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DNAguy

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Everything posted by DNAguy

  1. DNAguy
    More radical ideas for Pierce redesign (which takes from a lot of others' ideas).... Build the Hardy downtown connector as I45 instead (and connect it along elevated 610 freeway to 45 which would remain the same north of 610), route 45 along 59 on east side of dt as an elevated freeway while making 59 a below grade freeway from Leeland to Franklin, Make the existing I45 section north of downtown a spur, and demolish the Pierce. Then do the Parkway thing. Thoughts?
  2. DNAguy
    Nice pic. I had a very similar idea and posted a rough sketch in another thread. Here's the rough sketch:
  3. DNAguy
    I would hope that TxDOT did this b/f coming up with their 'solutions'. Although, I wouldn't be surprised otherwise. I wonder what it would take for them to publicize it. Maybe if we all start to badger our public officials and TxDOT, we can get an answer. This brings me to another question... with a project so big like the I45 overhaul from the Woodlands to Downtown, why doesn't TxDOT crowd source the solution.. or at least hold some kind of contest. Architectural schools hold these kind of competitions all the time, why not do the same for this project?
  4. DNAguy
    Well, one could argue that removal is a 'redesign'. I redesigned my house buy removing walls.... maybe we could all agree to call this 'Redesign of I45's downtown section'. Then we can talk about removing the pierce? Would that work? What does the Pierce elevated really do? I think we should all ask us that question. How much of the traffic is passing through downtown? Is it mostly a connection from I 45 to 59/288? Is it an outlet for west downtown? Once we understand what it is, we can then find a solution. We can all agree that its an eyesore and reduces property values in its immediate proximity. The sigh lines are poor, it has terrible on / off ramps, and connections to 59/288 are terrible. Houston deserves better than the Pierce. What that is exactly, IDK.
  5. DNAguy
    What happened to this thread? I'm pretty sure this is where someone should drop a 'you mad bro? ' gif. No one is actively lying. And being an Aggie isn't a dig. Jeez. I really think that if there was anywhere in houston that can accommodate a freeway removal, it's here. There is an extensive grid network AND multiple freeways to absorb the excess. New bottle necks might be exposed but those could be upgraded. That's not me actively lying and no one can refute my theory bc I leave the possibility of adding capacity on other roads.
  6. DNAguy
    I would entertain a split northbound and southbound I 45 if the pierce elevated is replaced w/ a trenched southbound 45... The cut and cover would be a nice bonus too. I really think that this might be enough of a compromise to actually work... but I'm not holding my breath
  7. DNAguy
    The parkway idea as they drew it up leaves more questions than answers. What I dont understand is the need for a parkway on the southside of downtown. The only area that would need something like a parkway is the west side of downtown. You can repurpose the 45 row on the west side of downtown as the parkway and then tie into the existing street grid. The St Joseph parkway is of sufficient width to handle the traffic. Then you sell / repurpose the ROW to recover some of the great costs that this is going to take.
  8. DNAguy
    FYI http://offcite.org/2014/07/28/the-rebuilding-of-i-45-a-once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity-to-improve-houston
  9. DNAguy
    I'm still hoping for a large scale development w/ the HSR + bus + LR megastation and a white oak bayou promenade that extends to a new mix use development on the post office site and a buffalo bayou river walk. One can dream right?
  10. DNAguy
    Nah bro. It's just zombie apocalypse ready. 'Bell tower' perfect for sniping and/or putting a 50 cal. in. The spikes prevent the scaling of the building.
  11. DNAguy
    Everyone knows that's totes been done, like, forever ago ......
  12. DNAguy
  13. DNAguy
    Yes. All segments will be tolled except for the section between I10 and the westpark tollway.
  14. DNAguy
    I think the new Adam Sandler is the real shame
  15. DNAguy
    Oh man, you did it now! You brought this on yourself!
  16. DNAguy
    I'm pretty sure we're in the mess we're in w/ transportation and infrastructure because many of our officials' decisions were predicated by the statement "I guess it's not THAT bad if......".
  17. DNAguy
    For the full loop, the section that is the thorniest isn't actually 146 itself. The issues comes when you try and get from 45 south to 146 to complete the loop. I just don't see the people of League city being all that jazzed about having a tollway replace Loop 646 / 16th street.
  18. DNAguy
    I'm sorry, but it has to be done:
  19. DNAguy
    They can't be that bad. I mean, Metro didn't get rid of them in the East end and it ended looking just fine......
  20. DNAguy
    If it's so well known as a manufacturing methodology, why did I have to re-invent it 30 years later?
  21. DNAguy
    Well, not exactly. If TxDOT builds a toll road, then it has to issue bonds. Tolls on the roads are, in principle, supposed to go to pay off those bonds. However, this really isn't the case. To TxDOT, money in is money in. In addition, they also leverages tolls + gas tax revenue to float more bonds for future projects. They count the tolls as income just as gas taxes. All they did is just take out a loan to build a road. So the $ to pay off the bonds comes from the whole pie of incoming TxDOT $. The extra 3, 7 , 9% could have build / maintained more lanes. So we really are stuck with a road that we paid more to build than if we had the $ today and the prospect of paying to use it forever. When $ is tight, there is always a premium to have something built faster. I'm not saying whether there actually isn't any benefit for building highways as tollways, but lets call it what it is. It disincentives use and incentives other means of transportation / mass transit. One could argue that all highways should be tolled.
  22. DNAguy
    I know that TxDOT doesn't own the ROW, but why didn't they look into routing 45 from 610 to DT along what will be the Hardy DT connector? You then route it along 59 from I10 to 45 south. The current section of I 45 now becomes I145. Would there be enough ROW? Do the laws permit a swap between HCTRA and TxDOT so that I145 or some spur designation could be tolled? I'm curious if this could actually work.
  23. DNAguy
    One thing I've come to realize is that when you get rid of a bottle neck in a system, you expose / exacerbate other bottle necks. If this prevents you from fixing a known problem (b/c you know that'll you'll just run into another problem down / upstream), then you in a paralyzed state where nothing gets down. No doubt that 59/288 interchange needs to be fixed. By fixing the 45/59 interchange, you're actually incentivising the earlier action.
  24. DNAguy
    I like where your head's at. However, I think you run into problems with the directing the 'regular' through traffic of 45 into the industrial part of Houston. Lots of trucks from 59 to 45 south on 610. Plus you have a large bridge. And the 610 / 225 / 45 area is already loaded up with lands that end and merge in a way that would only add to the nightmare that it is today.
  25. DNAguy
    With Houston's west side developing at a pace roughly 20 years faster than rest of Houston, I guess you're right. I fail to understand the need for the 59 north to I10 east section though. However, Exxon has a big refinery in Baytown and their new campus is right off the Grand parkway. I wouldn't put it past TxDOT to just build the road to help reduce that refinery to campus commute. What's a couple billion bucks anyway?
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