You've Been Given $15 Billion

[The Great Hizzy!]

I was thinking about the massive (and expensive) Big Dig project in Boston the other day, and about the massive final bill for the project (~ $15 Billion), and I was wondering how we, as a community, here in Houston would spend $15 Billion on transportation/infrastructure.

So, I ask the question of all of you:

If you were guaranteed $15 billion in federal transit spending, how would you spend it?

Get ready, get set... GO!

[TJones]

Everyone gets a Hovercraft ! Are you kidding me, that $15 billion is going towards more police and firefighters, and we are gonna feed and clothe some homeless and poor families. We can keep sitting in traffic. The solution to traffic jams, MOVE CLOSER TO WORK !

[Subdude]

I would use some of the money for our own Big Dig and put the Pierce Elevated underground. The rest I would probably spend on building out light rail/BRT.

[WesternGulf]

I take about half of that and spend it on infill in the direct core (downtown) and the other half live my every day life and of course charity.

oops. didn't read the first post. I will think of something later.

[Subdude]

Has to be used for transportation/infrastructure.

[TJones]

Has to be used for transportation/infrastructure.

We are talking about City Government here, you know a third of that money is gonna disappear. If I have to spend it on transportation. Expand the light rail out west ,north and south to Galveston. Not gonna "dig" anything. Commuter rails will lighten the traffic.

[gwilson]

Diagonal HOV toll roads (al a Westpark Toll road) out from 610 on all corners.

Hire someone who knows how to time traffic lights and pay him a bonus if he can cut down commute times by 18% on high volume surface roads.

Replace all Houston buses with buses that wont make you nauseous if you get stuck beside/behind one as well as off-street bus stops on high traffic roads. There is no excuse for a bus to STOP on Bellaire or Westheimer during rush hour and kill a lane of traffic.

That is about 4 billion down the tube. I'll ponder the other 9 for a few and get back to you.

[DJ V Lawrence]

I'd have two choices with 15 Billion to spend for transportation:

I could become a Republican, keep all the money to myself, raise oil prices a little and invest all of the bill on Halliburton to try to make more out of it.

Or,

I could become Democrat, spend all the money on Lewinski and hope Hilary doesn't find out.

j/k.

Seriously, my first goal would be to move 1-10 the way they have been talking about for the downtown revitalization plan. I'd estimate that the move would cost around 3 billion right there.

I would speed up the light rail projects by trying to finish everything before 2018 instead of 2025, which would also cost about 2 billion more right there (start off by connecting downtown to uptown, then Bush Intercontenental to Woodlands, then downtown to Bush, then I'd worry about Alief, Katy, Sugarland, and I'd start talking about possibly Galveston when all Houston projects were near completion.)

I'd spend about 2 billion dollars on revitalizing Hobby airport into one of the most luxurious airports in the world for it's size, to the point where everyone would wish they could pass through it (here in Korea/Japan, the airports and rail stations are architecturally mind-blowing. I hope I can find some pics for you soon.)

I'd spend 2 billion dollars revitalizing all the roadways that have seen a lack of funding for improvements over the years. I'd add street lights where they still aren't there, and worry about flood control if possible. I'd end up making the lower class neighborhood roadways look similar to that of Bellaire's revitalization.

I'd invest about a 250 million on underground-only parking downtown. Then I'd push to convert many of the existing above-ground parking spaces into new residential developments.

I'd spend 1.50 billion on speeding up the Buffalo Bayou project. Boats and all. Try to have it all finished before 2015.

I'd spend 250 million on better school buses

The other 4 billion dollars would be like, stored up in a Swiss bank for if we want to do something else later, I guess

[Montrose1100]

Double Stack everysingle freeway, Build light rail and heavy rail in every street.

[aosman]

Alot could be done but I would start with the following:

1. Rebuild the 290 Northwest Frwy to at least 5 lanes in each direction + 2 lanes on each direction for HOT lanes.

2. Complete the Grand Prkwy arround Houston and make it toll-free

[Lowbrow]

Put a roof over the inner loop and toll all entryways to smog emitting vehicles to pay for air conditioning.

[sevfiv]

okay, i know it's alot to ask for, but save a little for some nice walkable rail areas with some...plants

[MidtownCoog]

okay, i know it's alot to ask for, but save a little for some nice walkable rail areas with some...plants

We do have this. Not hanging baskets, but planters.

Planters are actually being installed all over downtown, not just on the rail line.

[sevfiv]

yeah, there are planters going in (but not a la my dream world )...just hope the plants can withstand pee

[Jeebus]

So far the only three recomendations have been:

1. Transportation & Infrastructure

2. Civil service employees

3. Homeless

I don't know about number 2, but I definately agree that 1 & 3 need the money. Maybe by tunneling 45 you can knock out both 1 & 3, since there won't be a Pierce Elevated for the homeless to camp out under anymore?

[YakuzaIce]

So far the only three recomendations have been:

1. Transportation & Infrastructure

2. Civil service employees

3. Homeless

Well #1 was the only thing we were supposed to be using the money one.

[TJones]

Well #1 was the only thing we were supposed to be using the money one.

Yeah, but we were just doing what every known politician does with overbudgetted funds, try to spread the wealth without anyone finding out about it, gotta keep those "payoffs" coming form somewhere you know ?

[The Great Hizzy!]

Ohhhhhh no you don't! I'm watchin youse!!!

I'm surprised no one earmarked an annual budget that was insure that freeways in Houston would be swept every weekday evening, you know, so that the debris doesn't continue to build up along the median and side walls. You could probably take care of that with just a couple of million.

Nevertheless, keep 'em comin'.

[VelvetJ]

Well, more money may be needed for all I want.

Well this time, I will just stick to transportation. In no particular order:

Commuter Rail out to the major suburbs (basically in the direction of most of our freeways)

Widen 290

Light Rail along the perimeter of 610.

Maglev to Intercontinental from Downtown

Maglev from Downtown to Galveston, with one stop in Clear Lake (that has a shuttle from the station to NASA)

Tunnel from Greenspoint To Downtown

Light Rail through the Uptown Area with a indoor rail station attached to the Galleria itself.

Suspended or elevated rail out Westheimer

Elevated Rail to Hobby

[WesternGulf]

Tunnel from Greenspoint To Downtown

Why those areas? I like the Maglev idea.

[sevfiv]

Maglev to Intercontinental from Downtown

Maglev from Downtown to Galveston, with one stop in Clear Lake (that has a shuttle from the station to NASA)

imagine shooting from IAH to downtown in under ten minutes! or to galveston in what...twenty minutes?

[TJones]

imagine shooting from IAH to downtown in under ten minutes! or to galveston in what...twenty minutes?

"shooting" is the appropriate word, if you are gonna put something out by Gunspoint Mall.

[WesternGulf]

LOL. Is Greenspoint really that bad?

[TJones]

LOL. Is Greenspoint really that bad?

Criminals used to be lined up by people's cars, waiting to carjack somebody. Don't know exactly what it's like these days.

[eelimon]

I was thinking about the massive (and expensive) Big Dig project in Boston the other day, and about the massive final bill for the project (~ $15 Billion), and I was wondering how we, as a community, here in Houston would spend $15 Billion on transportation/infrastructure.

So, I ask the question of all of you:

If you were guaranteed $15 billion in federal transit spending, how would you spend it?

Get ready, get set... GO!

How about bulldozing all of the inner city and starting over make it more dense and do away with all freeways and make everyone must park and take public transportation at the city limits except trucking companies and buses who would take dedicated transit system.

Everyone else must park at the city limits and take public transportation that can get you any were in the city in less then 30 min

[Furious Jam]

I'd build an extensive rail network inside the Beltway, with 2/3 of it being inside the Loop. I'd like to see Uptown, UH, the Heights, Montrose, and Bellaire all connected by light rail. To make it work I'd give tax breaks to people building along the line to create mixed use developments with lots of retail at street level.

Also, I like the idea of building a new 45 North underground. The last thing we need is a massive reconstruction like I-10 West.

Finally, I'd like to see high speed rail to Galveston, then light rail on the island to help people get around. I think the region would really be helped by solidifying the Houston-Galveston connection.

[MiDTOWNeR]

Eliminate HOV lanes on the 59, 10, and 45.instead place light rail on them, with stations at the centre of the freeways with access from sides of freeway(underground or overhead) similar to other cities...LA, Chicago,...So light rail would extend, Galveston to Woodlands, Sugar land to Kingwood, Jacinto city to Katy.

All freeway entrances with no merge lane or less than 100 ft to merge would get extended to allow adequate safe freeway entry.

Since eliminating feeder road system might be too costly, I would add turn lanes from which to turn into business or onto other streets from.

Someone else mentioned hiring someone to effectively time the street lights in this town...I would hire a whole department devoted to just that. These lights in midtown are red FOREVER, to allow for an insanely long green light for little streets like McGowen..and Tuam....WTF?!!!

Build 45 so that it at least maintains 4 lanes as it traverses around downtown.

Whoever is responsible for designing that clusterchuck of the feeder road/exit system for Hidalgo in the Galleria from the 610 south and the same spot access to the 59 and 610 south will be tracked down, fired and banished from ever designing this sort of crap again.

I would send the local drivers to brainwashing school to reprogram them to not be so personal on the road, and that if someone wants to go around you, then let them, by moving over, and not speeding up if they choose to go around you.

[nmainguy]

Enhance the I-45 tunnel proposal by including an extra tunnel for high-speed rail with very few stations between the Woodlands and downtown-and for god's sake-bury that hideous Pierce elevated once and for all.

Take what's left over and build a liniar park like they did with the dig in Boston.

[TxDave]

Finally, I'd like to see high speed rail to Galveston, then light rail on the island to help people get around. I think the region would really be helped by solidifying the Houston-Galveston connection.

I agree that there shoud be better rail connection to Galveston - light rail there would be awesome. Although I think the term "high speed" might still be a little aggressive (how much ridership would there be?).

Given our current weakness in rail connections, the only "high speed" rail corridors run between Boston, New York, and Washington. Even these line may be considered slow compared to Japan and other countries with advanced rail lines.

Regardless, true "high speed" rail would probably work better in Texas and the American West than the Northeast. Imagine a rail line that could get you from Houston to Dallas in less than 2 hours or to Austin in 45 minutes.

If the pricing is right, this would provide a viable alternative to driving or flying (we were supposed to create these after 9/11).

If such a system is created, I think the question becomes: where should the Houston station be located? IAH? Downtown? Galleria?

[YakuzaIce]

If such a system is created, I think the question becomes: where should the Houston station be located? IAH? Downtown? Galleria?

Downtown, that is the best place considering it is the center of our current public transportation system. Not everyone will be able to have someone pick them up.