Budgets DO make a difference

[HoustonianInColorado]

I recently made a trip to Houston and then on to Tulsa before returning home. As much as I love both cities, Houston has the edge on freeway beauty.

Photos ©2006, Randy L. Kendrick

[ssullivan]

Well, it's not really a city thing - it's more the state having a bigger budget for freeway construction.

In any case, you are correct. And not only do our freeways look better, they are better constructed in many ways. The pavement on many of Tulsa's freeways is absolutely horrible, especially the freeway that runs by the airport.

[HoustonianInColorado]

Well, it's not really a city thing - it's more the state having a bigger budget for freeway construction.

In any case, you are correct. And not only do our freeways look better, they are better constructed in many ways. The pavement on many of Tulsa's freeways is absolutely horrible, especially the freeway that runs by the airport.

Yes, and I somewhat did this picture as a joke. I found it interesting that the graffiti artist in Tulsa actually made a pretty good shape of Oklahoma with a star where Tulsa goes. Of course, there are some pretty sad places in Houston too.

While I was in Tulsa last, they were talking about rebuilding Skelly Drive (I-44) from the Arkansas River east, including....one way feeders, Texas-style.

[TheNiche]

Are you sure that that is a picture of a Houston freeway. Granted, I don't make a habit of visiting the area, but the last time I was in Sugar Land, I could have sworn that I noticed that the Southwest Freeway within the city limits was being improved above the typical level of freeway quality in the Houston area. It was the boxy pillars that really drew my attention. And that's just the kind of expenditure that I'd expect the City of Sugar Land to make.

[HoustonianInColorado]

Are you sure that that is a picture of a Houston freeway. Granted, I don't make a habit of visiting the area, but the last time I was in Sugar Land, I could have sworn that I noticed that the Southwest Freeway within the city limits was being improved above the typical level of freeway quality in the Houston area. It was the boxy pillars that really drew my attention. And that's just the kind of expenditure that I'd expect the City of Sugar Land to make.

Yeah, but it worked for the joke!

That was actually either in Sugar Land or Stafford. I think it is SW Fwy at Airport or thereabouts.

I was really impressed also with the West Loop redo in Bellaire, but didn't get any photos of that. Brick and all...very impressive...but I am sure, very expensive.

[Jeebus]

HIC, I got your joke and thought it was funny.

[HoustonianInColorado]

HIC, I got your joke and thought it was funny.

Thank you Jeebus!

[TheNiche]

Yeah, but it worked for the joke!

That was actually either in Sugar Land or Stafford. I think it is SW Fwy at Airport or thereabouts.

I was really impressed also with the West Loop redo in Bellaire, but didn't get any photos of that. Brick and all...very impressive...but I am sure, very expensive.

Still in a wealthy non-Houston city...

...and to all my detractors (Jeebus), I did get the joke, but I'm extremely anal about nearly all material (including jokes) that hasn't been cooked up by me.

[ConstructionManagerMAS]

I think that picture is in Stafford. Still a TXDOT project, but I wonder if anyone else contributed funds.

What you don't see is the extensive landscaping and hardscaping under the overpass. More Pavestone retaining walls with crushed rock infill than I've seen anywhere else. Makes you wonder if they could have spent the money on a place where people could have actually seen it, rather than driving by at 40 mph because you missed your exit and had to make a U-turn under the freeway.

[dbigtex56]

I think that picture is in Stafford. Still a TXDOT project, but I wonder if anyone else contributed funds.

What you don't see is the extensive landscaping and hardscaping under the overpass. More Pavestone retaining walls with crushed rock infill than I've seen anywhere else. Makes you wonder if they could have spent the money on a place where people could have actually seen it, rather than driving by at 40 mph because you missed your exit and had to make a U-turn under the freeway.

Sorry for dragging politics into it, but is this in Tom DeLay's district?

Maybe that's why his constituents loved him so much - purdy freeway exchanges, bought with federal funding.

[Perimeter285]

Yeah, there are some good examples of freeway aesthetics in the Houston area (59 through Sugar Land, 610 though Bellaire, 59 through Montrose) but we also have some of the ugliest freeways on the planet. Just think about 45 North in the vicinity of "Mattress Mack", 45 south of downtown, 10 East, and countless others that are sterile at best. The mega-tall lights, roller coaster humps and, above all, feeder roads lined with ugly strip malls. Houston's freeways are the reason people think Houston is so ugly, which is why I tell people, "Don't judge Houston until you get off the freeway."

[editor]

Yeah, there are some good examples of freeway aesthetics in the Houston area (59 through Sugar Land, 610 though Bellaire, 59 through Montrose) but we also have some of the ugliest freeways on the planet. Just think about 45 North in the vicinity of "Mattress Mack", 45 south of downtown, 10 East, and countless others that are sterile at best. The mega-tall lights, roller coaster humps and, above all, feeder roads lined with ugly strip malls. Houston's freeways are the reason people think Houston is so ugly, which is why I tell people, "Don't judge Houston until you get off the freeway."

I think the mega-tall light standards are O.K. I'd rather have one of them instead of dozens of even hundreds of smaller cluttering light poles, like you see in older cities.

As for the humps, yeah, they suck. I think that's one of the reasons traffic is so bad. People slow down because they don't know what's over the hill -- is it clear, or is traffic at a standstill? It only makes sense to proceed with caution when you can't see the road ahead.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

I think the mega-tall light standards are O.K. I'd rather have one of them instead of dozens of even hundreds of smaller cluttering light poles, like you see in older cities.

As for the humps, yeah, they suck. I think that's one of the reasons traffic is so bad. People slow down because they don't know what's over the hill -- is it clear, or is traffic at a standstill? It only makes sense to proceed with caution when you can't see the road ahead.

I have never experienced that when driving over "humps" when there isnt fog or something else slowing/stalling traffic. I think the wrecks help to stall and slow traffic more than the humps....people slow to look at the wrecks You do have a good point...never seen it in that light before...........

[Perimeter285]

Yes, the humps do slow traffic. How else do you explain a long backup miraculously starting to move as soon as you get over a hump, even with no wrecks, stalls, etc. Things would be a lot better if the surface streets went over the freeway instead of the other way around, for a number of reasons.

[HoustonianInColorado]

I don't know if it is still bad, but the Westpark curve on the SW Fwy used to be a notorious slowdown, and often for no good reason at all.

As an aside, I used to to traffic reports on Houston radio stations, and that was an everyday occurrence.

[MiDTOWNeR]

Yeah, there are some good examples of freeway aesthetics in the Houston area (59 through Sugar Land, 610 though Bellaire, 59 through Montrose) but we also have some of the ugliest freeways on the planet. Just think about 45 North in the vicinity of "Mattress Mack", 45 south of downtown, 10 East, and countless others that are sterile at best. The mega-tall lights, roller coaster humps and, above all, feeder roads lined with ugly strip malls. Houston's freeways are the reason people think Houston is so ugly, which is why I tell people, "Don't judge Houston until you get off the freeway."

Of course...Then one drives down FM 1960 between 45 and beyond 249 and VOILA, it's still UGLY!!!! WOOHOO!!!

[XLR8]

Those super tall tower lights are very cool and very Houston like our feeders. I love being able to see my next freeway destination way over on the horizon by the trail of tower lights.

From my understanding and travel, you won't find them much anywhere else in the U.S.

Dallas is probably jealous we have them. Wait till they try to one up us with even taller ones in their city.