wxman Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I posted this a few days ago in The Woodlands Thread. But I think it's better located here. Talks have begun between Montgomery County and Metro to extend the HOV lanes from Cypresswood to FM 1488. These lanes would be Diamond lanes and would not have a barrier. FINALLY!!!! I say they make part of the shoulder the new diamond lane. God knows, it's wide enough for probably three lanes! http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/woo...ws/5879322.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Good. Montgomery County can start paying METRO now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desirous Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Oh great, the HOV will be even more dysfunctional south of Shepherd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 FINALLY!!!! I say they make part of the shoulder the new diamond lane. God knows, it's wide enough for probably three lanes!That's why the inside shoulders are so wide. It was designed with the notion of making a future addition of those lanes without much traffic disruption. When the project was originally completed, the red tape was not cleared for the addition of those lanes in Montgomery Co. just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted July 12, 2008 Author Share Posted July 12, 2008 That's why the inside shoulders are so wide. It was designed with the notion of making a future addition of those lanes without much traffic disruption. When the project was originally completed, the red tape was not cleared for the addition of those lanes in Montgomery Co. just yet. Really???? Well that answers a long standing question of mine. I could never figure out why the inside shoulder was so dang wide. Came in handy during the evacuation...well, sort of. They could probably fit two diamond lanes in there and still have a shoulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 You lived in The Woodlands, and evacuated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 You lived in The Woodlands, and evacuated? I think we have answered the question why the freeways were overcrowded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 They could probably fit two diamond lanes in there and still have a shoulder.Precisely. TxDOT learned their lesson when they added HOV lanes to portions of 290, the North, Katy, and Gulf freeways without inside shoulders for mainlanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Oh great, the HOV will be even more dysfunctional south of Shepherd.I really would kind of prefer that they turn the Hardy into an HOT facility with congestion pricing, perhaps adding a couple more direct connections between it and I-45 as well as extending it to downtown and also to Conroe. And then just turn the existing HOV lanes back into main lanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I really would kind of prefer that they turn the Hardy into an HOT facility with congestion pricing, perhaps adding a couple more direct connections between it and I-45 as well as extending it to downtown and also to Conroe. And then just turn the existing HOV lanes back into main lanes.And do what with the Park and Rides? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I really would kind of prefer that they turn the Hardy into an HOT facility with congestion pricing, perhaps adding a couple more direct connections between it and I-45 as well as extending it to downtown and also to Conroe. And then just turn the existing HOV lanes back into main lanes.They are extending the Hardy Toll Road into downtown. It's just taking them forever to do it. They're clearing the land, but they have to tear down the old Elysian Viaduct, and construct ramps to the new Hardy Extension from the stubs added during the rebuilding of the I-10/US 59 interchange. There's also a study going to extend the Hardy Toll Road into Montogmery Co. too I think. As for turning exisiting HOV lanes into main lanes, existing HOV lanes in Houston will be turned into HOT lanes pretty soon with congestion pricing. I think this should happen around 2009? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted July 13, 2008 Author Share Posted July 13, 2008 (edited) I think we have answered the question why the freeways were overcrowded. Well I don't have to justify my actions to anybody, but we evacuated because we didn't care to stay and have tree after tree cascade through our living room. As a meteorologist, I stayed. However, my family left. With Rita a sub 900 mb hurricane with winds of 185 mph, we would have had 140-150 mph winds (at least in gusts with sustained well over 100) in The Woodlands. Stay??? I think not. Those trees would have snapped like toothpicks. Thanks and gig'em. And for the record, I was referring to during the evacuation in general how people used the inside shoulder as a lane...regaurdless of where they came from. Edited July 13, 2008 by wxman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 As for turning exisiting HOV lanes into main lanes, existing HOV lanes in Houston will be turned into HOT lanes pretty soon with congestion pricing. I think this should happen around 2009?I know about all the Hardy improvements, but I thought it important to mention them because without them, the other ideas don't work.I haven't heard anything about all of the HOV lanes being converted to HOT. That would be news to me, especially since several HOV lanes are already congested as it is without allowing tolled vehicles in. Perhaps you're thinking only of the Katy Freeway?And Trae, I'd keep the P&R. In fact, I'd expand the P&R. I know there are people that pay METRO taxes that complain that METRO shouldn't provide service outside of its jurisdiction, but if P&R keeps more vehicles off of the freeways that people that pay the taxes use, then I don't really care that someone from a nearby jurisdiction was benefitted. That's a win-win situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 I haven't heard anything about all of the HOV lanes being converted to HOT. That would be news to me, especially since several HOV lanes are already congested as it is without allowing tolled vehicles in. Perhaps you're thinking only of the Katy Freeway?Nope. The Katy's HOT lanes will be two way and pylon separated from the main lanes. These retrofitted HOT lanes will be barrier separated and one way.Here's a METRO presentation on the conversion of current HOV lanes to HOT lanes.http://www.metrosolutions.org/posted/1068/...5_07.158565.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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