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DNAguy

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Everything posted by DNAguy

  1. DNAguy
    Kyle field... Kyle field should have been wiped off the map and rebuilt. Look at this: In the haste to 'beat' the longhorns and build bigger, I guess the aggies forgot that a stadium was supposed to look nice on the inside AND outside. Are they going to fix that tunnel / gap thingy? If Kyle field was a car, it would look like this:
  2. DNAguy
    Not just Dallas and/or LA: http://gizmodo.com/five-cities-turning-ugly-overpasses-into-vibrant-parks-1259568561
  3. DNAguy
    Yeah, it was planned WAY back. Back when highways were considered the greatest thing since sliced bread, gas was $0.31 / gallon, the US was manufacturing everything in the world, and the Texas state government used tax money to fund public works. I'm pretty sure since all of those things are the same, that the Grand Parkway is still the same great idea. /friendly sarcasm
  4. DNAguy
    Wrong. HCTRA hasn't funded the Grand Parkway. All Grand parkway $ has been TXDOT or FBTRA $.
  5. DNAguy
    I'm not against tollways. I think its a better way to speed up road development in places that would probably have to wait 20 years to secure funding. I am against it being used a way to get around a ridiculous anti-tax ideology that ignores the fact that taxes are needed for public works. I'm against it's use when an a project that would normally be non-tolled is developed as a toll so TxDot can use can secure a revenue stream. i'm against an incoherent tolling strategy where for no rhyme or reason, one highway gets tolled expressways and others don't. I'm against building a tollway in the middle of nowhere so that 100 people that happen to live in Katy and work in the Woodlands can get to work in a straight shot. Beltway 8 isn't full b/c Katy drivers are trying to get to the woodlands, its full b/c of all the infill that happened after the Sam Houston's been around for 20+ years and the resulting sprawl. The same will happen to the Grand parkway and in 25 years, TXDOT will be building the Godzilla parkway that connects Rosenberg to Fulshear to Sealy to Prarie View to Magnolia to Conroe b/c company 'x' moved its headquarters there and people need to be able to commute from half way across Texas on a single road to get there.
  6. DNAguy
    I doubt there is anything close to significant Katy to Woodlands daily commuting. At least not now. Building a toll road between suburbs is a self fulfilling prophecy when people find they can make that commute in 45 minutes to the Woodlands from Katy, they move out to Katy to work in the Woodlands.... at least for now. In 10 years, people will complain about the traffic on the GP. I understand that a tollway gets you from A to B faster. My argument is that its not the best use of limited resources. To me, its hard to argue that this highway is such a vital link when it doesn't even warrant the need of full frontage roads (in our current Houston highway model -- I understand that not all highways are designed like this and when in a city center it makes less sense. I'm only talking Houston and in the suburbs). How much of 288's traffic is caused by people who 'have' to enter the highway and couldn't get to their location by frontage? Unlike the Katy freeway, this is TXDOT borrowed $ going to build a tollway instead of something else. TXDOT $ didn't go to build the toll roads on I 10. HCTRA $ did. And it was necessary to get the HCTRA $ to speed up the overall construction. The toll road was a TXDot concession. AND it was built for a duel use of HOV which existed there b/f - a HCTRA concession. No HOV lane exists on 288. No concession has been given that commuters could use these lanes for 'free' while single occupancy cars pay a toll. Now how is that the best way to get people from point a to point b the fasted? I don't mind that HOV lanes can be used a toll lane when they're underutilized. I mind when instead of building HOV lanes or frontage lanes, you build a toll road b/c you're broke, you're spending the little $ you do have on frivolous things (grand parkway), and this is the only means of getting funding to address a legitimate (288 traffic) issue.
  7. DNAguy
    The grand parkway is not vital for the area's mobility. What's vital about Katy to Woodlands traffic? It's a luxury for suburbanites and incentives businesses relocating to the suburbs. It doesn't relieve any real congestion. An argument can be made that its helps keep housing prices lower by opening up more and more land for development, but is that really the business of TXDot when their funding is so tight? I have a real problem w/ our transportation department being in 'business to make $' as well. They aren't there to make $. They're there to provide a service. Frontage roads make more mobility sense for far less $ on 288.
  8. DNAguy
    TXDot is underfunded. There is no doubt there. The fact that bonds have to be sold to fund ANY additional road project is sickening. One would think that TXDot would try and build frontage roads along 288 b/f they build a 100 million dollar + tollway in the middle of it. Nope. Any additional lanes HAVE to be funded by bonds b/c there's nothing in the coffers. That means toll lanes b/f frontage lanes. What kind of sick and twisted logic is that?! However, the funding that they do have is used for crap projects like the Grand Parkway sections to nowhere. We need $ spent on a Porter to mont belvieu direct highway....why? TX-35 tollway addresses two problems: 288 traffic AND 45 traffic. That in my book makes it a great candidate for a entity that's strapped for cash. It should be a tollway b/c there are two 'free' alternatives already. It can have a Hobby connector which brings in lots cars / use... not to mention a new international terminal going up now. The more I think of it, the more I just get pissed off. sorry for the rant.
  9. DNAguy
    Couldn't you say the same thing about the 288 express lanes? Here: Rail 288 express lanes is are a debatable investment in general, but it certainly makes absolutely no sense for the 288 median - there is already a parallel Main Street line288 freeway right to the west on either side of it . If TXDot is is so adamant on building a tollway (which they are and why I think they deserve a name change: Texas Department of Tollways), why aren't they building TX-35? Not only would that help relieve traffic on 288, but it could also attract people from 45 which is crazy congested as well. Dare I say two birds w/ one stone? You could even put a Hobby connector much like the Hardy connector @ IAH.
  10. DNAguy
    TXDot Kinda sucks there won't be room for rail, but that was never part of the plan (same with I-10, wishful thinking). I wonder if they're leaving space (potential) for building a five stack with Beltway 8 eventually. fify
  11. DNAguy
    What can we do to get someone to buy that Wells Fargo @ Kipling & Kirby and re-development THAT? Ugh.
  12. DNAguy
    'No free lunch'..... Sun, Aug 10 vs Texas L 6-2 49-69 Martinez (2-8) Keuchel (10-8) 19,239 Mon, Aug 11 vs Minnesota L 4-2 49-70 Duensing (3-2) Fields (2-5) Perkins (29) 15,569
  13. DNAguy
    I can't agree more. People would just have to realize that to get to 45 north from west of downtown, you take Allen parkway... to get to 45 south, you take memorial. Simple and safety / congestion is improved.
  14. DNAguy
    Me too. I purposely didn't write about it though b/c I don't want to give up one of 'my' good / semi-secret traffic work-arounds.
  15. DNAguy
    The scott on-ramp causes serious traffic issues. It should either be closed off or a concrete divider should be extended from the 59&288 south / 45& 59N split so that people can't cross 4 lanes of traffic to get to 59S. In all actuality this wouldn't reduce freeway access in the area either. If you're at UH, take the spur to get onto 45 then take the exit as normal. If you're in EaDo and need to get to 59 south, then take the 45 feeder and follow it just past 59. Then take a left on Hamilton. There is a 59 south on ramp just past the 45/59 exchange.
  16. DNAguy
    I've been to Istanbul and eaten under the bridge. It makes a huge difference that it's on the water. I makes a huge difference that cars aren't driving 70+ miles per hour above you (noise, etc). Tip: Instead of eating under the bridge, get a fish sandwich from a street vendor on the south side of the Golden Horn between the bridge and ferry stop. They're cheap and really good.
  17. DNAguy
    I agree 100%. A lot of 45's problems has to do w/ it's terrible exits and on ramps. I'm sorry for not giving credit to the correct person, but i know it's been suggested that the Allen Parkway to 45 south entrance needs to be closed. It's dangerous. I like the idea of using the Spur 5 sections as 59 on ramps/ exits. It would actually make even more sense if the Pierce was ever eliminated too.
  18. DNAguy
    What about covalent columns? I'm pretty sure those are the ones that share the load bearing.....
  19. DNAguy
    If you break it down, it's actually pretty accurate in its current usage: Iconic: I con - as in "I con you" or "I am lying to you" or Ic - as in "Ick" or something you would say if something is nasty or not pleasing So most things labeled 'iconic' in Houston are just not really pleasing to the eye and mostly a fabrication or distortion or the truth.
  20. DNAguy
    I disagree with this your opening assertion. The biggest problem with the Pierce is that it exists. It's an under-performing asset (transportation-wise) that drags down property values and prevents the needed blending of Midtown's residential focus w/ downtown's business focus. We wouldn't need to subsidize builders to the tune of 10+ million dollars to build apartments downtown if we didn't have such a barrier between downtown and midtown. There would be a more organic blending of the two together if not for such a stark elevated freeway barrier. Planting trees won't help property values immediately adjacent to the elevated freeway. Growing vines won't help disperse the homeless that congregate under the Pierce. I agree that bulling a parkway from Bagby to 59 does something similar in dividing the two areas. That's why I think its a stupid idea. The downtown street grid is more than capable of handling east/west traffic from 59 to west downtown in the midtown/downtown junction. If we take the Pease/Jefferson and combine it w/ Pirece/St. Joesph couplet, you've got 20 total lanes full lanes of traffic. Taking away turning / bus lanes, that's still 12 dedicated lanes of East/west flow. I've read Houston Freeways and while I believe that lot's of effort went into building Houston's freeways, there was little 'innovation' outside of the original Gulf freeway. I might give you reversible HOV lanes, but technically that was funded by METRO. Freeways were built without regard to surrounding neighborhoods. That is not a way we should operate nowadays. I mean, what are the tax implications for 13 new and almost total blocks city that would be added to downtown if the Pierce were to disappear tomorrow? What does the cost of re-routing 45 along other freeways come out to when TxDOT could sell 13 different lots of prime midtown/downtown Houston real estate?
  21. DNAguy
    Ummmm... this is a forum for those proposing ideas that cost billions of dollars. Your 'immediate' ideas don't meet the $ threshold.
  22. DNAguy
    http://swamplot.com/houstons-biggest-boosters-planning-their-own-downtown-perch-offices-track-through-parking-garage-future-hotel/2014-08-06/
  23. DNAguy
    You sir speak with the devil's tounge!
  24. DNAguy
    You would have to upgrade east downtown's freeway system as well. There is some row that could be purchased north of grb. From the grb south, you would have to trench 59 farther and stack 45 as an elevated freeway above in the same row.
  25. DNAguy
    Think of it in Rice Military.... because that neighborhood is going to be chalk full of townhouses faster than you can say 'gentrification'.
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