BigFootsSocks Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 Not to flex or anything (totally flexing) but I guess us Marathon runners were/will be pretty lucky to be the only ones to walk/run through these 4 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 55 minutes ago, MidCenturyMoldy said: The sidewalk on one side is blocked halfway through the tunnel. My guess is some kind of barrier will be installed at some point soon. Could be. It would have to be a gate with a mechanism that allows you to immediately open it from the inside only. That is really the only way to do it because if its an emergency sidewalk to clear out the tunnel in an emergency, therefore its a means of egress, then you can't put a barrier that doesn't allow for immediate exit. I'm wondering if this was city official mucking around after the fact because if this was truly only for emergency egress then they would have already put in the one way exit gate per plan and they wouldn't need the temporary barriers. Or it could have been contractor error. Maybe they skipped the submittal or the lead time on a gate took so long it would have impeded the deadline. Maybe it was the architect who forgot to include a gate as part of the design. Who knows. What I do know is that gate is begging to be hopped haha. Also what I know is that in about 4 weeks I'll be in Houston and I'm looking forward to driving through it. When that happens I'll take a closer look. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapo2367 Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 1 hour ago, BigFootsSocks said: Not to flex or anything (totally flexing) but I guess us Marathon runners were/will be pretty lucky to be the only ones to walk/run through these I guess this is extra motivation to sign up for the marathon.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillip_white Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 19 hours ago, MidCenturyMoldy said: The sidewalk on one side is blocked halfway through the tunnel. That's a stairway railing, but it looks like there's enough room to walk around it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 (edited) 23 hours ago, Luminare said: I'm wondering if this was city official mucking around after the fact because if this was truly only for emergency egress then they would have already put in the one way exit gate per plan and they wouldn't need the temporary barriers. Or it could have been contractor error. or the priority is to get it up and going for cars, then to add permanent pedestrian deterrents to replace the sandwich boards saying to keep out. although I'd guess smelly exhausts, and loud cars would be deterrent enough, but they probably need more. Edited March 29, 2022 by samagon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 7 hours ago, samagon said: or the priority is to get it up and going for cars, then to add permanent pedestrian deterrents to replace the sandwich boards saying to keep out. although I'd guess smelly exhausts, and loud cars would be deterrent enough, but they probably need more. It appears there are no sidewalks or other paths leading to or from. That will probably deter as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post innerloop Posted May 5, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 5, 2022 Work is well underway on the next re-route of the Seymour-Lieberman running trail. It looks like they are going to replace those last few hundred meters of the trail that run right up next to Memorial Drive just east of the land bridges. The trail is going to be moved north into the park 20 or 30 meters, but that means that the trail will now have to cross that big gulley. Most of the trees have been cleared so they can start working on the bridge that will be needed. 14 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hindesky Posted May 10, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 10, 2022 Westbound Tunnel lane of Memorial Drive is now open. 20 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hindesky Posted May 18, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 18, 2022 Architect - https://schaumshieh.com 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hindesky Posted June 18, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted June 18, 2022 Memorial Drive to be closed thru the park next weekend. 9 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Paco Jones Posted June 22, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted June 22, 2022 Project: Memorial Park Running Complex - Cafe Architect: Schaum/Shieh Information: 3,100 S.F. cafe/concessions building. Approx. 2,000 S.F. interior and 1,000 S.F. exterior covered patio area. 26 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted June 22, 2022 Share Posted June 22, 2022 Yes please 🚴♀️ 🏃♀️🥪☕!!! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post innerloop Posted June 29, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted June 29, 2022 Here are the results of the weekend closure of Memorial Drive. They lifted in the spans for the three bridges necessary for the rerouting of the SL jogging trail. These photos are of the longest spans where the trail will cross the big gulley. I was disappointed at first that they used such generic looking concrete spans, but then I realized that a) once the trail is rerouted no one will be able to see them from this vantage point and b) the trail users will be above the decking so they won't be able to see them either. So now I'm just hoping that they pick nice materials for the decking and the bridge rails. Based on how nice that the Eastern Glades turned out, I'm not really worried. 18 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hindesky Posted July 24, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted July 24, 2022 9 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 @MaxConcrete What are panels? I'm assuming concrete sections of roadway. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrohip Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 16 hours ago, hindesky said: What are panels? I'm assuming concrete sections of roadway. I believe you are correct. I drove thru there yesterday, and I noticed there are small sections of the roadway being replaced. I found it odd that some sections that appear perfect--not a crack, hole or patch--were being demo'd and replaced. They're also putting up some curved concrete walls as entrances to the tunnels. Cool looking! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 yes it really does look amazing! i am wondering if i missed a timeline on when they will reopen the "real" and new concrete pathway that connects the running center to the picnic loop... i see they have the new winding and super cool pathway ready to go it seems however they are still working on the whole south side of the tunnels creating a large grass area that goes up to the tunnel hills. It also has a large drainage? rock way "stream" like feature that runs through it. I have seen all the work going on as i ride my bike through the new rock/gravel/dirt pathway that you have to go on from the running center to the picnic loop. I know it is alot of work and so it takes time but just wondering when it is supposed to be done. Also wondering if they are planning to revamp the picnic loop? It may be in the plans that i missed, but i wish they would just go in and take all the mismatched and broken down picnic tables and replace them all on even concrete pads/surfaces and make it a nicer safer and more stable experience. thanks for reading that super long post btw haha 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted August 16, 2022 Share Posted August 16, 2022 I'm pretty sure they plan on bringing everything in the park up to the these new standards. Just think what they've already completed and how great it looks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post innerloop Posted September 5, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted September 5, 2022 It looks like they may have started on the bridge railings of the SL trail reroute. Here is a not-very-clear photo of what may be the start of the new railings. The best that I could tell, it is horizontal metal bars/tubes. I couldn't really tell what was going on with the vertical supports. They've also installed a lot of the trail curbing and filled some of the trail with crushed granite. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post innerloop Posted September 30, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted September 30, 2022 They left the lights on last night so I was able to get a picture of the new trail segment. It looks very far along, most of the curbing is in, there's gravel down everywhere that I could see and the bridges are coming along. And the lights work. 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyt36 Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 I recently reread this article by our wonderful and own Mimi Swartz from the earlier days of planning for a lot of these investments--it really is a great "primary source" for the record book. In re Memorial Park, there are some great anecdotes in there about not wanting to make the park "too nice." Finally, in April 2015, the city council unanimously if begrudgingly approved Woltz’s stunning $220 million overhaul. Councilman Oliver Pennington was still worried. “We don’t want to make it too nice,” he warned. How Houston Became the Model For Green Space in Cities (texasmonthly.com) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirbyDriveKid Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) Memorial Park trail runners get a surprise as new section of Seymour Lieberman Trail opens https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/home-design/article/Seymour-Lieberman-Trail-17494262.php#photo-23021416 It was her birthday and she was walking, not running, but 45-year-old Tammy Holmes and her co-worker Tony Clomax were enjoying the new section of Memorial Park's Seymour Lieberman Trail, which opened Friday morning after about nine months of construction. The third-of-a-mile section of trail was opened without a lot of advance fanfare, as park officials wanted the new route to be a happy morning surprise to those out for a walk or jog. This section routes walkers and joggers off of the noisy, exhaust-filled section of sidewalk that ran alongside Memorial Park. MORE FROM DIANE COWEN: Nancy & Rich Kinder give $100 million to expand Buffalo Bayou Park eastward Now, the experience is quiet, with a thick layer of crushed granite to protect runners' joints, new landscaping and three pedestrian bridges to carry runners over ravines. Instead of noise, heat and the loud whirr of cars passing by at 45 miles an hour, walkers and runners feel the cool shade of trees and, if they're able to glance off of the pass, will see shallow pools of water in ravines or the occasional glimpse of a fairway at the Memorial Park Golf Course. One in a series of finished projects, this $4.2 million trail improvement is part of the 10-year master plan well underway at the 1,500-acre Memorial Park. This project, designed by landscape architect Lauren Griffith Associates — who also is responsible for the design of Discovery Green, Market Square Park and the McGovern Children's Zoo — was funded by an Uptown Development Authority TIRZ and accelerated by a $70 million gift given to the Memorial Park Conservancy in 2018. Accelerated schedule Work began on this new trail segment in January, exciting park staff and fans, since wok on this much-talked-about plan wasn't expected to begin until 2025, said Randy Odinet, vice president of capital projects and facilities at the Memorial Park Conservancy. MORE FROM DIANE COWEN: New Houston Endowment HQ brings brings the city one step closer to new age of modern design The new section of the nearly 3-mile Seymour Lieberman Trail is located between the new land bridge tunnels and the Eastern Glades, more projects in the master plan. The Eastern Glades were finished in two phases, and the land bridge tunnels opened to traffic earlier this year, while the seeding of the native prairie that will cover them is still a work in progress. A new running complex with a 400-meter timing track and other amenities — including new restrooms and a cafe — is expected to finish early summer 2023. Then, a project called Memorial Grove, a more passive park area that will tell the story of the World War I camp that was once here, and then a new southern trail with a pedestrian bridge over Crestwood and the East Memorial Loop, will be tackled. "We haven't stopped working on something since 2015," Odinet said of the ambitious plan. "(This trail work) is finished before it would have even started. The tree canopy will make a tremendous difference in how comfortable it is on a hot afternoon, getting away from car exhaust right on the roadway. Users will enjoy how pretty it is once they’re back in the trees." The new sections of trail are 16 feet wide with a thick layer of crushed granite. The three pedestrian bridges range from 50 feet to 105 feet long and are made of reinforced concrete with steel posts and wood hand rails. diane.cowen@chron.com Edited October 9, 2022 by KirbyDriveKid 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
004n063 Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Anyone know when the commuter path section on the south side will be finished? The MTB trails are nice and all, but after a while the detour gets old. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gene Posted October 10, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 10, 2022 (edited) yeah so that cool bridge section opened last week but as far as the pathway from the running center to the picnic loop opening i am not sure...it does look like all the sidewalk is now poured (edited to say except for a short 20 foot span to connect the new path to the existing path by picnic loop) but they may be waiting until they have more landscaping done etc for safety reasons since they are using machinery etc? There will be a water feature/man made lake or pond of sorts because from that current path/MTB trail. it takes you along and past a huge dock they have built that will go over it... i was looking for a detailed photo of that area and can't seem to find one showing a water feature...but i think it is going to be right above the circled Land Bride & Prairie Parking where that florescent shade of green and brown is that looks like a golf green area above the trees (it does not show all the finished work, the new work, the path or the new dock i speak of) anyway, yes i am excited about that opening as well and i bet October, November for this part to be done Edited October 11, 2022 by gene 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post cityliving Posted October 16, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 16, 2022 21 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bobruss Posted October 16, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted October 16, 2022 Great images. They're always much appreciated! it makes so much more sense now seeing it from above.. It's kind of hard getting the overall while driving thru the tunnels. Looks awesome. I cant wait to get out on that hill. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 yes, amazing to see that from above!!! thank you @cityliving !!! those images are from awhile ago maybe (?) which if you look at the top image on the upper left of the green group of trees, that darker brown patch is where they have built the pier, so that must be the pond(?)... i am just speculating but dying to see this all finished...i know it is going to be incredible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityliving Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, gene said: yes, amazing to see that from above!!! thank you @cityliving !!! those images are from awhile ago maybe (?) which if you look at the top image on the upper left of the green group of trees, that darker brown patch is where they have built the pier, so that must be the pond(?)... i am just speculating but dying to see this all finished...i know it is going to be incredible. I took these photographs this past Saturday so they are recent images. I am looking forward to the project being finished to see what it will look like when all the landscaping, trails and other features are finished. Edited October 17, 2022 by cityliving 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityliving Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) Gene. Here is a pic of that area that you mentioned, I was looking at a image that I took and when I zoomed in, I saw that pier also, perhaps the master plan shows if this will be a pond? Edited October 17, 2022 by cityliving 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 "what is this? a pier for ants!!!???" 🤪 man i can barely tell in that photo that the pier is shown haha!!! thank you again for posting amazing photos!!! 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.