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mattyt36

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  1. mattyt36
    But note he didn’t call it FAKE NEWS, which is obviously the new standard 🤣
  2. mattyt36
    Best news I've read in a while! Maybe we can at least get the place cleaned. I can't believe Toyota doesn't complain.
  3. mattyt36
    Ah, I get it. Thanks.
  4. mattyt36
    So strange it turns south before entering the heart of Greenway Plaza, what a waste. Seems like Weslayan makes much more sense than Edloe.
  5. mattyt36
    Understood, but I think that's a bit simplistic. "Ahhhhhh, freeway construction during major event=definite nightmare." The biggest determinants are the construction phasing plan and the volume of traffic flows. If we're talking about tourists, then the traffic flows are dependent on where the hotels are. It's my sense that the supply of hotel rooms is weighted downtown and to the west, with the only other major concentrations at IAH and The Woodlands, but obviously these won't be the most attractive hotel rooms, and traffic should be taken as a matter of course. For people staying downtown, the light rail will be the most attractive transportation option, as it has been with the Super Bowl and Final Four. Obviously people staying to the west or in the Galleria won't be affected. For those wanting to use personal vehicles from downtown, the number one traffic determinant will be the surface street connections to the freeways from downtown. Since there's generally a quadrant system to enter and exit downtown, I'm not sure why what's happening on the perimeter in terms of construction will be that impactful, as long as the entries and exits bypass the construction. Anyway, there's no way of knowing now, but I wouldn't be so quick to assume that the NHHIP is going to be a "nightmare" for the World Cup, at least from the perspective of the "thousands of tourists" who are visiting, especially given the lead time involved for planning.
  6. mattyt36
    No World Cup matches will be played at BBVA/PNC if that’s what you’re implying.
  7. mattyt36
    Who do you think led the negotiations for this? My $ says Sylvester Turner.
  8. mattyt36
    I’ve heard plenty of immigrants say they moved to Houston specifically because of the weather … the truth of the matter is some of the world’s most populated areas, the East Coast of Asia, South Asia, West Africa, and large swaths of coastal South America have weather very similar to Houston. So it’s good to have someone who approaching it from that perspective. But yes what a shame we don’t have more trees lining sidewalks downtown and other more urbanized areas to promote walking. And what a different city this would be if major streets had landscaped medians as well.
  9. mattyt36
    Well, Dolce Midtown seemed to take about 5 years and turned out OK, I guess . . .
  10. mattyt36
    Yikes
  11. mattyt36
    Thank you cspwal (@maxconcrete, what an insult that link is on dallasfreeways.com!) I have heard my great aunt talk about taking a train from Cleveland to Houston, so maybe that’s it. It was the first stop on the line outside of the city?
  12. mattyt36
    Lufkin? Nacogdoches?! Hell, even Diboll had a Fortune 500 company HQ’ed there until they moved to (gag) Austin. But I think you’ve answered it, Cleveland is where it becomes a divided highway and not a freeway. Although I must ask it’s been signed for Cleveland my entire life, has 59 really been a freeway to Cleveland for 40 years? Surely not.
  13. mattyt36
    I have always wondered why the Eastex Freeway was signed to Cleveland, while I-10 West is signed to San Antonio and I-45 North to Dallas. There are plenty of cities of equal and greater population than Cleveland on the way to Dallas and San Antonio, even keeping the suburbs out of it. I guess Beaumont makes sense for I-10 East in terms of relative size, but there's a romantic in me that would like it to say New Orleans. The Southwest Freeway to Victoria I guess makes more sense than Cleveland in terms of population size, but I say it should go to the end of the line as with Galveston . . . Laredo. I just assumed there were different signage conventions for US highways than for interstate highways, but that doesn't make much sense considering 290 is signed to Austin. And then 288 gets double billing, Lake Jackson and Freeport! How about Beaumont and New Orleans? Or San Antonio and El Paso, or even Los Angeles? Are there any experts who work in the industry that can enlighten? @MaxConcrete I'm talking to you! (Admittedly much of my fatigue is having to explain to people that the sign to Cleveland doesn't mean Cleveland, OH. My mother's whole family is from Cleveland, too, so it should say a lot that it bothers me!) Apologies if this has been discussed before, as I'm sure I'm not the only one.
  14. mattyt36
    This is yet another instance that I'd love to hear about the process . . . I have no idea if this is true or not. You'd think if you were the transportation writer for the Houston Chronicle, you'd have a full appreciation of this and report on it, yet we have nothing . . . I may be becoming a conspiracy theorist but I don't think the timing of the Nehls letter and the Harris County "pause" conversation is unrelated, either. There must be conversations going on in the background, and some compromise about to be announced that Nehls wanted to "get in front of" and claim credit. Again, the Transportation Reporter for the Houston Chronicle should be asking these very elementary questions.
  15. mattyt36
    Nothing wrong with that! By the same token, as a Fourth Ward resident, my opinion is I disagree! 🤣 This is one of those "facts" that is tossed about loosely . . . I wish we could keep specific parameters around this. I think the apartments being destroyed are the Lofts at the Ballpark and the Clayton Homes units that were not already deemed unlivable after Harvey (am I missing anything else?). It's hard for me to view the Lofts at the Ballpark as any sort of tragedy. The residents certainly have options and the property owner will be fully compensated. The Clayton Homes residents will be relocated (many already have, right?). There are obviously different and nuanced ways to look at that . . . undeniably a disadvantaged population. But a disadvantaged population without a legal real estate interest . . . guess what . . . just like the residents of The Lofts at the Ballpark. I'm sure most of the businesses are in this bucket as well. I have no doubt that it will as all of the relevant organizations have been pushing for this for years and there are plenty of options for funding. In fact, it is probably one of the primary drivers for this concept to begin with. It's all about the Convention Center, baby! That said, will be surprised if any of the other cap parks will be completed, with the potential exception of the Midtown one, which has a strong private interest (i.e., Rice) in developing something. What?! Houston has the best drivers in the world!!!! 🤣
  16. mattyt36
    Well I'd love to know ideas for an alternative. Luminaire, I believe, mentioned he thought these things should be subject to a referendum. Who gets to vote? And do they get different weightings, as implied by your response? Or is the solution just to overhaul the federal highway funding system? Well if there's one thing this thread has proven, it's that emotion is driving much of the response.
  17. mattyt36
    At the end of the day, I don't see it as any different than the Mayor of the City of Houston commenting on State legislation. Sylvester Turner has no formal rights or say in the State of Texas legislative processes, but we're not surprised he has an opinion (nor should we be). If you put cynicism aside and say that Nehls is doing this in the interest of his voters, that could also very well be true as he does not want to create any precedents that may affect funding for highway expansion in his district. Makes perfect sense if you ask me. Hell, suburban Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin congressmen have an interest in filing "friend of the court" style briefs for the same reason.
  18. mattyt36
    My bet is this is some way for the County to save face on paper while allowing the Downtown segment to proceed. No doubt the County pissed off a hell of a lot of people on both sides for a nonexistent constituency by any meaningful measure.
  19. mattyt36
    Blocking the NHHIP--if it is successful--will prove not to be a political benefit to anyone. Quite the opposite.
  20. mattyt36
    Well sounds like a NO BRAINER then from their perspective and they'd be idiots not to do it. Regardless, under the federal system of highway funding, Nehls et al DO have a role. They represent areas that are part of HGAC and do have a vote on regional transportation plans. (Don't kill the messenger!)
  21. mattyt36
    Don't forget the 1904 Olympics
  22. mattyt36
    I heard the same. OH WELL.
  23. mattyt36
    There are two terminals at each end with 7 concourses in between, and yes, all of the area between the terminals and concourses, including the train and pedestrian mall, are secure. (Bad night to be mentioning Atlanta. And the number 7.)
  24. mattyt36
    That would be way worse for many reasons. The biggest one being making the Subway post-security, nevermind the construction complexities. And then the level changes with the volume of connecting passengers (although let the record show I know Houston19514 has his I’m OK with Level Change merit badge along with his No Smart Carte merit badge). But I do agree that it’d be nice if passengers could move as efficiently around IAH gates (not necessarily terminals) as they can in ATL.
  25. mattyt36
    RFP confirms you’re wrong. Color me NOT SURPRISED. (But I always appreciate your confidence.) The original system was built by CO on the cheap in the mid-1990s and still uses the same train controls. Has been a problem for a long time. Surprisingly, the Subway has proven more resilient on its much more limited mission. https://www.fly2houston.com/biz/opportunities/solicitations/2062
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