por favor gracias

On 6/11/2021 at 12:19 PM, X.R. said:

Wow, after all of this is done we're going back to sharing lanes to exit? The only difference being that 59S finally gets two lanes and 59N gets the new ramp? That is f***ing terrible if true. 

Guys and gals, they had ALL this time, ALLL this time during COVID to shut that down. And instead, we're doing it when everything is building back to normal? Defeating COVID took a bit of time, so they got a full year more than some expected. Incredible amounts of stupidity. I went back to work in the middle of 2020 out of necessity, sometimes I was alone at 8:50 am taking the 610 ramp. They couldn't have just dropped certain projects and taken advantage of this unprecedented time? Maybe quit a project TXDot was doing in BFE, Texas and rush to one of the busiest highways in the state? 

I love HAIF but the reddit thread for this is filled with the right reaction of joyfully poking fun at what a shit show this is going to be. 

Don't get me started on how they manage their projects. You think my last few posts have been long...

23 hours ago, texas911 said:

The only reason for traffic in that area are line cutters.

The new design forces everyone exiting northbound to the far right lane, which will also be shared with some of the traffic exiting southbound. So moving forward, any incident on 59 southbound near that area (or the 59 south ramp itself) will affect people on 610 still trying to exit 59 northbound as well.

Those who are unfamiliar with this area are going to cut in line by default as they will only have a mile or so notice of their exit if they go by the signage...and by then, traffic is often already backed up to that point.

When they finish the ramp for 59 southbound, traffic flowing from 610 southbound to 59 northbound and southbound will be better than it is now, but it'll be worse than it was before construction began...unless like 3 million people move out of Houston between now and then.

On 6/10/2021 at 10:01 AM, Houston19514 said:

The ramp actually is two lanes.  Yes, only one lane goes from the Loop to the ramp, but what people are apparently not noticing here is that a lot of the traffic coming from Uptown will no longer be getting on to the Loop at all, but going directly to the ramps to I-69.  Works really well.

The entrance from the feeder road w/ the traffic coming from Westheimer and W. Alabama had that same direct access to 59 before this project began. I agree that this has worked very well.

The only real change in terms of accessibility is having only one lane exiting from 610 when we had two lanes before this project began, and that lane will be shared with the people who will be exiting 59 southbound when construction is finished. There will be two lanes for the southbound exit.

On 6/9/2021 at 12:55 PM, rechlin said:

Am I remembering wrong, or wasn't the IH-610 southbound to IH-69 northbound ramp formerly 2 lanes?  Cutting it from 2 lanes to 1 lane seems like very backwards thinking.  Though I guess that goes with the views of many here who think that roads should be made smaller to encourage public transit.

And yes, I too have now found that exiting to Westheimer and getting back on to get from 610 south to 69 north is quicker.  I'm pretty sure that's not something that TxDOT wanted to have happen with this project.

i doubt there is a conspiracy here, though; I think it is just incompetence.  Thinking that TxDOT is intentionally doing it so that cronies can profit from accidents is totally ridiculous nonsense.

That's correct. This same ramp was 2 lanes exiting 59 northbound before. And not only will it be one lane moving forward, that lane will be shared with some of the traffic exiting 59 southbound. So basically, TxDOT is taking 6 years to rebuild *the ramps* at the busiest intersection in the state...and the end result for this part of the intersection will go from having 2 lanes before to one now. Traffic is going to be how it is now until they finish the ramp for 59 southbound, and even then, it's only going to be marginally better and worse than it was before construction.

We're also taking the far right lane to exit north where we used to use that same lane to exit south. They switched the alignment. They've actually done that in a few places around town lately with traffic realignments (some of which have been beneficial) and left exits. The 610/I-10/290 area and 288 corridor come to mind.

I want public transit as much as anyone (higher speed transit that doesn't interfere with street traffic, at least), but this ramp has no impact on anyone's home in the area. The only entity I'm aware that was affected by this project was the Chick-Fil-A. 

Just to be clear, I don't think the guys who I spoke with in that web conference are in on an official conspiracy. There's really no need for conspiracies when you can routinely get away with stuff like this with little to no accountability. I doubt there's an actual script or itinerary here. The "conspiracy" is pretty much in the job description at this point. It's passive participation. It's maintaining an obviously flawed status quo. It's the "it is what it is...this is just how we conduct our business" narrative and it's their reluctance to change that, even when it's clear that their product is unacceptable. They don't want to ruffle any feathers and risk losing their job, so they go along with it...and that in itself should shine a light on the root of the problem. Hence, the interference ever lower-level employees give citizens when they even politely voice legitimate concerns that they know they have no legitimate answer for.

That said, not unlike the business world, there are people higher up at TxDOT who are well connected and know how to keep both their employees and the public indoctrinated with the idea that everything is working great even when they know it's not. The photo ops with the executives holding shovels, the ribbon-cutting, balloon-releasing "ceremonies" for projects that have minimal, if not negligible impact on traffic, the marketing for those projects ("the new West Loop"), etc....just your average, run of the mill, standard line of public relations BS that many people have become so numb to, they've given up hope...which is exactly what some of these higher ups want. I'll believe they're counting on people (from within TxDOT or otherwise) to either be discouraged, asleep, or not care enough to demand accountability before I believe they "don't know" something as basic as this project (and many others, for that matter) turning out to be the cluster **** the rest of us can clearly see it's going to be (and already is).

If you think that the planners and project engineers at TxDOT are incompetent to the extent of actually thinking that taking away a lane from the 610 southbound to 59 northbound exit ramp is going to improve traffic, I would ask how do you explain that? As much as everyone from TxDOT seems to have wanted me to believe otherwise in my experiences with them, this isn't rocket science. I mean, my 10 year old niece and nephew would scratch their heads upon hearing this. I totally get and agree that people are generally stupid, but there's no way I'm going to believe that any functional adult truly believes that taking away a lane here is an upgrade if you talk to them one on one in a serious conversation with no strings attached...much less one who works for TxDOT...much less the person who approved this project for TxDOT. I think *that* is complete BS and am inclined to question how anyone living in America for longer than 10 minutes would be skeptical to the idea of cronyism here in one of our most important industries. Time and time again, industry has lobbied its way to get what it wants, even at the expense of human life. Hopefully it won't happen, but I can tell you right now that this ramp design increases the chance of loss of life, and it most certainly will affect millions of people's lives in a variety of ways over time. The slowdowns alone will cause accidents, it will delay millions of people over time, it could be the difference between life and death for someone having a medical emergency. They advertise "end the streak of Texas deaths" while they're throwing banana peels all over the city.

Whether it's corruption, incompetence or (most likely) both to some degree, everyone involved in that process should be forced from their positions just based on the impact the design they came up with and approved is going to have for millions of Houstonians moving forward, and it shouldn't take an MIT grad...or even a GED to see that. There needs to be accountability when shit like this happens...and this is closer to the norm than the exception with TxDOT. Speaking of which, isn't it about time they repave Westheimer again? At this rate, there could be a pothole forming by the year 2050 at the intersection of GFY Houston Blvd. I don't know about you, but I would hate to see that get overlooked.

43 minutes ago, X.R. said:

Its super trash. When traffic is really back, its going to be WAY worse than before. You already have people driving on the shoulder now to get to 59N as opposed to waiting in that line with all the 59S traffic. Its absolutely wild.

I see that this junk and I don't know how anyone looks at any TxDot proposal in Houston and go "yeah, this is smart." Plus, it takes forever. This is a tiny intersection and it already has pretty decent amount of work done, and its closing down til 2022.  Houston freeways are eternally under construction and rarely, maybe 1 out of 10 times, does it get any better. 

If I lived in Afton, parts of bellaire, and other areas around 610 by 59, I would be pissed. Because they are about to get flooded with traffic avoiding this nonsense.  

Yep...I'm one of those people. It's actually quicker sometimes to take the Westheimer exit and get onto 59 northbound from the feeder road after Westheimer & W. Alabama than it is to stay on the freeway, especially that right lane.

About a year ago, I had a web conference with five people from TxDOT...although only two of them actually spoke the whole time. I asked them why they don't work on one ramp at a time before tearing up other parts of the freeways and intersection. One of the reps told me that they didn't want their people working on top of the each other for safety reasons. Let me repeat that...one of TxDOT's reps told me that they didn't want their people working on top of each other in response to my "why not work on one ramp at a time" question. When I kindly reminded him that my question takes that into account by default, he told me they have other projects going on simultaneously across the entire state. So I asked why they work on multiple major highway projects at a time just in one city (Houston in this case) as opposed to allocating more of their resources on one project at a time in that city and getting it done in a fraction of the time before starting the next one, and then he "informed" me that we were out of time. All I could think of was what Bill Burr once said...it's like they want to frustrate you enough so you say a curse word or something, so they can have an excuse to hang up on you. 

Like you mentioned, this kind of practice not the exception with TxDOT...it's the norm. It's not a fluke, it's by design. These people aren't stupid. They know exactly what they're doing. After over two decades driving in this town and years worth of experience dealing with TxDOT, it couldn't be clearer to me that this is a racket...and I'm willing to bet there's a ton of hands in that pot. When things that seem easy don't make sense, there's almost always corruption involved. Look at who benefits from poor roads, traffic jams and accidents and tell me with a straight face that I'm insane to think there's a better chance than not that they're getting kickbacks in some way from the automobile, oil & gas, insurance, etc. industries...in the oil & gas capital of the world no less. There's a lot of money to be made from traffic jams and accidents, and when you look at shit like this under the lens of "maybe that's the goal in the first place," TxDOT's actions make a lot more sense.

Got confirmation from a source at TxDOT that the permanent 610 southbound exit ramp to 59 northbound will remain one lane similar to the current configuration, and that lane will be shared with some of the traffic exiting 59 southbound.

If you go to TxDOT's "projects and studies" page on their website, the first paragraph reads:

"Before a project is built, a study must be done to determine if it will fill a transportation need, will not negatively impact the surrounding area and fits the department's overall plan. During the study phase, potential projects are analyzed to determine if they are cost effective, while also efficiently improving mobility."

I'd love to see this "study" that suggests going from two lanes exiting off 610 southbound like we had before this project to one lane will "efficiently improve mobility" and "not negatively impact the surrounding area"...and who approved this design?

This is unacceptable.

That's a great view of Houston. Love how green the grass is right now.

3rd best skyline in the country IMO (after New York & Chicago).

Yeah, that's a nice view too. Love how you first notice the med center when first turning "north" on the ramp, which looks like a small city in itself...then the museum district buildings, then Greenway Plaza right there in front of you practically connecting with Upper Kirby with downtown looming in the background and everything in between. Just coming up 610 from Bellaire going over 59 is a great view of the city.

Of course I'm in the passenger seat when all this is going on...

8 hours ago, samagon said:

take the recently opened ramp from 610 S to 45 N, it's impressive too.

I bet you're right. The new elevated portion of the Gulf Fwy northbound exit for 59 & 288 is probably my favorite ramp in the city at the moment. I can imagine how (pretty much) that same view would look from a few miles back. That's between 288 and the Ship Channel, which might be the most underrated view of the city.

Gonna have to hit that one up soon...appreciate the heads up.

Just took the exit ramp from 288 Northbound to Beltway 8 Westbound and the view of the Houston skyline(s) might be the most impressive in the city. I've been driving in Houston for over 20 years and been on pretty much every ramp in the city, and I was blown away. It looks like a smaller New York...pretty much a continuous skyline from the Galleria to that massive 288 view of downtown.

Hopefully, the finished product will change my opinion on this, but to say I don't like the current configuration of the 610 southbound to 59 would be a massive understatement. As it is now, there is one lane to exit 59 northbound. I really hope we will end up with two lanes exiting there (one exit only) and another two lanes exiting for 59 southbound (one exit only). Otherwise, this is going to be a fiasco.

Also, I just don't get how they get away with having 6 years to work on a project as intrusive on our daily lives as this. This is the busiest intersection in the Southwestern United States, and one of the busiest intersections in North America. The entire 23 mile stretch of the Katy Freeway (the world's widest freeway) took 6 years to build, including ramps at 610, Beltway 8 and the Grand Pkwy...plus adding toll lanes and stations. Yet, not only is this taking 6 years to build, they pretty much tore up every part of the intersection one day one. Why not work on one ramp at a time...tear up that area, put like 200 guys out there...get it done in a week or two and then move on to tear up/redo the next one?

Same goes for how we "manage" our road projects in general. Right now, parts of the West Loop, SW Fwy, South Loop, South Fwy, Gulf Fwy and parts of the Beltway are all simultaneously under construction. Why not put all of those resources on one project at a time...finish that project in a fraction of that time...and then move on to the next project before tearing anything up, much less all of these areas at the same time and for years at a time?

On 3/19/2021 at 4:48 PM, kennyc05 said:

Those lights have never really worked even after they were redone after the superbowl.

A little unrelated (to LED lights specifically at least), but I remember when we hosted the Super Bowl in '04, Houston looked the best it's ever looked at night IMO. After the usual yellowish lights around the tops of our buildings during the holidays, there was some sort of coordinated effort that either kept those same lights on or changed colors...and more buildings were lit up all the way between the New Year and the Super Bowl that year. It seemed like every building in the city was lit up during that stretch. Greenway Plaza looked amazing...IIRC, some buildings had orange lights, some had green, purple, blue, red, etc. all over the city...but I thought Greenway Plaza looked the best.

On 10/13/2020 at 10:15 AM, gmac said:

There may be some extensive drainage work that needs to be done, like was done on some other major routes in that area.

I always wondered why we place pipes under the streets themselves, as opposed to the sidewalks or just anywhere parallel to them.

13 hours ago, houstontexasjack said:

These erections should both last longer than four hours.

Seems like we've had a stiff breeze ever since

In their respective contexts, they're both right. You can say it's "booming," but those numbers are coming from places opening up from the pandemic. That still counts, but to me it comes with a grain of salt. Of course, there's always the whole "booming for who" thing too. Depends on your definition/perspective.

On 3/11/2021 at 7:47 AM, Ross said:

Is there room for a roundabout there? I don't think one could be installed without taking a piece out of each of the corner properties.

You're probably right...I don't see how there would be enough room with the current design.

11 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I couldn't agree more. The transition from Midtown to Montrose is one of the best corridors in the city. I wish we could get funding for reconstruction of lower West.

I would love to see this as well, along with some really nice landscaping. I remember bobruss mentioning a year or two ago how he envisioned Montrose Blvd having a roundabout at Westheimer & Montrose and art all along the corridor between Allen Pkwy and Mecom Fountain...and I to this day I think that's a great idea. Certain thoroughfares like Main St, (lower) Westheimer and Montrose should have first class mobility, light synchronization, road smoothness, signage, surface markings and landscaping.

You can see the Texas Tower peeping out in the downtown pic, closing up that gap coming in from 288.

Love the park, sculptures and fountains in that 3rd rendering too. 

The new 45 Northbound to 59/288 Southbound ramp is pretty awesome too, and it's also elevated for a good while before you get to the ramp itself.

The 610 Ship Channel bridge also has a great view.