Westpark Tollway

[tomv]

It's only going to get worse because of the development springing up on the west end of it. There's no room to expand it either, therefore it is destined to become an expensive parking lot.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's no room to expand it, but...since it's all-electronic, it should be easy to implement staggered pricing (higher tolls during peak periods, lower tolls during slow periods) that would help to control demand. If it costs $5 to use it in the morning rush hour (versus $3 now from 99 to 59), some folks will find alternatives, such as surface streets or riding Metro. The bus fare could end up costing less than the toll.

Also, when the rebuilding of I10 is finished that should help a great deal since the two freeways run parallel just a few miles apart from each other.

[westguy]

They could price it out of range, but then I don't see how it adds to mobility at all. It isn't quite a necessity like bridges and tunnels. They've expanded it far beyond its originial design and created this mess in the process.

[Guest danax]

This all sounds like what they say about building or expanding highways is true.  They don't relieve congestion.  They add to it, because people see it as an alternative and jump on it.

It's a shame that it filled up so quickly.  Maybe the commuter rail will help. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's destined to be filled up. The building of it ignited further development around it and now everyone is rushing in to live near it.

Bizjournal article discusses the increase in new home sales and commercial development projects as a result of the Tollway being almost complete.

[bcnet]

I just moved to the south area of Cinco Ranch to the west of 99 off Fry Road and use the WP Tollroad every day to travel to the Post Oak near San Felipe in the Galleria area.

Since the coniciding start of school and extention to the Grand Pkwy there are some slowdowns near the last eastbound entrance just west of BW8 and then again near the 59/Westpark curve split. Near the Beltway, I'm wondering some entrance ramp lights or a longer merge lane may help this congestion. The congestion near the westpark curve is due to the narrow construction lanes as they have some temporary looking pumps for drainage which slows people to a crawl. The light at Post Oak and Richmond and the end of the Tollroad has never been back up over the past several months.

I timed it again this morning.

It is 25 miles from my driveway to my office parking garage. I was really amazed the 1st time measured this, but the WPTR is a very direct shot from South cinco Ranch to the Galleria. I left at 7:20 this morning and pulled into my parking spot at 7:56 for a 36 minute commute. Whoever compared this to communting down the Katy Freeway is a little off.

[Guest Plastic]

I just was thinking that they would build connectors at 610.

[tomv]

I just moved to the south area of Cinco Ranch to the west of 99 off Fry Road and use the WP Tollroad every day to travel to the Post Oak near San Felipe in the Galleria area. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Glad to hear some of the problem may be due to construction at the Westpark curve on 59. What a great commute, 36 minutes from Cinco to the Galleria area.

What is it like earlier in the week? (rush hour traffic is always lighter on Fridays).

Beware, there are some on this forum who will think you are evil incarnate for buying a home in the 'burbs and driving in to town each day to work. Especially if you have an SUV.

Isn't it unusual to see that sign just before FM1464 that says "next exit 8 miles"?

Maybe someday there will be better access to and from Hwy 6 and the toll road.

[Rehan]

I live near Briar Forest@Wilcrest and work near Kirby@610. Barring any major accidents, I-10 is about the same or faster than the tollway, and its free.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I just moved to the south area of Cinco Ranch to the west of 99 off Fry Road and use the WP Tollroad every day to travel to the Post Oak near San Felipe in the Galleria area.

It is 25 miles from my driveway to my office parking garage. I was really amazed the 1st time measured this, but the WPTR is a very direct shot from South cinco Ranch to the Galleria. I left at 7:20 this morning and pulled into my parking spot at 7:56 for a 36 minute commute. Whoever compared this to communting down the Katy Freeway is a little off.

different scenarios...

[kjb434]

Direct connectors to I-610 would be the stupidest idea. The point of the Westpark tollway is to have traffic get to Uptown (exit to post oak/richmond), downtown (exit to US 59), and Greenway plaza (westpark road terminus).

Connecting to I-610 would put the common traffic patters into disarray.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Inbound traffic this morning around 8:30 am was bumper to bumper from US 59 out past Jeannetta, nearly back to Gessner. It was moving, but FULL.

[bcnet]

This morning, my wife, son (baby in day care at my wife's office), and I left for work early on our 25 mile commute down the WPTR. We left the house at 6:40am and arrived at work at 7:07 for a 27 minute trip. At this earlier time, there was really no slowdown at either of the before mentioned areas near BW8 and the "Westpark Curve". We were cruising with the flow of traffic at about 65-70mph on the TR.

I'm wondering if the user rate is running higher or lower that what the HCTRA & FBTRA projected? Anyone have any contacts at the TR authorities? Just curious.

[kjb434]

I just remember that the facility was labled a minimal facility. The project would have 50 more feet of right-of-way if the pro-rail forces didn't intervene. I'm split about that decisions. The corridor wouldn't have been served by LRT well. Maybe commuter rail, but I feel a wider toll road facility of 6 lanes would have been better.

US 59 merger inbound would have allways been a problem since the geometrics make the fit kind of tight.

[ssullivan]

I just remember that the facility was labled a minimal facility.

[kjb434]

Good explanation. I remember METRO was very pro-rail under brown and wouldn't sell the land. If the METRO wasn't pro-rail at the time, I could see the Westpark Toll Road using the full right of way.

The Houston Freeway's book also goes through this event pretty well.

[westguy]

METRO was pro-rail, but it was in one of Brown's terms that the project got started. I don't know what the turnaround was. Maybe they didn't need all the land when they decided to place rail there instead of HOV lanes. I think it was after construction began that FBCTRA was formed and got involved with the project. I know someone decided to use this to sell crappy lots near Cinco Ranch probably to Fulshear. The fact is that someone got greedy and overstretched this thing. It is only 50' wide, now handling the traffic of a major freeway. There are no feeders, so cars basically have to sit idle on the ramps at SHT and Post Oak until the traffic lights change.

[kjb434]

I can see variable pricing coming into affect eventually, but I'll think they'll wait until the Katy Freeway completed to test the system out.

Also, some people are using the Westpark to avoid the Katy while it's under construction since both routes get you to uptown and downtown.

[ziggy29]

I can see variable pricing coming into affect eventually, but I'll think they'll wait until the Katy Freeway completed to test the system out.

Also, some people are using the Westpark to avoid the Katy while it's under construction since both routes get you to uptown and downtown.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's a good point. It's possible that one the Katy Freeway project is completed, some of the traffic now using the Westpark will no longer need it. The unknown here is how much the Katy project will help traffic flow, and how much it will do little more than encourage more exurban development.

[ssullivan]

Maybe they didn't need all the land when they decided to place rail there instead of HOV lanes.

They never really needed all the land. They just bought it all because it was all in one strip owned by Union Pacific. It wasn't a case where Metro said they wanted only 50 feet of the 100 foot right of way (or whatever the exact measurements were). They bought the entire right of way to preserve it for future transit development, then later on sold part of it to the HCTRA. The Westpark Tollway was designed to preserve Metro's right of way and allow for rail to be added at some point in the future.

The original proposal for the Westpark Tollway dates back to around 1998 or so, but it was several years before HCTRA really got things moving by acquiring the right of way from Metro and the city (part of the Westpark Tollway sits where lanes of Westpark used to be).

[kjb434]

Yeah,

They did everything they could to maximize the Tollway and keep Westpark road the same. I think they did a very good job in the end.

[bcnet]

That's a good point.  It's possible that one the Katy Freeway project is completed, some of the traffic now using the Westpark will no longer need it.  The unknown here is how much the Katy project will help traffic flow, and how much it will do little more than encourage more exurban development.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not scientific data by any means, but on my commute from near Fry and hwy99 the large majority (75%+) of the traffic on the Westpark TR originating at Hwy99 is coming down Hwy99 from the North (Katy proper). I would not be surprised if even people north of I-10 are coming down Hwy99 to take the Westpark avoid the Katy Frwy while under construction. Just my general observation.

[kjb434]

Thanks for the observation. I was figuring at least some people from the Cinco Ranch area headed south to the Westpark Tollway, but coming from north of I-10 would be further than I thought.

[samsam]

We just purchased EZ tag [new to Houston from Alaska] and need to use Westpark Tollway today. We live just west of Grand Parkway. It looks like the entrance to the tollway is near Westheimer and 1464? I know Westheimer Parkway and think 1464 is an intersection with light. Is this how we get there, or do we go East on Westheimer to get on?

Thanks so much

[tomv]

We just purchased EZ tag [new to Houston from Alaska] and need to use Westpark Tollway today.  We live just west of Grand Parkway.  It looks like the entrance to the tollway is near Westheimer and 1464?  I know Westheimer Parkway and think 1464 is an intersection with light.  Is this how we get there, or do we go East on Westheimer to get on? 

Thanks so much

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The most direct route would be to just get on 1093 from the Grand Parkway and head east till you find an entrance. I know there's one at Mason and I think there's one at Peek too. But if you're heading east on Westheimer Parkway east of the Grand Parkway, you can turn right on Peek, Mason, 1464, or Hwy 6 and access the tollway. Remember that Westheimer becomes 1093 and that Westheimer Parkway is a different road altogether.

[VelvetJ]

Tuesday evening I had a errand I had to run on the Southwest Freeway after work and decided to take the Westloop to the 59 South. The traffic was terrible needless to say because it was rush hour but what I saw when I got to Westpark FLOORED me. The "new" Westpark Tollway was packed solid for as far as the eye could see. The cars were inching along just like the Southwest Freeway, but the difference is people were paying to sit in traffic on the freeway.

I then took care of my errands, which took about 45 minutes, and headed home to the Westchase area. I reached Gessner and the Westpark tollway, looked up and saw the traffic still inching along. I then realized, the same thing has happened to this new road that has happened on the Sam Houston Tollway, and every other freeway that has been built or expanded in Houston. Even after all of the staggering amount of money spent on these projects, Houstonians are still stuck in bumper to bumper traffic like nothing has been done.

I have lived on the Southwest side since I've moved to Houston and at some point in that period I have had to take the Southwest Freeway, The Westloop through Bellaire, as well as the West Sam Houston tollway daily to and from work. I suffered through the widening of the Southwest Freeway only to see it pile up once again within 2 years. I watched the Sam Houston tollway built from scratch and I watched how quickly it became a sickening traffic trap. I lived through the construction of the beautiful westloop through Bellaire only to see it packed solid very quickly after it was finished. Now, I observe the new Westpark Tollway during rush hour and see cars idleling. I expected it to fill but it seem to have done so at an incredibly accelerrated rate. I am now predicting the same thing is going to happen once the Widening of the Katy Freeway is done, and I fear it's going to happen much faster than many of us are probably anticipating.

The moral of this is I suppose is just to express how interesting I find it that we have spent all of this money on easing traffic only to find ourselves in the exact same situation not long after the projects are finished, except this time people are having to pay toll to sit in traffic. What's the point? How has the Westpark tollway eased congestion? How has this new tollway helped improve our air quality? How many people has it taken out of their cars during rush hour? Were there any homes or businesses taken during the building and if so, was it worth it? Was all of this for naught for Houston as a whole?

I can't say I was totally against this road, although I do belive rail should have been the first option on the rail tracks that were removed from Westpark in the late 90's. I know it is convenient for some during non-peak times, but was that the purpose of this toll road?

From what I saw the other night, it already looks as if that road has already reached capacity and it's still new. What lesson can Houstonians learn from this?

[westguy76]

I use this tollway on the weekends exclusively and it's great! i live at 1464 near the tollway and in two weeks i am moving further west to cinco ranch. I can't wait really! My wife works in the rice village area and goes to the UH campus (central)she uses it everyday, really the only option where we live for her. She doesn't mind it and can get to work in 35 minutes. Really not a big deal I work in the Westchase district and i just travel down Westheimer. My point is this thing is great on the weekends when i drive it. I wish they would finish that interchange at beltway 8 though. Just my 2 cents

[MaxConcrete]

What's the point?

I'm amazed that the Westpark Tollway has succumbed to such heavy traffic in just 18 months.

But there are a few things that should be pointed out.

1. Congestion occurs only during rush hour. The rest of the time, these facilities are free-flowing.

2. Before the Southwest Freeway expansion, it backed up most of the day and on Saturday, like the Katy Freeway does now. It usually took multiple traffic light cycles to get through any intersection. Now congestion is limited to peak periods and the frontage roads are far better than they were. At Beechnut, you usually get through in one cycle.

3. The expanding population and growing economy needs more freeway/tollway infrastructure than is currently being provided.

4. People want/need to drive their own cars, even if there is a big cost.

[Jeebus]

I guess you're referring to the Westpark Tollway.

[Jeebus]

Just imagine how bad it would be had they not widened any of the freeways & tollways you mentioned. I also think I-10 construction completion will help with the rush hour clogs.

Edited November 17, 2005 by Jeebus

[CincoRanch-HoustonResident]

^I don't. I think it will just help to stop traffic at all times of the day and on weekends. I get stuck in traffic on Sundays.

[westguy]

They did not need to open the tollway all the way to Ft. Bend. This traffic congestion started last August as soon as they did that.

I should add that Harris County Sheriffs Dept has identified a problem with road rage on the new tollway. (I think there were also some shootings down near the Post Oak exit?) People do not appreciate congestion much, especially when they are paying a premium to get through it.

Edited November 18, 2005 by westguy

[CE_ugh]

I wonder if the Fort Bend Tollway will become like this once they complete the elevated structure along Post Oak. It doesnt have nearly the distance nor the amount of exits as the Westpark does. Also it has the advantage of room to grow after it leaves 90A.