editor Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEHarris County's Sam Houston Tollway Coming Full Circle With Construction of its Final Segment - Sam Houston Tollway Northeast Project Houston (July 8, 2009) - The Harris County Toll Road Authority's (HCTRA's) flagship roadway, the Sam Houston Tollway, is coming full circle beginning this week, with construction of its final segment. The much anticipated 13-mile stretch in the northeast quadrant of the system will connect US 59 North and US 90 East - completing the 75-mile loop of the Sam Houston Tollway to better meet the needs of the vast population growth in northeast Harris County. Once complete, this segment of the tollway will provide three lanes in each direction. The project will improve access from the Ship Channel Bridge to US 59 North and IH 45 North, and may provide some congestion relief on those heavily traveled thoroughfares. Multiple access points to major cross streets will further enhance mobility in the region. Landscaping and beautification elements along the tollway will be implemented once construction of the roadway is complete and will follow the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Houston District aesthetic guidelines for the corridor. Construction of the Sam Houston Tollway Northeast segment will occur simultaneously throughout the corridor during an anticipated twenty-one month schedule. The project is expected to be completed in Spring 2011 and will cost approximately $400 million. For more information about the project, please visit www.hctra.org.About the Harris County Toll Road Authority: HCTRA was created in 1983 after an overwhelming majority of Harris County voters authorized the issuance of up to $900 million in bonds to build and operate the region's first toll roads. Today, the Toll Road Authority operates and maintains a 107-mile system in the Houston/Harris County area and 12-miles in Fort Bend County, for a total of 119-miles. The Toll Road system connects motorists from Pasadena to downtown Houston, from Spring-Cypress to Fort Bend, from the Grand Parkway to the Galleria, and nearly all points in between. Each weekday, nearly half a million vehicles use HCTRA toll roads to get to their destinations quickly and safely, while easing congestion on the region's free thoroughfares. Tolls collected on HCTRA roadways allow the system to be completely self-supporting. Harris County's careful financial management of the toll road system has consistently earned superior bond ratings, increased cash reserves, and established responsible planning for the maintenance and upkeep of existing roadways as well as future expansion needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 ....Once complete, this segment of the tollway will provide three lanes in each direction. Three lanes?C'mon, Make it at least 4! There are going to be some seriously wide loads heading to and from the ship channel and Galveston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 (edited) Three lanes?C'mon, Make it at least 4! There are going to be some seriously wide loads heading to and from the ship channel and Galveston.aren't there lots of different places on the beltway that have 3 lanes? but maybe you're right, there are parts of the beltway just east of 45 that can get pretty bad sometimes. Edited July 9, 2009 by lockmat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 aren't there lots of different places on the beltway that have 3 lanes? try two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Three lanes?C'mon, Make it at least 4! There are going to be some seriously wide loads heading to and from the ship channel and Galveston.Wide loads aren't permitted on Beltway 8. They'd wipe out the toll plazas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDeb Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Three seems like it will be plenty for this segment for a long time to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Took em' 40+ years, but at least it's finally coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Three lanes?C'mon, Make it at least 4! There are going to be some seriously wide loads heading to and from the ship channel and Galveston.At least it won't be 2 lanes like it is from southwest fwy to gulf fwy. That was a horrible mistake by the planners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) At least it won't be 2 lanes like it is from southwest fwy to gulf fwy. That was a horrible mistake by the planners.At the time, Pearland was merely a dot on a map...not the blob that it has become. Most folks associated 288 with a place that they could speed freely, without any congestion, ever. Most folks also associated the land around Beamer, Sabo, and Blackhawk with toxic waste and PISD schools rather than super-affordable housing on tiny lots.Much has changed, and it happened faster than I think anybody could have foreseen by merely analyzing data and trends.Fortunately, construction ought to begin soon on a much-needed widening project for this segment. Edited July 10, 2009 by TheNiche Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 At the time, Pearland was merely a dot on a map...not the blob that it has become. Most folks associated 288 with a place that they could speed freely, without any congestion, ever. Most folks also associated the land around Beamer, Sabo, and Blackhawk with toxic waste and PISD schools rather than super-affordable housing on tiny lots. You call it toxic waste, I think it just made us stronger...like Spiderman. I don't know about toxic waste about Beamer/Sabo/Blackhawk. Only Superfund site I know of was Brio, closer to Friendswood than Sagemont/Kirkmont/Beverly Hills. Anyhow, the South Belt was congested the day it opened. I was living in Pearland at the time that the Tollway opened, and the South Belt was bumper to bumper from Telephone Road to the SW Fwy from day one. I definitely think it was poor planning. And poor management that 13 years later, there still has not been a widening project there. That being said, I thought I saw a quote from El Franco Lee earlier this year saying that a widening project would be kicking off this year. Was I dreaming or just high? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 That being said, I thought I saw a quote from El Franco Lee earlier this year saying that a widening project would be kicking off this year. Was I dreaming or just high?according to their website, it doesn't look like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I agree that the south belt needs another lane (or two) especially between 288 and 59.Also, why the heck did they not put in an interchange at 288? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Also, why the heck did they not put in an interchange at 288?the amount of traffic just didn't warrant it at the time of construction. 225 doesn't have one either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) the amount of traffic just didn't warrant it at the time of construction. 225 doesn't have one either.True, but demand has been there for a while now.I remember voting for this many years back. Originally, the tolls were to go away once the roads were paid for. I guess if they continue constructing, that justifies continuing to charge. I just wish they wouldn't wait until the roads are over congested prior to starting expansion projects. Edited July 10, 2009 by rsb320 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 According to Google Maps, the northeast segment is two lanes each direction and with roads intersecting it!! Is this gone now? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 According to Google Maps, the northeast segment is two lanes each direction and with roads intersecting it!! Is this gone now?Currently they are what will become the feeders for the tollway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I agree that the south belt needs another lane (or two) especially between 288 and 59.Also, why the heck did they not put in an interchange at 288? Future plans call for an interchange to be built when they expand 288 between 610 and and the Tollway from 6 to 8 lanes. That's about 10-15 years from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 I definitely think it was poor planning. And poor management that 13 years later, there still has not been a widening project there.It seems the government usually reacts instead of planning. I think one reason is because of expenses. It's hard to enough to just keep up. They can't afford to be pro-active when they're in the middle of doing other construction needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 It seems the government usually reacts instead of planning. I think one reason is because of expenses. It's hard to enough to just keep up. They can't afford to be pro-active when they're in the middle of doing other construction needs.When it comes to funding specific pork projects at the state and federal level, I'd tend to agree with you. But once agencies have a set budget and are deciding how to allocate that among various long-term capital improvement projects, actually they're quite judicious. They're actually required by law to be judicious...so much so, that the environmental review process on major projects frequently takes longer to complete than the actual construction. By the time that a major project is complete, many of the underlying assumptions about demand have had an opportunity to change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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