I-45 Expansion

[Subdude]

Coalition aims to be involved in state's plan to expand I-45

TxDOT's Tello to address issue of 'managed lanes' within Loop 610 at public meeting

By TOM MANNING

Chronicle Correspondent

WANT TO GO?

[UrbaNerd]

YAY! Does this mean that the R.O.W. will be large enough to clean up the corridor?

[kzseattle]

YAY!  Does this mean that the R.O.W. will be large enough to clean up the corridor?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was thiking the same thing. May be it will get rid of all those billboards?

[MaxConcrete]

I'm somewhat perplexed by the opposition inside the Loop. I drove along the frontage roads recently and paid careful attention to the structures along the road (particularly on the east side), and I concluded the impact from acquiring as much as 100 feet of right-of-way would be minimal. Density is low, and most of the structures are lower-tier commercial establishments with few, if any, residences. The distance from I-10 to the Loop is actually quite short, too.

I think this is a case of inner-loop vs. outer loop.

North of 610 there would be a substantial impact on businesses. But that section is a scar on Houston, especially since it is a main route from the airport. Widening the right-of-way would help clean up a lot of the clutter and decay, and the decay that remains would be less noticable on a wider corridor. So I'm definitely hoping TxDOT will stand firm. According to my guesstimate, exactly 100 feet of new ROW is needed to make this a modern freeway with the four HOT lanes.

[kzseattle]

I'm somewhat perplexed by the opposition inside the Loop. I drove along the frontage roads recently and paid careful attention to the structures along the road  (particularly on the east side), and I concluded the impact from acquiring as much as 100 feet of right-of-way would be minimal. Density is low, and most of the structures are lower-tier commercial establishments with few, if any, residences. The distance from I-10 to the Loop is actually quite short, too.

I think this is a case of inner-loop vs. outer loop.

North of 610 there would be a substantial impact on businesses. But that section is a scar on Houston, especially since it is a main route from the airport. Widening the right-of-way would help clean up a lot of the clutter and decay, and the decay that remains would be less noticable on a wider corridor. So I'm definitely hoping TxDOT will stand firm. According to my guesstimate, exactly 100 feet of new ROW is needed to make this a modern freeway with the four HOT lanes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Perhaps this cleanup is the intention behind the expansion! I hope too that TxDOT stands firm.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I'm optimistic about this. The fact that people are giving input, even if it seems contradictory to what we all would like to see longterm, is a good thing, IMO. I think the Katy expansion proceeded in design and implementation without enough input and consideration from residents, so hopefully, in this case, things are a bit different and we all, essentially, get what we want.

That said, I totally agree with Max on this; inside 610, the eastern stretch of I-45 isn't very dense and there's very little residential that would be affected. If anything, the corridor renovations would then put it in better position to house things like retaining walls or better designed trenches.

Just my opinion, though.

[ssullivan]

The greatest opposition is between North Main and I-10, where the freeway is depressed. The eastern edge of the historic Woodland Heights neighborhood, along with Woodland Park (a big chunk of which was already destroyed for the construction of I-45 and the interchange with I-10), are directly in the path of the freeway expansion in this area, especially if the Houston Ave. corridor is incorporated into the freeway ROW.

[Astro]

The greatest opposition is between North Main and I-10, where the freeway is depressed. The eastern edge of the historic Woodland Heights neighborhood, along with Woodland Park (a big chunk of which was already destroyed for the construction of I-45 and the interchange with I-10), are directly in the path of the freeway expansion in this area, especially if the Houston Ave. corridor is incorporated into the freeway ROW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not only that but at the NE corner of I-45 at N. Main street is Hollywood Cemetary...

That proposal to route 45 along Houston Avenue is ridiculous... I don't see that actually happening.

[Guest danax]

The by-the-hour roach motels and trashy businesses along that stretch shouldn't be so visible next time around. Any possiblity of doing away with "feeders" completely? In CA, as I recall, there weren't any real roadways running along the freeways. If you wanted to get to a business close by you would exit and drive on a real road to get there. The result of the feeder road system is that you have businesses feeding off of the freeway traffic and it looks like a bazaar, especially with no zoning here. I think that's one of the main culprits in our city looking like jefe.

[kjb434]

I hope the rebuild does go through. The preservation of the historic places is possible. When Downtown Houston Inc. proposed the new alignment along Houston Ave, it was purely a conceptional idea a best fit for the ultimate plans for downtown. It may be entirely unfeasible. Also, if opposition for the historic places is strong enough, changes will be made.

It may be that the main lanes will remain depressed and dress up a bit by redoing the retain walls to give some room for safety issues along the freeway. The managed lanes could be built above the main on a center supported bridge. The managed lanes would be at the natural ground level and not need much new right of way.

There are many options. TxDOT's goals is to define a few options. Some unrealistic and too costly, some perfect comprimise of cost and impact, and one of no improvements. From this they can perform their environmental study and center it on choosing the comprise solution and discard the others. From here they will begin design.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Too bad that TxDot doesn't have the juevos to depress at least parts of the North Freeway north of the Loop. It'd be pretty cool to view the I-45 as a fully depressed freeway from the Loop to about W. Little York.

But alas... Matress Mac would cry foul.