TxDOT Study: Add Toll Lanes To I-10 Between Sealy And Brookshire

[JLWM8609]

I-10 out in rural Austin and Waller Counties seems like the last place where toll lanes would be built. In the past, I heard that the Westpark Tollway is supposed to tie into I-10 near Brookshire. Maybe this has something to do with that?

http://www.txdot.gov/project_information/projects/houston/ih10_waller_county.htm

[urbancowboy]

It would be great to see commuter rail instead of more lanes.

[Subdude]

Is TXDOT just on autopilot to propose toll lanes anywhere they can think of?

[kylejack]

Traffic is too thin out that far to justify toll lanes, DOT needs to take a break from the proposal game for a little while.

[Gary]

Is TXDOT just on autopilot to propose toll lanes anywhere they can think of?

Apparently... I travel I-10 to Hwy 36 (then on to Bellville)at least once a week and have never, ever encountered traffic that would justify a toll road. This is absurd.

[august948]

TXDOT may just be trying to stay ahead of the curve of exurban development down the I10 corridor (or encourage it due to developer influence).

[ig2ba]

So, the traffic is too thin but commuter rail would work?

So, more lanes are proposed by TxDOT and the first post mentions commuter rail, and TxDOT is the one on autopilot? Sounds like a kneejerk reaction to me.

After reading the materials on the website, it seems like the current 4 lanes is inadequate. 8 is probably overkill, but maybe one extra lane in each direction would be enough for the next 20 years. Any ideas how to fund this given the current funding situation? ...

But who knows? If the Westpark Tollway ties in to I-10, maybe they will actually need 8 total lanes.

[JLWM8609]

So, the traffic is too thin but commuter rail would work?

So, more lanes are proposed by TxDOT and the first post mentions commuter rail, and TxDOT is the one on autopilot? Sounds like a kneejerk reaction to me.

After reading the materials on the website, it seems like the current 4 lanes is inadequate. 8 is probably overkill, but maybe one extra lane in each direction would be enough for the next 20 years. Any ideas how to fund this given the current funding situation? ...

But who knows? If the Westpark Tollway ties in to I-10, maybe they will actually need 8 total lanes.

Here's some schematics for the expansion of I-10 from the Brazos River all the way to Houston Ave. No toll lanes are in those plans, just an addition of a mainlane in each direction between Brookshire and the Brazos River.

http://www.katyfreeway.org/images/schematics_pdf/reeval_schematics.pdf

Edited September 1, 2009 by JLWM8609

[Gary]

After reading the materials on the website, it seems like the current 4 lanes is inadequate. 8 is probably overkill, but maybe one extra lane in each direction would be enough for the next 20 years. Any ideas how to fund this given the current funding situation? ...

But who knows? If the Westpark Tollway ties in to I-10, maybe they will actually need 8 total lanes.

The current 4 lanes are not inadequate with the possible exception of holiday weekends, and even then it's never really bad. I could see the feasibility of adding maybe 1 lane in the next few years, but it's certainly not needed at this point.

[urbancowboy]

So, the traffic is too thin but commuter rail would work?

So, more lanes are proposed by TxDOT and the first post mentions commuter rail, and TxDOT is the one on autopilot? Sounds like a kneejerk reaction to me.

After reading the materials on the website, it seems like the current 4 lanes is inadequate. 8 is probably overkill, but maybe one extra lane in each direction would be enough for the next 20 years. Any ideas how to fund this given the current funding situation? ...

But who knows? If the Westpark Tollway ties in to I-10, maybe they will actually need 8 total lanes.

Transit isnt always about reducing autombile traffic. Sometimes its about giving options, therefore avoiding the need to expand the highway.

[ig2ba]

Transit isnt always about reducing autombile traffic. Sometimes its about giving options, therefore avoiding the need to expand the highway.

True. You could conceivably have the same car traffic and increase total trips when rail is added. That would be a win, because people would be traveling more to jobs, traveling to see more clients, traveling to more restaurants and supporting businesses, etc.

If I was too abrupt, I did not mean to be, but I don't think Sealy is any place to be talking about introducing rail. People still disagree over the cost/benefits and feasibility of a line out to Sugar Land or The Woodlands. I could be wrong, but I think a line out to Sealy would be much, much later, like 2050. Even if it's just going to be a transportation "option" for people, it does need a reasonable level of ridership.

The current 4 lanes are not inadequate with the possible exception of holiday weekends, and even then it's never really bad. I could see the feasibility of adding maybe 1 lane in the next few years, but it's certainly not needed at this point.

As of 2007, the AADT is 55,000 to 60,000 vehicles per day. This is high compared to what a 4-lane interstate is designed for. Are cars slowed down to 20 mph at rush hour? No. Can we make do? Sure, but this is quickly approaching an unstable situation where slowdowns will become more common. Growth in the area is increasing.

For comparison, the ultra-flat length of I-10 in Chambers county carries about 55,000 vpd. That is in a very flat, very straight, and very rural section with few entrances and exits, and it has been six lanes for years. In Orange County, where traffic is less than 50,000 vpd in most places, that is also being expanded to six lanes. Areas south of Ennis, TX on I-45 are even less than that, and these are being expanded to six lanes.

And as for the katyfreeway.org vs. current TxDOT source, I think the katyfreeway.org schematics were just proposed; not everything there was built exactly per the drawings. If you go to some along I-10, you'll see that there's an extra lane compared to the proposal or a missing feeder lane. And I was under the impression that that Katy Freeway project was 100% finished. I think the new TxDOT proposal is what's actually being considered at this point.