TxDOT Meeting To Discuss I-10 Feeder Roads/Expansion

[SaintCyr]

Without having seen any studies, it sounds a bit of a stretch to say that feeders increase crime ("C'mon! Let's drive to other neighborhoods with feeder roads and break the law!")

Subdude, just wanted to get this out there because I think several people have the same opinion you do. I didn't know much about it until I started reading up on similar situations. The link that follows combines several studies and I think paints a better picture. While there is not a direct relationship between feeders and crime, the study looks at all the variables involved and shows some surprising data... That being said, every situation is different and ours might be nothing like what is shown, however, I can't help but fall into the "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" theory and say better not to have it than to push forward and chance it.

http://www.ncsociology.org/sociationtoday/raleigh.htm

There are several other studies referenced in the above link. I encourage you to take a look into those as well. Kind of interesting how everything fits together.

[SaintCyr]

Just FYI....

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/6881365.html

[77007]

There is a public meeting tomorrow night (Wednesday, January 6) at 6:30pm at Stevenson Elementary (5410 Cornish) to discuss the changes planned for I-10.

This seems like a good opportunity for people to get out and voice support/opportunity for the proposed changes. One topic I am really interested in is the proposed retaining wall that would be used to keep White Oak Bayou from spilling on to I-10 and how that will affect houses in the immediate area.

Encouraging to see how the sounds walls are coming up north and south of the new feeder roads.

[Hartmann]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I was wondering what other residents have thought of the changes to I-10/Yale/Heights Blvd./Studewood so far?

 

I can't pass too much judgement until the Shepherd/Durham feeders are finished but we have noticed that our commute down Yale has definitely been lengthened. Part of this is due to the Shepherd/Durham changes but I think some of it has to do with people having a quick way to I-10 by way of Yale. Now that the Yale bridge is down to two lanes while they work on making it able to handle heavier loads, the wait at the lights is even worse.

 

Hopefully when the work is all done they will try to time the lights more efficiently as well.

[TGM]

Add the closure of Ella on 610 and the moonshot landing known as the TC Jester exit to the existing construction on I10 and you have one big cluster F. Oh yeah, then there are the trains, which back stuff up no matter where you are headed. The only route that I have found reasonable from my Galleria-area commute is the Washinton exit to Old Hempstead Hwy to 11th street. Everything else is jacked up.

[flatline]

Those feeder road extensions were the answer to the question no one was asking.

[Marksmu]

Extending the feeder allowed all the residents of the Heights who lived between Rutland and probably Cortlandt to have a second way to get on I-10.  It has added significant amounts of traffic on Yale that previously utilized the street grid to get on I-10 East of Heights, or who previously took 11th to Shephard to get on I-10.  I do not think any more cars are traveling through the Heights to get to I-10, I just think that Yale made it very convenient for those who previously had to go farther out of their way.

 

For those of us who previously took Yale to travel South of I-10, the traffic is much much worse, but overall I do not believe there has been any real increase in cut through traffic.  I would bet traffic counts would show that traffic has simply been rerouted, but not actually increased. 

[Hartmann]

Extending the feeder allowed all the residents of the Heights who lived between Rutland and probably Cortlandt to have a second way to get on I-10.  It has added significant amounts of traffic on Yale that previously utilized the street grid to get on I-10 East of Heights, or who previously took 11th to Shephard to get on I-10.  I do not think any more cars are traveling through the Heights to get to I-10, I just think that Yale made it very convenient for those who previously had to go farther out of their way.

 

For those of us who previously took Yale to travel South of I-10, the traffic is much much worse, but overall I do not believe there has been any real increase in cut through traffic.  I would bet traffic counts would show that traffic has simply been rerouted, but not actually increased. 

 

Those two statements contradict each other. The traffic is worse, but not because the cut through traffic has increased, it's simply been rerouted. How is a reroute different than a cut through?

 

I think the increase in cars, while expected, is not handled by the lights very well. Both Shepherd and Studemont do a pretty darn good job in timing the lights to get the traffic where it needs to go. 

 

Yale was a great way for me to get to points south of 10 and avoid the trains. Not so much anymore. I'm better off cutting over to Studemont, even if it is out of the way. Before the two lanes closed on the Yale bridge, it was usually a two light wait to get south of 10.

[TGM]

I feel like I'm playing freight train roulette every time I chance taking a street that has a street grade RR crossing.

Often I'm stuck wishing I could this:

[Marksmu]

Those two statements contradict each other. The traffic is worse, but not because the cut through traffic has increased, it's simply been rerouted. How is a reroute different than a cut through?

 

I think the increase in cars, while expected, is not handled by the lights very well. Both Shepherd and Studemont do a pretty darn good job in timing the lights to get the traffic where it needs to go. 

 

Yale was a great way for me to get to points south of 10 and avoid the trains. Not so much anymore. I'm better off cutting over to Studemont, even if it is out of the way. Before the two lanes closed on the Yale bridge, it was usually a two light wait to get south of 10.

 

During the meetings people were claiming that Yale would have traffic coming from 610 using it like they do Shephard.  That is not happening.  The quantity of cars getting on the freeway from the Heights is probably roughly the same.  I am saying that folks who previously would have gone another route to I-10, now use Yale instead of Shephard, or any of the cut through streets East of Cortlandt.

 

I do not think the additional traffic on Yale is from non-heights residents.  Its Heights folks using the more convenient route to I-10.  Yes it sucks for those folks like me who use to use Yale to get South of I-10....but honestly you can't make everyone happy, and all the folks who are getting on I-10 there are probably quite happy not to have to go all the way to Shephard or Cortlandt.

 

People just expect no congestion and its not going to happen.

[Hartmann]

During the meetings people were claiming that Yale would have traffic coming from 610 using it like they do Shephard.  That is not happening.  The quantity of cars getting on the freeway from the Heights is probably roughly the same.  I am saying that folks who previously would have gone another route to I-10, now use Yale instead of Shephard, or any of the cut through streets East of Cortlandt.

 

I do not think the additional traffic on Yale is from non-heights residents.  Its Heights folks using the more convenient route to I-10.  Yes it sucks for those folks like me who use to use Yale to get South of I-10....but honestly you can't make everyone happy, and all the folks who are getting on I-10 there are probably quite happy not to have to go all the way to Shephard or Cortlandt.

 

People just expect no congestion and its not going to happen.

 

I definitely agree that it's not a bunch of outside the Heights traffic causing the backups, though I do watch a lot of people avoid the 610 westbound cluster by cutting down to 10.

 

Hopefully when they're done with Shepherd/Durham the traffic will subside a little on Yale.

[RedScare]

I love the new feeders. They allow me to get to the 3 shopping areas on the south side of I-10 without running the streets through the Heights. I imagine that my neighbors appreciate that, too. However, this means more traffic funnels onto Yale, Studewood and Watson. Since I have no need to use Yale during rush hours, the feeders are a net time saver for me.

[JJxvi]

I now take Yale instead of Durham to go west on I-10 (and I live at 14th and Nicholson, closer to Shepherd/Durham and its faster to backtrack east to Yale). Perhaps there is another high impact time where people like me are backing you up, but the only time I ever have to stop on Yale is for maybe one circuit of the lights at 11th, 6th, and/or I-10 depending on timing (or a truck trying to get into Pappas warehouse) so I only ever see normal traffic pattern, not any delays..  Traffic getting back is definitely affected by the Shepherd exit being closed and more people having to use Yale (I would use Shepherd to get back home if I could).

 

Durham in the morning is cluster**** compared to Yale.  You have to wait a long time at I-10 up onto the bayou bridge and god help you if there is a train south of I-10.

[Hartmann]

I love the new feeders. They allow me to get to the 3 shopping areas on the south side of I-10 without running the streets through the Heights. I imagine that my neighbors appreciate that, too. However, this means more traffic funnels onto Yale, Studewood and Watson. Since I have no need to use Yale during rush hours, the feeders are a net time saver for me.

 

Of course you do.

[SilverJK]

I wish the heights feeder u-turn would have existed when I lived in those apartments on 4th&Oxford.  That was a total cluster eff every morning heading downtown.  I think the lights properly timed could easily make the traffic flow more effeciently. 

[s3mh]

The main problem is that they did the Yale/I-10 interchange on the cheap.  Yale SB should have taken some ROW/eminent domain and added a right turn lane.  The other problem is the difficulty in timing lights.  If you are first in line on Height NB at I-10, cars making the left turn to I-10 feeder EB will plow into you if you are not careful as they cannot see that the light has changed when they are under the bridge.  And the light at Koehler is now out of sync so that you can hit a red at that light after coming through Yale SB light. 

 

Being able to get to I-10 West without having to go to Shep or u-turn at Studewood is a benefit.  But, the memorial exit from I-10 EB and connecting the feeder to Shep isn't worth much. 

[Ross]

I think a lot of the extra traffic on 11th and Yale/Heights/etc, is related to folks who just don't want to deal with the North Loop between 290 and Shepherd. I see lots of cars heading East on 11th every morning, and there's just not that many people who live to the West of TC Jester. So, folks come down Hempstead and turn on to 11th, then cut down Durham, etc to get to I-10 for Downtown, or to Allen Parkway, etc. Once th efeeders are all done, maybe they will come all the way down Hempstead to 10, and go from there. That would help my traffic a  bunch.

[TGM]

I can't wait to see the flurfstorm when and if the Hempstead tollway is ever constructed.

[Ross]

I can't wait to see the flurfstorm when and if the Hempstead tollway is ever constructed.

 

I am not a big fan of that concept. Hempstead is too useful as it is.