Dixie Farm Road Exit

[sootycat]

Was the Dixie Farm road exit on 45 South ever rerouted?

[JLWM8609]

The exits from the freeway to the feeder more or less stayed in the same general area. If you're talking about the actual intersection with the road, the intersection used to be a cloverleaf, then it became a rural diamond interchange. Now it's a regular TxDOT urban freeway/road interchange.

[plumber2]

I remember it being signed as "Choate Rd" for a time.

[sootycat]

Back in 1989 I came with a friend to their house in a somewhat new subdivision. We came down 45 south and I remember seeing the Dixie Farm Road exit sign when heading towards the subdivision. I wasn't driving so I didn't pay that much attention. I can't for life of me remember where that subdivision was. I like comparing the then and now. I guess I'll never know.

[torimask]

I remember it being signed as "Choate Rd" for a time.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q-WYPtDGtGU/VO95BW9EIMI/AAAAAAAA8gc/tcrAclN4a6c/s1600/84_0072.jpg

 

It was Choate Rd. from Old Galveston over 45 back to Friendswood until 1984 (the name officially was changed in 1982 but it took them two years to get the signage swapped. Link above to the .jpg of an article from the South Belt Leader.

 

When Choate Rd. was new, from 1976: http://southbelthouston.blogspot.com/2014/03/both-roads-should-only-be-use-during.html

Edited August 10, 2015 by torimask

[sootycat]

So is the picture of the road with the cow on it heading east or west? No matter the direction, I'm amazed at how rural it was.

Do you know what year it was torimask?

Edited August 10, 2015 by sootycat

[mollusk]

The picture with the cow bull is west of the Gulf Freeway.

[IronTiger]

The exits from the freeway to the feeder more or less stayed in the same general area. If you're talking about the actual intersection with the road, the intersection used to be a cloverleaf, then it became a rural diamond interchange. Now it's a regular TxDOT urban freeway/road interchange.

Looks like until most recently (where it's your basic exit, stoplights at the base of the freeway, turn around lanes set up seen at almost every other freeway in Houston) it was a cloverleaf with slip ramps (so you wouldn't be merging directly on/off the freeway), and you could stay on the frontage road without dealing with the road, though in 2003* this was changed so that it was changed to traditional frontage road intersections though the pass-through frontage road still existed. The southwest "leaf" still remained, even though you could exit and then make a protected left. The change was done in conjunction with widening Dixie Farm Road. 

 

With the I-45 widening, the frontage roads that bulged out to provide access to Dixie Farm Road were recycled as two-way access roads to apartments and businesses where they could, and the stoplights were eliminated. Because of the widening, the "pass-through" frontage road was eliminated, forcing all cars to stop at the new Dixie Farm Road stoplight and go under the freeway.

 

Before the Gulf Freeway was built (or perhaps soon afterward), Choate angled north toward Old Galveston Road (which is why there's an "Old Choate Road", as the road was rerouted before the name changed). The subdivision almost due north of the interchange features a power line ROW running through it, that is (roughly) the ROW of the original Choate Road.

 

 

 

* based on aerial evidence, don't take that as absolute gospel

[plumber2]

Oh don't worry IronTiger, we never take anything as gospel in the these pages.

 

Thanks for the link torimask. I enjoyed reading the articles. It just goes to show you how politicians think they know what's good for their constituents.  I had always thought the Dixie Farm Road name was a trendy "developers" name, not named after a real farm. 

 

 

[Ross]

The only remnants of Choate Rd are the  stretch of Old Choate Rd that runs SW from Hwy 3 with a new piece that loops over to Dixie Farm Rd, and a stretch from Dixie Farm Rd to Ryewater, West of 45.

 

Back in the 30's through some time in the 50's, there was a large Humble Camp on Choate that served the Friendswood Field (now the Webster Unit) that was operated by Humble. One of my Uncles worked that field for some time, and lived with his family in that Humble Camp.

 

This is all very clear on the 1944 and 1953 Google Earth imagery, as is the huge number of barracks and other buildings at Ellington, along with a large number of airplanes.

[torimask]

So is the picture of the road with the cow on it heading east or west? No matter the direction, I'm amazed at how rural it was.

Do you know what year it was torimask?

 

It was 1975!

[plumber2]

Miss Bolen mistakenly states in her article that most of Friendswood is in Brazoria County. In reality most of Friendswood is in Galveston County, with a portion in Harris County. Easy mistake, since most people are unaware the Galveston County extends that far north.