Least Used Houston Freeway

[MexAmerican_Moose]

so i was driving along Bellaire heading towards the Westchase area and it hit me...as i crossed through Beltway 8 i realized that in my 15 years of living in Houston i have never used the west side of Beltway 8. I don't even know what the area along BW8 looks like. Keep in mind that i live on the East side of Houston in the North Shore area but I have driven on every other Houston freeway except for BW8. What about you guys? any Houston freeways you have never used or rarely use?

[houstonmacbro]

Same with me on the east side of BW8. Never really used it although once I did drive out through it just to see where it went. Oddly, it is not really a beltway out there as you start encountering lights and such (odd).

[Original Timmy Chan's]

My least-used freeway segment is 225 inside the Loop. I've only been on it maybe 5 times in my life.

Next to that would be the North Loop between 45 and 59. Just not much reason for me to drive between 45 and 59 on the north side.

Other than that, I don't generally go outside of Beltway 8 unless I'm on a road trip.

[TheNiche]

so i was driving along Bellaire heading towards the Westchase area and it hit me...as i crossed through Beltway 8 i realized that in my 15 years of living in Houston i have never used the west side of Beltway 8. I don't even know what the area along BW8 looks like. Keep in mind that i live on the East side of Houston in the North Shore area but I have driven on every other Houston freeway except for BW8. What about you guys? any Houston freeways you have never used or rarely use?

US 90, beyond Beltway 8

Fort Bend Parkway

[Subdude]

I have never been on the southern leg of Beltway 8 between 59 in Sugar Land and I-10 in Baytown. The section from I-10 in Baytown up to 59 in Humble I think I was on once. For that matter, I haven't been on the northeast quadrant of the Loop for years.

[mls1202]

Highway 249. In fact, is that really even regarded as a highway, especially the farther out it goes? I second Niche's listing of US 90, although I took it once just to see where it went.

I'm all about living life on the edge.

[musicman]

beltway between 59 and I-10 (northeast side)

[cottonmather0]

My least-used freeway segment is 225 inside the Loop. I've only been on it maybe 5 times in my life.

Kind of tough when it dead-ends after about 1000 feet!

[cnote]

I have never been on Beltway 8 between 288 and I-45. I also have only been on south 59 outside of the Beltway once in my life, on my way to skydive in Wharton in '99!!! Everyone always talks about Sugarland and I have never even really seen it! I have lived in Houston all my life in the NE and NW burbs save five years in Austin for college.

[sevfiv]

My least-used freeway segment is 225 inside the Loop. I've only been on it maybe 5 times in my life.

Kind of tough when it dead-ends after about 1000 feet!

that segment of 225 is one of my favorites - interesting to see a dead road alive and well - sort of.

There are a few parts of the beltway that I am sure I've never been on, but i haven't used the beltway proper in years (no reason to - if i ever go that far out, it is usually on streets or i take the access road).

[native_Houstonian]

Kind of tough when it dead-ends after about 1000 feet!

I'm so glad you posted that! I was racking my brain, thinking, where in the H-E-double matchsticks is 225 inside the loop!

[lockmat]

It might actually be easier for me to name the ones I HAVE been on.

Growing up in Spring, of course it's always been 45 and 249. Usually use all of 610 but rarely the area east of 45 north and 288.

Been on I-10 east maybe twice? I-10 west more than a handful of times.

Gulf Freeway of course...

288.

290 a few times, but not too far north of 610.

Southwest freeway about as many time as Katy frwy.

All in all, I mostly use 45 north and 610 north/west.

So many freeways we have, gosh.

[musicman]

that segment of 225 is one of my favorites - interesting to see a dead road alive and well - sort of.

it provides great access to my hood.

[houstonmacbro]

There's a freeway of I45 South (near the UH exits --not the spur that leads to UH). Not sure where it goes, the name of it, or why it exists. I took it once and I ended somewhere.

[KatieDidIt]

There's a freeway of I45 South (near the UH exits --not the spur that leads to UH). Not sure where it goes, the name of it, or why it exists. I took it once and I ended somewhere.

We were coming back from New Orleans via I-10 and I thought we could do the Beltway North up the Woodlands and avoid city traffic. Boy was I suprised to find out that Beltway 8 is not a Freeway in that section. On the upside I got to see places I never new existed. Summerwood and all the hubcap resale stores along the way.

[sevfiv]

There's a freeway of I45 South (near the UH exits --not the spur that leads to UH). Not sure where it goes, the name of it, or why it exists. I took it once and I ended somewhere.

Was it still inner loop? The only thing other than Spur 5 i can think of would be 90, but that's not a freeway.

edit - was it the Reveille/35 exit to Alvin? That hooks up with Telephone Rd. (35) around Gulfgate

The exit is right at the 610 interchange

[rapturematt]

Spur 5 dead ends into Old Spanish Trail. I live close to it, but never take it. The one time I did take, I noticed that nobody else seems to take it as well.

[Chamo]

any Houston freeways you have never used or rarely use?

I use them all, but the ones I hardly use are:

- Hardy Toll Road

- NorthEast BW8 Between 59 & I-10

- NorthEast 610 Between 45 & I-10

Never been on 59 north of Kingwood; 10 years ago when I first came to Houston, I was sure one day I would take a road trip to Cleveland when I saw a sign on 59 pointing in that direction. I was excited to see that 59 was going to take me all the way to Ohio! It took me a while to find out Texas had their own Cleveland. One day I will go and visit it.

Another good one my college classmates still remind me of, is when I told them that everytime I was driving around I would hit the street "FRONTAGE ROAD" but I could never find it on the map!

[The Voice of University Oaks]

Spur 5 dead ends into Old Spanish Trail. I live close to it, but never take it. The one time I did take, I noticed that nobody else seems to take it as well.

I use it regularly. It's like my own private freeway to my neighborhood!

Some day it's supposed to be extended to Pearland. Not sure when, though.

[GovernorAggie]

I have actually been on the main lanes every piece of freeway in Harris County at least once except for the Beltway between I-10 East and Gulf Freeway or the Hardy north of the IAH Access tollway.

But oddly enough I have actually been on the Emmett F. Lowery Expressway in Texas City and Spur 330 (Decker Dr.) in Baytown!

[ssullivan]

I think I've driven on every freeway in the Houston area at least once -- and most more than once.

[houstonmacbro]

Was it still inner loop? The only thing other than Spur 5 i can think of would be 90, but that's not a freeway.

edit - was it the Reveille/35 exit to Alvin? That hooks up with Telephone Rd. (35) around Gulfgate

The exit is right at the 610 interchange

I think it was 90. Where does that go?

[sevfiv]

I think it was 90. Where does that go?

alt-90 north from 45 is Wayside Dr. heading toward Crosby

South is OST to S Main eventually heading toward Sugar Land

[technoevil]

The only freeway in Houston I have never been on is the section of beltway 8 between 59 north and 45 south on the east side.

[Timnwendy]

It has to be Hwy 249 for me. Lived in the GHA for 18 years and never had cause to drive it. I need to fix that soon!

[desirous]

I've taken nearly every freeway in town:

I-10 East to Jacksonville

I-10 West to Los Angeles

I-45 North to Dallas

US-59 South to Victoria

US-290 West to Fredericksburg

249 to Tomball

US-59 North to Texarkana

etc.

The only two I haven't explored are Westpark Tollway west of Grand Parkway and SH-288 south of FM-518.

[JLWM8609]

The only area freeways I've never been on are SH 225 inside the loop, the Westpark Tollway, the US 90 freeway (Crosby), Spur 330 (Decker Dr.) and SH 288 past SH 35. I've racked up miles on all the rest.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I wonder which is the least used Houston freeway based on traffic counts?

[CDeb]

I wonder which is the least used Houston freeway based on traffic counts?

Depends on where you do the counts. ON an individual freeway, they can vary dramatically. For instance, in 2002 (the latest traffic map that I have) the busiest freeway segment was the Southwest Freeway just west of the loop with an AADT of 349,000. However, in Sugarland, the AADT drops to 172,000. You could define a common point, such as where each freeway crosses the loop, but not all freeways cross the loop.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Depends on where you do the counts. ON an individual freeway, they can vary dramatically. For instance, in 2002 (the latest traffic map that I have) the busiest freeway segment was the Southwest Freeway just west of the loop with an AADT of 349,000. However, in Sugarland, the AADT drops to 172,000. You could define a common point, such as where each freeway crosses the loop, but not all freeways cross the loop.

OK then, what is the least used freeway segment from your 2002 map?

And obviously you can take the 2002 numbers for 290 and double them!