Commute To Galveston From West Houston

[theoriginalkj]

This may sound like a strange question, but I'd like to know what may be the quickest commute to Galveston Island from west Houston, specifically from the Westheimer/Highway 6 area (to be exact). I have a family member that may need to commute to UTMB for 2 years from west Houston to UTMB and moving is not an option. I know the Westpark Tollway would be involved to be the quickest, but let's take it out of the equation, as using the Westpark Tollway and Sam Houston Tollway may addup to some $12 or more a day in tolls.. What's the best FREE way to get from west Houston to Galveston Island - in regular 7am commuter traffic?

[kylejack]

I-10 to 45.

[TheNiche]

I-10 to 45.

Since there's construction right now along I-10 near downtown, taking 610 from I-10 to I-45 may be better. But it's going to suck one way or the other if we're talking about rush hour traffic.

[Highway6]

If your definition of Free only excludes tolls....... but includes cost of transportation, cost of gas, and cost of learning to operate that transportation (driver's ed)

Then the quickest free commute would be...10 to Barker Cypress to the West Houston Airfield...... to Galveston airport by Cessna.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Highway6

[sevfiv]

Highway 6 all the way to Bayou Vista area? Nevermind, that makes my head hurt more than the I-10/45 combo...

[TheNiche]

If your definition of Free only excludes tolls....... but includes cost of transportation, cost of gas, and cost of learning to operate that transportation (driver's ed)

Then the quickest free commute would be...10 to Barker Cypress to the West Houston Airfield...... to Galveston airport by Cessna.

Yeah, but then you have to buy the Cessna and a second car to keep at Scholes Field to get from there to UTMB.

Edited January 5, 2010 by TheNiche

[RedScare]

There is one extremely obvious route that must be driven in order to compare all of the other less than attractive routes. You simply must drive the Highway 6 route to see just how bad the traffic and traffic lights are. Only then can you decide how much the additional 12 to 15 miles through Houston rush hour traffic is worth it in order to stay on a freeway.

[Highway6]

Yeah, but then you have to buy the Cessna and a second car to keep at Scholes Field to get from there to UTMB.

You're assuming he doesnt already own a Cessna. You're also assuming he already owns an additional car for this family member to use for this excursion.

UTMB and Galveston Airport are 5 miles apart.... a mere hop by scooter or roadbike.

.... or looks like if ya dont mind transferring once or twice after walking half a mile... Island Transit could be an option.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Highway6

[sevfiv]

Highway 6 all the way to Bayou Vista area? Nevermind, that makes my head hurt more than the I-10/45 combo...

There is one extremely obvious route that must be driven in order to compare all of the other less than attractive routes. You simply must drive the Highway 6 route to see just how bad the traffic and traffic lights are. Only then can you decide how much the additional 12 to 15 miles through Houston rush hour traffic is worth it in order to stay on a freeway.

Yeeeah, I forgot to clarify that the lights were the main potential headache provider..

[Highway6]

Since there's construction right now along I-10 near downtown, taking 610 from I-10 to I-45 may be better. But it's going to suck one way or the other if we're talking about rush hour traffic.

Isn't the I-10 construction that's left just the segment between 45 and 59? So, while he'd have to deal with the increased traffic, he wouldn't have to deal with actual construction or decreased number of lanes... for the most part.

I think that's still a better rush hour choice than the West Loop parking lot.

Also, considering that there is more freeway traffic at freeway intersections for those that change freeways. ( 3-5 lanes going strait on through vs 1-2 lane to the right and 1-2 lane to the left.. typically). I would think 10 all the way through to 45 ( and really, this will now be a T freeway intersection instead of a X freeway intersection due to the closed freeway on the other side, so that's a bonus).. would be better than changing from 10 to 610 to 45.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Highway6

[Highway6]

He could go to Transtar and get a good idea of traffic speeds for the various sections of his multiple alternatives, factor in the difference in distance, and come up with a answer.

[AtticaFlinch]

You know, with the amount of money spent on gas monthly, it would make more sense to just rent a tiny studio apartment in Galveston than make that horrible commute daily. Besides, think beyond just the money spent on the commute. How many soul sucking hours would be spent in a car en route? This person would spend three to four hours every day in their car. If they're going to UTMB regularly, they're probably either a doctor, a student or a patient. A doctor needs to be better rested than that commute would allow. A student needs more time to study. A patient would just be too uncomfortable. Either way, the grinding daily drive would eventually become intolerable. Get a small apartment and spend your weekends at home. That's your only real option here.

[RedScare]

You know, with the amount of money spent on gas monthly, it would make more sense to just rent a tiny studio apartment in Galveston than make that horrible commute daily. Besides, think beyond just the money spent on the commute. How many soul sucking hours would be spent in a car en route? This person would spend three to four hours every day in their car. If they're going to UTMB regularly, they're probably either a doctor, a student or a patient. A doctor needs to be better rested than that commute would allow. A student needs more time to study. A patient would just be too uncomfortable. Either way, the grinding daily drive would eventually become intolerable. Get a small apartment and spend your weekends at home. That's your only real option here.

True, and because the travel distance is in excess of 50 miles, the rent and utilities on the apartment would be tax deductible as an out of pocket business expense.

EDIT: Or perhaps not.

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/taxes/renting-apartment-tax-deductible-121246.html

I was going to do this at one time when I considered moving to Galveston. The difference was that, being self-employed, I could set up an office in a friend's Galveston law office, then use Houston as a secondary office, making the expenses deductible. May not work for you.

Edited January 5, 2010 by RedScare

[TheNiche]

EDIT: Or perhaps not.

Yep, the IRS has come down pretty hard on people attempting this in recent years, and some of the old loopholes have also been closed.

[sevfiv]

A second place may be an option but we don't know the circumstances - like if it was a significant other that had to commute, living away part time may not be worth forgoing the drive.

[theoriginalkj]

A second place may be an option but we don't know the circumstances - like if it was a significant other that had to commute, living away part time may not be worth forgoing the drive.

Thank you guys for all the wonderful responces. I'm surprised at the number of replies to this dumb question.. The family member is a graduate student girlfriend and UTMB would be the school. Can't move. She went down Highway 6 to Alt-90 NE to 610S, then 610S eastward to I-45 and then out to Galveston. This totalled 80 miles and took a 1 hr 25 minutes. She came back via Highway 6 the whole way and took 67 miles and took 1 hr and 40 minutes. 13 less miles, but 15 minutes longer. The biggest problems were the long stretches of 40mph speed-trap zones that kept her from making better time. Sugar Land didn't help, but traffic kept moving ok here.

North 7 miles to I-10, and then eastward to I-45 and down was the first choice of mine too, even though you go the wrong way for 7 miles, your moving much quicker on this route than any other. I don't know how many miles. The quickest route would estimate to be the Westpark Tollway to Sam Houston Tollway South around, but this route would cost some $12-14 a day some $260 a month and looks to be about 1 hr 15 minutes, not a big savings over the Alt-90/610-S route - which is suprisingly a decent free alternative. It's free and saves $12-14 a day. Keep the ideas coming...

Does anyone know HOW MUCH this would be exactly in toll costs?

[N Judah]

And you're testing these routes during regular 7 am commuter traffic, correct?

[theoriginalkj]

And you're testing these routes during regular 7 am commuter traffic, correct?

Yes.

[AtticaFlinch]

Can't move.

Why not? It doesn't make sense to make that drive daily, especially if she's a student. When is she supposed to study? Future doctors have a lot they need to cram into their brains, you know. And then, the cost, jeezus the cost. The Federal government estimates the cost of operating a motor vehicle is somewhere between $0.50 and $0.65 per mile. Let's go on the low side here and couple that with your low-ball mileage estimate of 67 miles each way. At only fifty cents per mile, your girlfriend is spending approximately $33 each way to operate her vehicle. That amounts to over $60 a day! Even if she goes down only every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, she'll spend close to $800 per month just in operating the vehicle. And that's assuming it's reliable. If it's an old vehicle and prone to breakdowns, then you're in for a world of trouble with greater expenses and more headaches.

Seriously, get a cheap apartment down there. (Trust me, they're available by the boat load.) Everyone will be much happier with that sort of arrangement. It won't be easy to be separated during the week, but you'll still have your weekends for kissy and huggy time. And, she'll be much happier with you in the long run, especially when she doesn't wake up a year from now and realize the added strain you've put her under, making her drive three and a half hours a day just so you can sleep closer to each other.

[Highway6]

Seriously, get a cheap apartment down there. (Trust me, they're available by the boat load.) Everyone will be much happier with that sort of arrangement. It won't be easy to be separated during the week, but you'll still have your weekends for kissy and huggy time. And, she'll be much happier with you in the long run, especially when she doesn't wake up a year from now and realize the added strain you've put her under, making her drive three and a half hours a day just so you can sleep closer to each other.

He says its not an option.. Get over it.

Some people(couples) can't afford double rent, double utilities, etc as easily as you apparently can.... esp if one is a student without income.

Some people prefer to live close to loved ones.. perhaps her entire family is in Katy.

"realize the added strain you've put her under" ... you're assuming a lot here.

[LTAWACS]

Yeah, but then you have to buy the Cessna and a second car to keep at Scholes Field to get from there to UTMB.

He could get a unicycle instead of a car. Or better yet, a bicycle.

[AtticaFlinch]

He says its not an option.. Get over it.

Some people(couples) can't afford double rent, double utilities, etc as easily as you apparently can.... esp if one is a student without income.

Some people prefer to live close to loved ones.. perhaps her entire family is in Katy.

"realize the added strain you've put her under" ... you're assuming a lot here.

It's not a preferred option, but to poopoo an idea out of hand without even considering the possibility is just not bright. Trust me, if the costs of a commute from West Houston to Galveston are doable, then rent and electricity on a cheap studio apartment is also doable. It can't possibly be about money. You can get a two bedroom in a decent neighborhood in Galveston and still have the financing end wash out between the two options. Again, it can't be about money. Is that an assumption? I suppose, but unless the original poster has invented an automobile that runs on super cheap pixie dust and has zero (or at least low) maintenance needs, that assumption is natural. I think you assume a lot in making it about money.

So, if it's not about money, then what is it about? What are the possibilities? Perhaps you can help me here, as I can think of only one. I grant the limitations of my imagination doesn't qualify as the limit of the entire realm of possibilities, but I still think it's safe to say the necessitation of this grindingly long, monstrous daily commute is borne of selfishness, not frugality.

Perhaps the original poster can give us a bit more info on the limitations surrounding this student's circumstances. Then and only then will we be qualified to make accurate recommendations beyond the scope of the original question - a question that obviously underlied a larger question since the original is easily solved by Google Maps.

[theoriginalkj]

Why not? It doesn't make sense to make that drive daily, especially if she's a student. When is she supposed to study? Future doctors have a lot they need to cram into their brains, you know. And then, the cost, jeezus the cost. The Federal government estimates the cost of operating a motor vehicle is somewhere between $0.50 and $0.65 per mile. Let's go on the low side here and couple that with your low-ball mileage estimate of 67 miles each way. At only fifty cents per mile, your girlfriend is spending approximately $33 each way to operate her vehicle. That amounts to over $60 a day! Even if she goes down only every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, she'll spend close to $800 per month just in operating the vehicle. And that's assuming it's reliable. If it's an old vehicle and prone to breakdowns, then you're in for a world of trouble with greater expenses and more headaches.

Seriously, get a cheap apartment down there. (Trust me, they're available by the boat load.) Everyone will be much happier with that sort of arrangement. It won't be easy to be separated during the week, but you'll still have your weekends for kissy and huggy time. And, she'll be much happier with you in the long run, especially when she doesn't wake up a year from now and realize the added strain you've put her under, making her drive three and a half hours a day just so you can sleep closer to each other.

Trust me, I can't move. I have a child that is shared with a custody agreement.. I can't move. Getting an apartment or renting a room from a couple of grad student friends is certainly an option for day or two (or more) a week to save drive time, aggrivation, effort, etc. It wouldn't change the fact that she would make the commute back to my house in west Houston as often as possible - and doing so would need to fit in a grad students budget, which isn't going to allow for $14 toll charges on top of everything else. We're looking for the cheapest way to drive back and forth, weighing time versus milage versus effort.

[AtticaFlinch]

Trust me, I can't move. I have a child that is shared with a custody agreement.. I can't move. Getting an apartment or renting a room from a couple of grad student friends is certainly an option for day or two (or more) a week to save drive time, aggrivation, effort, etc. It wouldn't change the fact that she would make the commute back to my house in west Houston as often as possible - and doing so would need to fit in a grad students budget, which isn't going to allow for $14 toll charges on top of everything else. We're looking for the cheapest way to drive back and forth, weighing time versus milage versus effort.

I've been a graduate student before. I understand the inherent poverty that goes along with that. I also appreciate your custody situation. However, if it makes the most financial sense for her to get back to your house only every weekend, is that something you can live with? If not, what's more important to you, her education or your needs? These are serious questions, and they're only questions you and she can answer. Your relationship is at a crossroads here, and it won't be solved by figuring out a quick way from your house to Galveston, because guess what, there is no quick way there. One or the other of you will need to make major sacrifices to make this happen.

[kylejack]

But AF what if she meets and bonds with another dude in Galveston?

[AtticaFlinch]

But AF what if she meets and bonds with another dude in Galveston?

If she's any good at being a grad student, she won't have time for that anyway. I certainly didn't have a realistic expectation of the massive workload and sacrifices required prior to becoming a grad student or otherwise I'd never have done it. I have a feeling the OP and his girlfriend don't understand the necessary commitment either. Ten hours a week of lost study time due to driving is huge. If he's worried their relationship won't last without him seeing her three or four days a week, then they have far larger problems then that anyhow though.

I really don't know what more to say. The solution seems simple to me. It's only for two years, and it's not as if they're going to go months without seeing each other. Rent an apartment, get roommates, whatever. Her head should be buried in a book anyhow, not scouring the streets looking for a hook-up.

[marmer]

I can't help but agree with the concerns already posted here about stress, cost, and the potential relationship issues. I can only add two things:

Even if you're the best driver in the whole metropolitan area and you never drive fatigued, you're rolling the dice an awful lot about a car accident if you drive that many hours in that kind of traffic. I've had three or four myself, none of them even close to my fault (like being rear-ended while stopped at a red light) Sure, you can't drive anywhere if you are going to be terrified of having a wreck, but at some point I think the odds shift away from your favor.

I'd consider taking the 610 Loop to 288 and then 288 to Highway 6. My sense is that if you're starting from east of 288, Highway 6 is not a problem, and might be much better than 45. It is certainly better than 45 on nice weekends when 45 Southbound becomes a parking lot. Not sure how the weekend southbound Galveston traffic compares with the daily commute.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I'd consider taking the 610 Loop to 288 and then 288 to Highway 6. My sense is that if you're starting from east of 288, Highway 6 is not a problem, and might be much better than 45.

My sentiments exactly...SH 6 east of 288 is pretty easy. There are a few lights, but I usually average about 55-60 mph, even with the lights.

[TheNiche]

My sense is that if you're starting from east of 288, Highway 6 is not a problem, and might be much better than 45. It is certainly better than 45 on nice weekends when 45 Southbound becomes a parking lot. Not sure how the weekend southbound Galveston traffic compares with the daily commute.

Reverse commuting on I-45 isn't horrible.

[AtticaFlinch]

Reverse commuting on I-45 isn't horrible.

45 during rush hour is a parking lot inside the loop under the best of circumstances, regardless which direction you're headed. It's only moderately better from the loop to the beltway, but only in the outbound lanes. Even after that, all through Bay Area Blvd and Nasa Road 1, the traffic just plain sucks. The 25 mile stretch between Clear Lake and Galveston is the only section that can be remotely considered not horrible. And the worst part is you're stuck. Unlike 45 north, where you have quick and easy access to Hardy Toll Road and 59, the only parallel overflow street for 45 from Galveston is Highway 3, and trust me, you ain't gettin' nowhere fast on that stretch of concrete.