JLWM8609

On 2/28/2018 at 1:49 PM, Avossos said:

Wheeler and Caroline looks like a pretty significant intersection that is suspended above the freeway... logistics?

The Downtown Connector in Atlanta has a few intersections above it. They just construct a very wide bridge to accommodate the intersection https://goo.gl/maps/iU7kGxtXMby

On 2/28/2018 at 3:07 PM, bobruss said:

Well I wish I could snap my fingers and it would be all done because with all of this going on can you imagine the traffic nightmare on 69. It already backs up to Kirby just about every afternoon due to the pierce elevated bottleneck. I't will be backed up to Fondren when this is going on.

 

 

Another contributor to the traffic is the two left lanes branching away to become Spur 527. You have people weaving to get over to 527 and people weaving from the left lanes to stay on 59/69. This would be a good opportunity for them to relocate the 527 exit to the right lanes. I went to one of the neighborhood meetings and suggested it, but one of the workers said they thought it couldn't be done. I think it could be done. There's enough space since there'll be the same number of lanes. The only difference which side the exit is on. It'd just be a shifting of lanes and structures in the same space. Since the freeway will be depressed, there won't be a need for a high flying flyover. I guess they also might want to keep the Spur 527 exit ramp and HOV ramp on one structure, and having a Spur 527 exit from the right side would mean two separate structures.

They demolished all the greenery in the median between Southmore and Binz/Calumet yesterday. I wondered why they planted those trees there in the first place in 2006 knowing that toll lanes would cause them to be ripped out in the not too distant future. One thing I liked about the greenery was that it eliminated rubbernecking when there was an accident on the opposing side.

I drove by yesterday and saw some rebar going up for support columns for what I assume will be the 610 mainlanes.

Here's a screenshot of I-45 and Scott from 1966. You can clearly see the light colored pavement of the Mobil station on the NE corner of the intersection.

I just looked at an aerial photo of I-45 and Scott from 1966 on HistoricAerials.com and I'm pretty certain that's I-45 and Scott. I can't link to the aerial view itself, but if you go to HistoricAerials.com and navigate to I-45 and Scott in 1966, you'll see what I mean. 

2 hours ago, Twitter1 said:

Awesome. Thanks.

 

Where are the lighted cranes? In Seattle, the city of cranes, the cranes were lit up with holiday colors.

I didn't see any in the video, but there used to be lit cranes in the Memorial City area.

I was at the Almeda Post Office yesterday and saw some door hangers laid out on a counter that said the Southmore Blvd. overpass at 288 will be closed for 12-18 months for demolition and reconstruction starting in January 2018. Traffic crossing 288 on Southmore will have to detour to Blodgett or Calumet/Binz depending on direction of travel. I'm surprised that they can't construct the new overpass while the current overpass is standing like they're doing over at the Holly Hall overpass.

Garnet Coleman addresses the closure in his column: http://stylemagazine.com/news/2017/dec/06/coleman-chronicles-southmore-blvd-bridge-highway-c/

Original thread: 

21 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

So there's now a weekly shuttle service from Houston to Galveston that runs 3 times a day M-F. Has anyone heard about the shuttle or tried it?

Just Googled it after you mentioned it. I knew that both transit authorities were working on it after that story about the gap between the services. It's nice that they have it. I wonder if there would be demand for weekend service? With the seemingly unending construction on I-45 extending southward, a bus might be an alternative to being being the wheel and fighting construction related traffic, but I'd think the weekenders would prefer one bus on the entire route instead of a transfer.

This strip center is complete and currently houses Wing Quarter Daiquiris and Creole Kitchen, Sugar Rush Too Cake Gallery, and Ray's BBQ will relocate to this new location from their current cramped digs at OST and Calhoun. This strip center's tenants aren't doing my waistline any favors.  

On 11/13/2017 at 11:24 AM, Triton said:

Does anyone have the schematics for this project? Think we had mentioned it before here previously.

 

Are the latest on this page in the schematic section? Most are dated 2013.

 

http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/houston/sh288-toll-lanes/project-documents.html

I haven't seen any newer schematics besides the ones dated 2013. I do know that the interchange with 288 is going to be different than what the schematics provide. For one thing, the schematics show Holly Hall being depressed and 288 going over it, but as of now, a new Holly Hall overpass over 288 is under construction. 

14 hours ago, IronTiger said:

I assume Burger King gets demo'd for the direct connector ramps? Well. I need to see the Gulf/Ace Hardware too soon as that seems to be on the hit list as well. Where are the site plans for this?

The Burger King is staying. The ramp will curve around and enter Holcombe where Ardmore St. is now.

I was driving south down 288 near 610 today and saw a sign that said a traffic shift was coming up this weekend. I think this is going to be the first instance of traffic using the new concrete pavement as I could see crews putting up center barriers on the newly laid pavement in the middle.

1 hour ago, riverside50s said:

Hello, I would like to introduce myself and my husband. We just purchased this home. We have hired an architect very familiar with this area and renovating older homes. Our architect has also found the original drawings at RIce University archives! Apparently Leonard Gabert was in one of the first graduating classes at Rice. We plan to phase out our renovations. We are gathering much more information as we continue to comb through the intricate original plans. We are also looking at obtaining landmark status on the home possibly

I live in the area and that's been one of my favorite homes in the neighborhood.

2 hours ago, cspwal said:

There's a bunch of black poles spread out through downtown that were installed in the run up to the Super Bowl.  I asked one of the workers and they said it was "for cell phones".  I could see them going to smaller more distributed antennas and dismantling the microwave dishes on top of this building

I've seen poles like that going up around the city. 

3 hours ago, Twitter1 said:

610 East is down to one lane right now? Sounds like a nightmare during rush hour.

I don't think it's down to one lane. Anytime it's down to one lane it's past 9 or 10pm and usually back open to 3 or so lanes by 5am.

On 10/24/2017 at 5:43 PM, kennyc05 said:

Like the stupid idea to landscape the 288 median years back they should have landscaped the sides of the freeway.

Those trees prevented rubbernecking slow downs when there was a wreck on the opposite side of the freeway. At least they lasted over 10 years. I'm hoping some of them will stay because the entire median won't be utilized for toll lanes in that section.

Work is steadily moving along. I haven't been south of 610 in a while, but from what I've seen, they've laid down pavement for the toll lanes between 610 and Yellowstone. All of the columns are just about complete for the 610 interchange and the columns for the Holly Hall overpass are up. Columns are going up for the ramps to and from Holcombe and they've started work on widening the overpasses at Blodgett, Wheeler, and Cleburne. I've seen some orange barrels going on up the Southmore overpass, which is going to be replaced. Funny thing is some group, possibly the Greater Southeast Management District, had the esplanade of Southmore at 288 landscaped with new aggregate cobblestone pavement just a few weeks ago. I thought it was odd knowing that it would be ripped up soon. A few days after it was completed, it was ripped up. I wonder how much that error cost?

Here's the latest information about the project

http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/houston/59-610.html

The 59/69 SB to 610 NB ramp will still be 1 lane wide. I wonder why they didn't take this opportunity to expand that ramp to 2 lanes wide? Every other ramp that's currently 1 lane wide will become 2 lanes wide. 

I can only hope that future development will re-purpose the building and remove the 1960s cladding and reveal the Art Deco underneath. As an example, the old 1926 Sears building on Ponce de Leon in Atlanta is much bigger than the building here, but after it was closed down, the City of Atlanta bought it and used it for city offices. Now, it's a mixed use development known as Ponce City Market.

Sears on Main is closing. http://www.chron.com/business/retail/article/Sears-to-close-iconic-Midtown-location-12266913.php

3 hours ago, BigFootsSocks said:

Interesting, so this interchange here will remain? I thought it’s geyting torn down as well. I’m going to have to look at the schematics again.

It's getting torn down and replaced.

On 9/24/2017 at 8:51 AM, BigFootsSocks said:

I’ve always wondered; on the ramp from I-69 (nice) to I10 West, there’s a portion of the ramp that extends out for a future connector, with a sign above it saying “Elysian St”

 

Was that connector supposed to go to Elysian Street and plans changed, and will the reconstruction include plans for that?

 

Or were those plans cancelled with the whole Downtown Interchange reconstruction?

It was originally to connect to the eventually reconstructed Elysian Viaduct, which would then connect to the Hardy Toll Road Extension. The plans are still there, but slightly different. Instead of going to the Hardy Toll Road via the viaduct, there'll be a direct connection from the new I-69/I-10/I-45 interchange to the Hardy Toll Road Extension.

2 minutes ago, Urbannizer said:

2018 Honda Accord

 

http://www.carscoops.com/2017/07/2018-honda-accord-unveiled-with.html?m=1

 

Don't like the lower portion of the grille but the front end is growing on me.

 

 

Some traces of Chevy Impala on its side.

 

 

 

Chevy Impala look more pronounced in the rear, with Subaru tailights.

 

 

Nice interior but they could've gone further, I think it will become outdated rather quickly.

 

 

Honda did great with the new Civic, but didn't carry that greatness over to its larger sibling. For the first time I prefer the looks of the (upcoming) Camry over the Accord.

Everybody is going for the fastback look these days with the kinda-sorta opera window in the c-pillar. This also marks the end of the non-luxury/non-muscle/midsize coupe as Honda's discontinued the Accord coupe for 2018. 

9 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

It is also amazingly smelly. I drove up there once out of curiosity. Never will do that again. The stink molecules were trapped in my nasal epithelia for hours.

I thought the stink of the landfill out in Pearland near Shadow Creek Ranch was bad, but I doubt it's as large as the landfill out on Beaumont Hwy.