editor Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 STUDY REVEALS COMMUTERS ARE SAVING SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL TIME WHEN TRAVELING ALONG THE NEW I-10/KATY FREEWAY "Texas Transportation Institute Completes a Review of Katy Freeway Travel Times and Speeds"(Houston, Texas) - At the request of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) recently completed a review of travel times and speeds along the I-10/Katy Freeway. This initial analysis of commuter benefits relative to the recently completed expansion project reveals that drivers are saving significant time during roundtrip commutes between SH 99 and the I-610/West Loop when comparing traffic conditions in June 2008 to data collected during a recent review in November, particularly during peak time hours. After opening the freeway in its full lane capacity at the end of October, commuters traveling the Katy Freeway corridor now save an average of 15 minutes of time during their morning commutes by increasing average travel speeds by 25 MPH, and save on average another 12 minutes of time during afternoon commutes by increasing average travel speeds by 19 MPH. "We are pleased about the recent survey results that tell us that drivers are saving as much as 40 - 45 minutes a day on their roundtrip commutes on the new and improved Katy Freeway," says Delvin Dennis, TxDOT Houston District Engineer. In June 2008, drivers were averaging speeds of 33 MPH and travel times of 36 minutes during morning commutes between SH 99 and the West Loop. Afternoon commutes were averaging 35 MPH with travel times of 34 minutes. With the completion of construction, morning commuters are now averaging speeds of 58 MPH and travel times of 21 minutes with afternoon commuters averaging 54 MPH and travel times of 22 minutes when traveling this same distance. This translates to almost 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 In June 2008, drivers were averaging speeds of 33 MPH and travel times of 36 minutes during morning commutes between SH 99 and the West Loop. Afternoon commutes were averaging 35 MPH with travel times of 34 minutes. With the completion of construction, morning commuters are now averaging speeds of 58 MPH and travel times of 21 minutes with afternoon commuters averaging 54 MPH and travel times of 22 minutes when traveling this same distance.Completed freeways average better speeds than when they are under construction. What a stunning revelation. Armed with this study, TxDOT can now make the argument that freeways under construction should be completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Completed freeways average better speeds than when they are under construction. What a stunning revelation. Armed with this study, TxDOT can now make the argument that freeways under construction should be completed.Oddly enough, things were even worse prior to the start of the expansion project. By June they had more lanes operational than the prior status quo. It seems like I was averaging 12 MPH in those dark days, heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Completed freeways average better speeds than when they are under construction. What a stunning revelation. Armed with this study, TxDOT can now make the argument that freeways under construction should be completed.How about we compare pre-construction numbers to post-construction numbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p dub Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 My unscientific study says my speed at 8:00 ish headed west has increased a lot (>20 mph). I have to watch my speed so I won't get a ticket....amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VelvetJ Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's see what it looks like in 2 1/2 years.....if not sooner. Houston history will continue to repeat itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted December 15, 2008 Author Share Posted December 15, 2008 How about we compare pre-construction numbers to post-construction numbers?The Chronicle is working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Are they really or were you just being facetious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwrm4 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 The problem is that the study ends at the West Loop.The eastbound travel time from the West Loop to downtown, either in the morning, or in the evening, has gotten significantly longer.My total commute time out to BW8, while much faster in the morning, is exactly the same in the evening as it was before. Sure, at 6pm I can go 70 mph from BW8 to 610, but from 610 to Sawyer I average about 8 mph. Previously, I would crawl to 610 and then traffic would speed up considerably inside the loop.The laws of traffic hold true...there is a max time people will tolerate on a certain commute. They will arrange their schedules and modes to ensure they do not exceed the accepted "max" travel time. I won't complain any further however as the westbound trip, either am or pm, has improved considerably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 My unscientific study says my speed at 8:00 ish headed west has increased a lot (>20 mph). I have to watch my speed so I won't get a ticket....amazing!Yeah.. they don't need those silly HOV toll lanes.. Just stick a few cops there, and the freeway will pay for itself in a year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Come January, the toll lanes will be operation.cwrm4,I live just inside the loop off of TC Jester. I've noticed the traffic inside the loop in the evening getting worse heading to downtown.The current MIS for I-45 (north) from the Beltway to downtown is still being worked on and had several public meetings.The eventual design will require redoing much of the I-10 and I-45 interchange. This alone is having significant impacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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