrose1100]

Whatever happened with this? We heard about it last year but I haven't noticed anything. Did they actually put new lights on the bridges?

I haven't noticed anything. Some of the lights over 59 need to be cleaned and replaced as well.

[nate4l1f3]

Would be nice to see this again! I was wondering what's up with this as well...

 

[Naviguessor]

What were you on when you "saw" that? Share!

Not Montrose.

[Ross]

What were you on when you "saw" that? Share!

Not Montrose.

 

When the bridges were new and the lighting all worked, that's what they looked like. It didn't last long.

[Naviguessor]

That is not at all how I remember it. I remember thinking that it was Supposed to look something like that. It never actually did. As I remember it. I remember be disappointed by the effect. Or, lack there of.

Hope it looks more like the pic, this time around. But, I think that there is too much ambient light for drama.

[Triton]

Would be nice to see this again! I was wondering what's up with this as well...

 

 

That's beautiful but I honestly don't even remember what they really looked like. This definitely isn't anything that I would imagine had been there.

[Luminare]

I guess they have been out so long that I have to make the confession that I never knew that these ever lite up >.>

[LarryDierker]

That's beautiful but I honestly don't even remember what they really looked like. This definitely isn't anything that I would imagine had been there.

 

As i recall, it was just the light on the arch (the red light in the pic) that lit up. The color changed slowly (like the Memorial Hermann Tower). The orange criss-crossing beams in the pic did not light up, at least not that I ever noticed.

[Purpledevil]

I remember the neon strips arching the top but not tge bright orange glow on the upper framing. It seems there were new surface street lights erected when the bridge opened, making the road a brighter orange, but not the frame lit up that way. It's sad that we don't remember what it looked like, because its never been maintained. What a shame.

[cloud713]

I thought they were rainbows, not solid colors? Maybe each bridge was a different color of the rainbow. Yep, sad... Hopefully they fix them soon

[mollusk]

I don't remember exactly what technology was used, but IIRC it was something a bit novel at the time.  It seems like they only worked for a few months, and after that, the tubes carrying the lighting element (whatever it was) started drooping like crazy.

 

Lighting technology has advanced so much in just the last several years, it may be feasible to replicate the intended appearance with something both more economical and more reliable - perhaps LED based.  I can't imagine TxDoT digging up the money to do so, however, unless they can come up with some sort of tolling scheme.

[j_cuevas713]

A rainbow would be perfect for the area lol 

[Montrose1100]

They changed color with the weather supposedly. I remember driving on 59 a few months after they originally went up, the lighting had faded and looked like those tiny inch thick party tube lighting you can buy for parties.

[bobruss]

That's because you probably weren't extended out over the freeway hanging on to the vines on the end of the lightpole to get this angle.

[houstontexasjack]

These would look wonderful with new LED's. I hope this project moves forward.

[trymahjong]

A few years back I attended most of the MMD meetings- they are open to the public ( weird time tho like 3pm on week day) I should say that everyone was friendly and each meeting there was a time when " does anyone in audience have any issues to bring before the district?" I was part of the agenda-- in the years I went I only saw one other observer-Ii'm not sure how much feedback the MMD gets from Montrose residents-

I never had anything specific to bring up - I just wanted to report their "doings" back to my civic associations--- but all this discussion about the bridge might be a great topic to bring to the MMD---it could liven up those meetings for sure.

[mollusk]

IIRC, the MMD was one of the movers behind a) having nice looking bridges and putting purty lights on them.

[houstontexasjack]

Tangentially related, is the any chance the Montrose Management District will pay to bury utilities? The nature of the neighborhood is shifting toward mid-and highrises. The overground utilities look unfortunate.

[Urbannizer]

Montrose Bridge Lighting gets Chance to Shine

 

The Montrose Management District, Texas Department of Transportation and Houston-Galveston Area Council are poised to split the nearly $2 million cost overrun to replace lighting along Woodhead, Mandell, Dunlavy, Hazard, Graustark and Montrose - the latter actually two bridges. H-GAC's technical advisory council approved spending nearly $665,000 on Wednesday, sending the final approval on to the Transportation Policy Council that has the final say later this month.

 

If approved, and with a state approval also pending but expected, the project could start in a matter of months, with a contract awarded in February or March, officials said.

[nate4l1f3]

......and these are the things that make me happy. Weird, I know.

[j_cuevas713]

Man this was talked about forever ago. Finally!

[IronTiger]

Too soon to ask to fix the green neon on the I-45 and Beltway 8 stack?

[Triton]

Man this was talked about forever ago. Finally!

 

I know right! Been waiting for years for this...

[trymahjong]

The Chronicle had article in today's paper:

The Montrose Management District, Texas Department of Transportation and Houston-Galveston Area Council are poised to split the nearly $2 million cost overrun to replace lighting along Woodhead, Mandell, Dunlavy, Hazard, Graustark and Montrose - the last actually two bridges. H-GAC's technical advisory council on Wednesday approved spending nearly $665,000, sending the final approval on to the Transportation Policy Council, which has the final say later this month.........

[Montrose1100]

Too soon to ask to fix the green neon on the I-45 and Beltway 8 stack?

For real! We have giant highway stacks, might as well add something. I'm surprised W Beltway 8 @ 10 haven't received the blue treatment yet.