nolaboy

That's the future Peek Rd overpass location that I was talking about. There is a U-turn lane where Peek Rd will cross 99 and continue to the other side near Long Meadow Farms. I assume that the work will start soon after the equipment is removed and the land is cleared. And after that I assume is when Peek will be extended.

Any idea if/when an overpass will be built at the (future) Peek Rd crossing?

I noticed 3 Life Flight helipads ontop of the new building. The 4 existing ones are not shown on top of the Childrens building. I wonder if the 3 new ones will be in addition to the existing.

It will be next to MH Childrens -- Cambridge side overlooking Hermann Park.

A friend forwarded this internal email sent to Memorial Hermann TMC employees from the CEO earlier this week.

Looking up from my sunroof on a beautiful day

Error..please delete

I believe that you are asking why Fry Rd isn't the "last free exit" while traveling SB from I-10. It actually is and I expect it to be signed as such soon. As to why Belaire is also labeled as such is because all exits and entrances are untolled and every overpass (or every other overpass for those that are in close proximity to each other) from 1093 to 59 have a toll booth either at the beginning or end of the overpass. And for the most part there is only one (untolled) exit between toll booths, making each exit as "Last free exit" before you have to pay toll again. So going SB after paying at the 1093 overpass, if you don't exit to Bellaire for "free" then you won't be able to exit again until after you pay at the Bellaire overpass. So by definition the Bellaire exit is the "Last free exit". As i said earlier, it seems goofy to label just about every exit in this stretch as "Last free Exit" but it's consistent with the Beltway with the exception that the Beltway is tolled every 4 or so exits, with untolled exit ramps downstream of toll plazas and untolled entrance ramps upstream of toll plazas. The last free exits come after going through a major free interchange (built with federal $ -- such as Southwest freeway). So similar to Grand Pkwy, if you don't take the free exit you will have to pay toll at either the next exit ramp or at a main lane toll booth/plaza.

http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/Profile.aspx?LID=18453043 Attached site plan for the NW corner of Grand Pkwy and Belfort, showing Exclusive Furniture and an available pad site. I'm still searching for a site plan for the Target, Gallery Furniture, and Burlington that will be next to Palladium.

Airport Rd and Harlem overpasses are now open. Google maps now has these shown as solid orange lines

There's a bunch of good info under the plans secion of this website: https://secure.smartbidnet.com/External/PublicPlanRoom.aspx?Id=110167 Any idea where the traffic signal (mentioned on Roche's website) will go? I guess it might make sense for it to go at Bellaire / Parkway Lakes Ct (about halfway down the site) Edit: Confirmed location of traffic signal at Bellaire / Parkway Lakes Ct in "6050-OVERALL_SITE_PLAN-6867_v1.pdf". Also the store faces the southwest. I kind of like this layout better than facing west towards Grand Pkwy.

Just about every exit south of Westpark Twy is labeled "last free exit" because there is typically only one exit between each tolled overpass. I initially thought this was a bit overkill but its consistent with the Beltway (with the exception that there are multiple exits between each toll booth on the Beltway).

The Westpark overpass will be part of "West Bellfort to Westpark Toll Road/FM 1093 - Late April 2014". They are still working on the side barriers for the overpass, as well as the pavement between the ramp and the existing freeway on either side of the new overpass.

Looks like parts of Segment D will begin opening up very soon according to FBCTRA. The first part between Southwest Fwy and FM 1464 was scheduled for today, but I haven't heard anything yet. US 59 to US 90A/FM 1464 - Thursday, February 27, 2014 US 90A/FM 1464 to Harlem Road - Mid-March 2014 Harlem Road to West Bellfort - Mid-April 2014 West Bellfort to Westpark Toll Road/FM 1093 - Late April 2014

Does anyone know if/where Micro Center would be relocating if this is true? From Swamplot: http://swamplot.com/did-micro-center-just-sell-its-houston-location-to-amegy-bank/2014-02-25/ The self-proclaimed “industry insider” behind a new office-space rumor website tells Swamplot that it’s “well-known . . . amongst the tenant/landlord representative crowd” that Amegy Bank has purchased the 4.13-acre site at 1717 West Loop South just north of San Felipe that’s currently home to Houston’s only Micro Center store. The owner and would-be seller of the property, according to county tax records, is the Ohio-based parent company of the 47,800-sq.-ft. computer and electronics store, which has been operating in that location since 1994. There is only one other Micro Center location in Texas. *** “The property, which is just down the street from [Amegy Bank's] current office at Five Post Oak Park,” reports the rumor site, “is the supposed site for Amegy to build their own 10-12 story office tower. Rumblings suggest that this move is the result of a lease renewal disagreement between Amegy and their current landlord Shorenstein.” If the rumor is true, would the computer retailer be looking for another Houston location, or just close up shop here? Swamplot has contacted both Micro Center and Amegy Bank for comment. We’ll add an update if we hear anything back. http://swamplot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/micro-center.jpg Webcam: http://www.workzonecam.com/projects/amegybank/amegybank/workzonecam Renderings: http://www.justintowart.com/wp-content/uploads/Towart-Work13-Arch-Illustration-6.jpghttp://www.justintowart.com/wp-content/uploads/Towart-Work13-Arch-Illustration-7.jpg http://swamplot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/amegy-tower-rendering.jpg

I didnt see anything about Target on Satya's FB page. There's a Shell gas station on the SE corner of 99 and W Belfort. Did you mean at Bellaire? I always thought that would be a great location for Exxon. I don't think there are any gas stations within a mile of this intersection other than Walmart...maybe Stripes.

Do you have a link? Or developer -- Long Meadow Farms?

Generalizing much?? 28 year old here prime in my career with an engineering firm in westchase. I have zero wishes of moving anywhere near or inside the beltway. In fact I actually enjoy a good drive on our wonderful freeway system outside of rush hour times and hate the crawling traffic on westloop and the most local streets inside the loop. Or maybe its because all of my clients are corrupt big oil companies and their success is my success.

I'm not saying that its a bad idea to live in the loop. I'm just saying that its not for me or other people that feel the same way I do. Everybody has their own preferences, and the loop and the suburbs both have their advantages and disadvantages. Its up to the individual and their own values/beliefs/lifestyles for which is better for them. And I agree that some move to the suburbs not because they want to, but because they have to. We all have our own circumstances. I just can't stand the mentality that alot of people on this forum/thread have that the inner loop is the only and best way to live and that everything else shall cease to exist. First off, thats is practially impossible in this city given the lack of growth boundaries, so I don't know why its a topic of discussion to begin with. Regardless, I'm happy to live where I do, and I live here because I chose to over any of the other options that I could have taken if I wanted to. And us suburbanites definitely could not exist without a thriving an successful core, so we definitely want it to grow and prosper, as we too are proud of this city.

What about the people that actually prefer and desire to have a brand new giant house in the middle of nowhere? If that's not what you desire then stay in your dense city and stay off the congested highways that you like to complain about. If you prefer a multifamily dwelling or a smaller plot of land and can afford the higher cost of living in the city, then I'm happy for you. But that's not at all my thing. My solution was to build a big arse house on a big arse plot of land around Westpark Twy and 99, and found a job at the Beltway and Westpark. I have 0 problems with my 20-25min drive thru the morning and evening rush. Problem solved -- I hardly ever have to go near 610, which should make people like you happy. I think there are alot of assumptions that everyone travels all the way to 610 or downtown from the outer suburbs but that's not necessarily the case. The satellite employment centers such as westchase, energy corridor, woodlands, etc actually help the cause of relieving congestion in the core. I know we all dream of having a solid urban core that we can all be proud of but cramming 6 million people worth of housing and employment centers inside the loop ( or the beltway for that matter) won't make life easier or quicker to access to things we want to do. So I think the argument for getting rid of congestion would be to encourage people to work in their nearby employment center instead of driving into or across town to a different center. I used to live in downtown Chicago and at all times of the day it actually takes a lot longer to travel short distances (the majority of the city is really a 1x5mile grid) with the walking to/from train stations, or it can be costly (but quicker) to take a cab. Don't even try to drive because biking is quicker in a lot of cases. But I have no interest in biking in their cold winters or our humid summers - or even in nicer weather.for that matter. Compare that to Houston, at most times of the day outside of rush hour (or major accidents), you can drive around a lot quicker door to door because most freeways are clear of congestion. And you can park right.next to the store or business that you are visiting. The exceptions are the westloop which I really have no desire to go to or through purely because of congestion. In response to someone's comment about terminating freeways at 610 and using mass transit inside the loop....getting off the freeways to park at a park n ride, then getting on a train (possibly transferring to another train or bus) and walking to your destination still takes time. I know a lot of you don't share the same sentiment but I prefer my own space, my radio, the comfort of my car, the convenience of carrying all my crap in my car, and the option of loading it up with whatever the hell I want so I can take it all home to store in my huge arse house. I lived the city life and as faster of a pace life is, it still takes longer to go places and do things. Regardless its all a matter of preference so to each their own.

I dont get why this highway is designated as I-345. Why not leave it as I-45 or US 75? I haven't spent a lot of time in downtown Dallas but I dont recall seeing signs for I-345, nor is it designated as such.

Its in the middle of nowhere now but we're looking forward to it filling in quickly. I drive this segment both ways at least twice a week and plan to continue using it because its so convenient. It cuts down a 40 minute drive I'm half...no complaints from me!

Is there a timeframe for the start of construction yet?

Not yet. There is no work on 99 south of Riverpark dr (about a mile north of Southwest Fwy)

This was posted in The Bond Buyer, but subscription is required to access the rest of the article. Does anybody have any additional information about this, possibly from another source? Thanks. Nearly $1B Coming for Houston's Grand Parkway "Nearly $1 billion of notes and bonds to be priced and placed soon will keep the Grand Parkway toll loop growing around the Houston metro area."