Triton
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New schematics from April of last year (from City of Houston):
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NHHIP-Central-Houston-to-FHWA-Package-II-040722.pdf
Hadn't seen this doc on here before. It's from April of last year, so fairly recent.
It includes a breakdown of everything the city is trying to incorporate into this project including a breakdown of all the costs per section.
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16 hours ago, TrainTrak said:As a resident of the First Ward and a member of the First Ward Civic Council, I'm surprised to see this. I personally support the proposed rail consolidation plan 100%, and I haven't seen any effort to oppose it in any of our council meetings. The more density and investment that we see in the area, the more it makes sense to me to eliminate the rail on Winter St and convert it into another rails-to-trails hike and bike path.
I was there when the city first proposed these plans to the First Ward and Near Northside. I thought it was absolutely amazing. The level of connectivity. It was a top notch presentation and it was exactly what we all needed... from Midtown to far up north.
But the push back came immediately at the presentation... the city proposed to connect
Dart StEdwards St to Burnett St via a new bridge and then, as we all know, they proposed combining the two railways into a single new bridge that would take some land from UH-D. There were too many people vocally against it all.... from higher traffic downDart StEdwards St to people worried about crime somehow magically coming across both bridges to disrupt the First Ward.To be quite frank, the people who hate change are usually the ones who show up to these events even though I think the vast majority of people support it.
(The yellow line is the new train track)
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23 minutes ago, Triton said:
Christof Spieler presented this in 2020. Basically, they would consolidate the two rail lines into one right of way and have it pass over where the Fire Department and Arson Division is currently housed. But last time I attended a meeting about that, there was a lot of push back from the First Ward so have no clue if it will ever go forward. First Ward is more concerned about the horns than where the tracks actually lie, oddly enough.
And here's a direct link from the city: https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/nhhip/docs_pdfs/Connections/33 Rail Relocation.pdf
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On 6/11/2023 at 10:22 PM, urbanize713 said:
Any more movement on this rail line going away?
Christof Spieler presented this in 2020. Basically, they would consolidate the two rail lines into one right of way and have it pass over where the Fire Department and Arson Division is currently housed. But last time I attended a meeting about that, there was a lot of push back from the First Ward so have no clue if it will ever go forward. First Ward is more concerned about the horns than where the tracks actually lie, oddly enough.
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On 6/15/2023 at 1:00 AM, IntheKnowHouston said:
I'm not a fan of storage facilities, especially mutli-story ones. However, with an increase in this area's housing density, it may be needed.
Perhaps a rendering of the Best Box Storage planned for 1901 N Main St / 1901 North Main St will become available soon.Agreed but not at such a good corner. Storage can go elsewhere but being right on the rail, this could have been something greater.
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26 minutes ago, Texasota said:
Have you ever lived in a city with zoning? All of those issues (back and forth battles in particular) are worse in most peer cities with zoning ordinances.
Why?
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2 hours ago, Justin Welling said:
I think the photo that @Urbannizerposted is from like 2007
That makes a lot more sense.
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I've been told they shut down the Silver St entrance ramp onto Memorial just next to this development. Any truth to that?
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23 hours ago, samagon said:
we already have enough quazi zoning, and we don't need more regulations pushing even more zoning like rules on our city, specifically, we need more density, not less.
sure, it may suck to see a Zone 'D Erotica next to the Galleria (RIP), but the future needs to be more cohesive, interwoven, and density needs to be a part of that future.
Enough zoning? What zoning do you think we have? Minimum lot size? That's the best we can do.. what a joke.
Zoning prevents massive indoor and outdoor music halls from being built in the middle of neighborhoods and then I get to read from internet posters who claim we didn't do enough to prevent them from being built or didn't work with them enough to prevent the problems that we have. Zoning prevents all this back and forth battles and honestly zoning would make it easier for developers instead of getting so much pushback for every project they try to push forward.
If there's anything this city needs, it clear zoning laws. It's why we're in the mess we're in and why major lawsuits will definitely be there in the future.
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11 hours ago, steve1363 said:
When is the last time you received medical care, if ever? Most doctors and nurses in TMC are foreign-born from countries with far more conservative beliefs than the United States. To think doctors are leaving Houston due to state politics is a joke.
Foreign-born? I think you meant most doctors are American born but usually are children of immigrants. I surprisingly know quite a few doctors, either as friends or family, and I can't say I know any of them planning on leaving, even with the political games going on. I think if someone has strong personal beliefs about an issue, then yea, I can certainly see some leaving, but I would be willing to bet that's not the majority. Most that take residency outside of Texas eventually come back because the demand for doctors here, especially in TMC, is high.
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The bizarre part is that they left the
20042002 Ford Expedition on the board.-
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On 6/11/2023 at 12:47 AM, Houston19514 said:
There’s at least one thread on this forum about old Ford dealerships. I don’t see anything about a dealership at this location.
On 6/11/2023 at 8:19 AM, Ross said:In 1923, that address was Houston Brick and Supply
in 1911, there was a grocer and Houston Wood and Coal. Ford was located at 800 Walker.
I don't see any evidence that there was a Ford dealer there.
Oh ok thanks. This was a colleague telling me about this... even had an elaborate story too. Like, where the glass windows are facing the highway is where the service bay for Ford vehicles used to enter. But guess not.
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Man, I'm going to be sad when they tear down Tout Suite. Someone was telling me it was the first Ford dealership in Houston... ?
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On 3/28/2023 at 4:43 PM, samagon said:
they are very separate and unique projects, but when you review how they will both interact with the local traffic flow the need to review them together is important.
Agreed. But now with this latest news from the city today, it was very difficult to find the schematics and info @JClark54 posted in the I-45 thread so I've moved everything to this thread. If I have missed any comments about the West Belt project, please let me know and I'll bring them over here too. Thanks everyone.
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13 hours ago, JClark54 said:
Coverage of FRA Administrator Amit Bose's press conference on the West Belt Improvement project:
Thanks. Going to merge some of this discussion from the I-45 thread just in case people are wondering why two people posted the same link.
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7 hours ago, Ross said:
Maybe here:
Thank you! Looks like I'll have fun merging these topics as best as I can.
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On 3/17/2023 at 9:59 AM, JClark54 said:
The West Belt project would place York below grade, with the drop beginning at Dallas or Lamar (TxDOT has Dallas and the city has Lamar) to Harrisburg. It will create much-needed passage under the West Belt and Galveston Subdivision at York as well as rebuilding the existing Navigation underpass to include Commerce.
Included in the project is the long soughtafter quiet zone, which TxDOT and its partners could accomplish using additional grade separations or street closures. It tagged closures at $50K apiece versus separations at many millions apiece. So the byproduct is the closure of many streets where they cross York or the West Belt, including streets TxDOT has identified to carry traffic to and from the highway.
The project is contingent on federal funding as the city won't have the local match. If the feds come through, Sampson and York will become two-way streets, with Sampson dead-ending at both sides of the West Belt. York will continue through as an underpass, although I doubt that is in stone. The Harrisburg overpass, as an example, was originally designated an underpass. Soil contamination made it unfeasible.
I believe the US DOT will approve the city's grant application, as communities around the West Belt and Galveston Sub have begun documenting train blockages -- not moving trains, but ones stopped on city streets -- and reporting directly to the FRA rather than the usual course of the railroads. The FRA studied the area and found it was the most congested complex in the United States of America. It sees twice the number of blocked crossings in excess of 15 minutes -- the federally designated maximum time a train can sit at a crossing -- than the second most congested city.
TxDOT's most recent Houston region freight rail study found up to 75 trains per day cross the double-track mainline West Belt, so three-plus trains per hour. Being generous and using 10-minute passage times, that means crossings are blocked half the day, every day. In reality, the trains move slower in the east end due to myriad factors (rail yard density, turns, and general line congestion) and the average crossing time exceeds 20 minutes, plus there's the usual parked train. So the actual impact is far greater.
As a single-track mainline, the Galveston Subdivision sees less total train volume but suffers from long stops. There is no crossing of this line besides Emancipation and Wayside, a three-plus mile gap.
The improvement project is much needed. Rail volume is increasing, and the railroads predict it will not stop anytime soon. They've underinvested in rail infrastructure expansions while committing to an operating model -- PSR -- that embraces extending train lengths while reducing staff.
Just two days ago, the STB approved the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, which will bring an additional 8-14 trains per day through the Houston complex. One of its two operating routes is the West Belt.
Man, is this seriously the only place we are having this railroad discussion about? I can't seem to find a separate thread.
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This project continues to grow so it seems to make sense to have its own thread.
https://www.letstalkhouston.org/north-main
I attended a meeting tonight where they plan to keep expanding this project. Looks like Airline Dr and that area will be next. The most interesting turn of events is there there are four intersections where they plan to put in "islands" or blockers to prevent traffic from accessing N Main. Hopefully I can find a schematic soon to show what was at the presentation tonight.
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We just went there yesterday. Was by far the most bland chicken sandwich I've ever had.
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6 hours ago, hindesky said:
Does anyone happen to know what they are doing in the bayou here?
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8 hours ago, hindesky said:
Yea unfortunately no one has worked on the food hall in months.
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On 3/22/2023 at 6:23 PM, 004n063 said:
I still think that front bit looks goofy. Like a knock-off Space Mountain.
I really interested in how well it's going to hold up to Houston's climate. Will it have flows of mold going down the sides?
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I-45 Rebuild (North Houston Highway Improvement Project)
in Traffic and Transportation
Posted
Dumb question.... why don't they just build the diversion but fill in that older section of Buffalo Bayou? Would potentially be more land for parks directly connected to any nearby development. I guess maybe it's not worth the cost.