Looks Like The US 90A Freeway Is Just About Finished

[JLWM8609]

I had to go to Stafford the other day and took US 90A all the way there from my neighborhood. You can now get from 610 to Stafford without traffic lights with a 55 mph speed limit (previously 40-50 mph a few months ago, but everyone still mostly does 65-70 along this stretch), it makes the trip nice and quick. The portion inside Stafford itself is still under construction, and will not be to freeway (or superstreet) standards, it's still a divided highway with homes and businesses in the middle, except with improved drainage, intersection improvements and about 2-4 lanes added in each direction. The westbound lanes now have a small street added to the interior, separated from the main highway with a curb to retain access to houses and businesses without their driveways leading to the main highway. The Staffordshire underpass (which more of a street to street underpass similar to OST/Griggs or S.Main/Holcombe) is still under construction, looks like it'll need about a year or two before it's ready. I didn't get to drive any further beyond that to see how the FM 1092 underpass was coming along. I think I saw the Dulles overpass from US 59 one day and I think it was open to traffic, and I think there's one more between Dulles and FM 1092, but I haven't been down there since Jan, so I'm not sure. I suppose commuters going from Fort Bend County to the Med Center are liking this.

Edited August 27, 2008 by JLWM8609

[ssullivan]

I drove US 90A back in May right before I moved. It's amazing how fast that project has gone. It seemed like the original section to be upgraded on US 90A from 610 to just south of Hiram Clarke Rd. took forever to get built a few years ago. Then the next phase from that point to the Sam Houston Tollway seemed to get done pretty quickly. Since then the section south of the Tollway has flown right along.

[dmoneybangbang]

Looking at a map, the Fort Bend Tollway feeds into 90. I'm assuming that they built some sort of interchange? Also, does the 90 hwy upgrade end at 610? When I get back to Houston I will have to check this out.

[ihop]

Yeah, from 610 in it's just normal main street.

[JLWM8609]

Looking at a map, the Fort Bend Tollway feeds into 90. I'm assuming that they built some sort of interchange? Also, does the 90 hwy upgrade end at 610? When I get back to Houston I will have to check this out.

Yeah, they constructed an interchange with two connectors, one connects US 90A west to the tollroad, and the tollroad to US 90A east. Eventually, the tollway will trench under US 90A and connect to the extension at S.Post Oak near Willowbend. The freeway ends at 610. But as part of the project, instead of being upgraded to a freeway, S.Main was just upgraded to an extra wide street between OST and 610, it's about 10 lanes across in some sections.

[desirous]

Yeah, from 610 in it's just normal main street.

How's the traffic at that light in the mornings?

[dmoneybangbang]

Yeah, they constructed an interchange with two connectors, one connects US 90A west to the tollroad, and the tollroad to US 90A east. Eventually, the tollway will trench under US 90A and connect to the extension at S.Post Oak near Willowbend. The freeway ends at 610. But as part of the project, instead of being upgraded to a freeway, S.Main was just upgraded to an extra wide street between OST and 610, it's about 10 lanes across in some sections.

When that connector to S. Post Oak is complete people in Southwest Houston will have another viable to way to get into Houston's inncer core employment centers.

[TheNiche]

Yeah, they constructed an interchange with two connectors, one connects US 90A west to the tollroad, and the tollroad to US 90A east. Eventually, the tollway will trench under US 90A and connect to the extension at S.Post Oak near Willowbend. The freeway ends at 610. But as part of the project, instead of being upgraded to a freeway, S.Main was just upgraded to an extra wide street between OST and 610, it's about 10 lanes across in some sections.

...and even at 10 lanes, there's talk in some corners of widening (again!) in the near future.

[DrFood]

I would beg to differ with the folks talking about trenching to Post Oak to 610. Both HCTRA and TxDOT have told the residents of Westbury, Willowbend, Willow Meadows, and S. Post Oak Village that there are no plans to build this connector. HCTRA and TxDOT both agree that in order to handle the extra traffic that 610 through Bellaire and the Galleria would have to be double decked somehow. The folks in Bellaire have a great lobbying friend in our Republican Congressional folks and Republican State Legislators that have vowed to never let this happen. Look at the problems TxDOT have rebuilding 610 through Bellaire a couple of years ago.

The latest plans presented to the civic clubs is a simple overpass dumping traffic onto S. Post Oak. This overpass would parallel 90A (S. Main) between the railroad and Willow Waterhole. The concrete recycling plant is in the process of shutting down to accomodate Willow Waterhole build out and a move of the COH garbage facility on S. Post Oak.

In addition, Metro is expected to build a rail system along 90A either as heavy rail or light rail with a station at Chimney Rock. This would then become a Park & Ride stop for folks from the Ft. Bend tollway. This would tie into Fannin South via the newly designated transit street of W. Bellfort between 90A and Fannin.

A couple of years ago Art Storey (HCTRA) and his group got a thrashing over the whole S. Post Oak thing. I think they realized it wasn't worth the fight for a few years.

[TheNiche]

Metro is expected to build a rail system along 90A either as heavy rail or light rail with a station at Chimney Rock. This would then become a Park & Ride stop for folks from the Ft. Bend tollway. This would tie into Fannin South via the newly designated transit street of W. Bellfort between 90A and Fannin.

No, they talked a good game for many years, but it seems that Union Pacific cannot accomodate commuter rail service along their trackage. If METRO intends to start up a commuter rail line servicing Fort Bend County, it will have to use tracks along FM 521, then through Thompsons and back toward Rosenberg. Sugar Land, Missouri City, Stafford, and the 90A corridor in its entirety would not be served.