Subdude Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 America's Worst Traffic TrapsRobert Malone, 06.11.07, 6:30 PM ETThey have nicknames: "Hillside Strangler," "Mixing Bowl," "Spaghetti Junction" and "Orange Crush."They drive commuters crazy. They stall commerce. They waste fuel uselessly. And fixing them? Nothing doing. When you're talking about America's worst traffic traps--the highway bottlenecks that cause the most hours of delay per year--there's been little to do but sit on someone's bumper and complain. Could it be changing? Last week, nine of America Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chenevert Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Not that its great now, but the survey was probably done while that interchange was under construction or in its old configuration.I dont drive that interchange on a daily basis, but my assumption is that it has been improved in the past 12 months now that contruction is finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 Yeah, that's what I thought but the article says the winners were selected last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chenevert Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Yeah, that's what I thought but the article says the winners were selected last week.perception is reality. Not sure if its been improved much or not post construction, but if we assume is has been improved, it will take a number of years for the perception to wear off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethanra Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 If you read the "in pictures" part of the story the Houston interchange is from 1999 and 2002 statistics. The picture also mentioned 2007 expect major lane closures. This is another pointless list..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 How can congestion at the I-10/610 junction be "improved" if the section just due west of it is still under construction? The bottlenecking on the off ramp of 610 north to 10 west is due primarily to the fact that the lanes merge from two to one, as they've not yet finished construction on those lanes as it heads towards the Silber exit.Nevertheless, as it stands now, the backup is pretty bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webdude Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 It is not pointless if we can get some federal dollars of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 How can congestion at the I-10/610 junction be "improved" if the section just due west of it is still under construction?the fix isn't instantaneous. the interchange is part of the i-10 expansion. at least a fix is underway already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perimeter285 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I know that interchange gets bad, but as we've all said, it's under construction, and the congestion there pales in comparison to 610 West Loop at 59 Southwest. Talk about a sick interchange. Even after the improvements they made recently it is a nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Not that its great now, but the survey was probably done while that interchange was under construction or in its old configuration.I dont drive that interchange on a daily basis, but my assumption is that it has been improved in the past 12 months now that contruction is finished.Well, if they mean the interchange at 610 @ 59 it is a mess ... still. Seems like you can zip past the Galleria, Uptown, etc., but when you want to get on 59 (going east or west) traffic comes to a complete stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northbeaumont Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Not that its great now, but the survey was probably done while that interchange was under construction or in its old configuration.I dont drive that interchange on a daily basis, but my assumption is that it has been improved in the past 12 months now that contruction is finished.I've never seen a survey of the "best" traffic areas. That's because there are not any. 95% of all drivers are rude and crazy. Nobody wants to wait or slow down for anything. Even in rural areas you'll get run over. Stay in a big city like Houston. You'll acquire experience, skill, and patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 (edited) And the link.Well, after the construction, maybe it will go down to 24 million hours of delay a day. Edited July 19, 2007 by Pumapayam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Honestly, I have seen worse traffic. Try driving from Washington to Baltimore along the BW Parkway or even I95 at rush hour ... nightmarish.By comparison, Houston's traffic is more along the lines of 'annoying'. Like "why won't these fools drive faster?!?!" than just outright parking-lottish. At it's worse I45 N slows down, but it never completely stops. Or at least I have not experienced that here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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