Main And Fannin Street Underpasses At Holcombe Blvd.

[Highrise Tower]

Found something very cool this weekend. I never knew this existed even walking past it 500 times.

Do other underpasses/bridges/etc have plaques as well? I see the number 731 next to the sign. I'd assume it stands for sign number 731.

City of Houston
Main and Fannin Street Underpasses at Holcombe Blvd.
Lewis Cutrer, Mayor
1962
Brown & Root, Engineer

Here's the underpass. Notice the Gus S. And Lyndall F. Wortham Park on the right. Former site of the Shamrock Hotel.

 

[Ross]

1 hour ago, Highrise Tower said:

Found something very cool this weekend. I never knew this existed even walking past it 500 times.

Do other underpasses/bridges/etc have plaques as well? I see the number 731 next to the sign. I'd assume it stands for sign number 731.

City of Houston
Main and Fannin Street Underpasses at Holcombe Blvd.
Lewis Cutrer, Mayor
1962
Brown & Root, Engineer

Here's the underpass. Notice the Gus S. And Lyndall F. Wortham Park on the right. Former site of the Shamrock Hotel.

 

Those plaques used to be everywhere. Unfortunately, they seem to get demolished when the item is rebuilt. I've always thought there should be a museum for them.

[MaxConcrete]

Seeing that plaque makes me realize that the City of Houston seems to have abandoned the idea of street intersection grade separations after 1962. I can't think of any strict street-to-street separations financed by CoH since then. (I can think of at least 3 involving railroads: South Post Oak at US 90A (circa 1984), Buffalo Speedway at Holmes (recent) and Westpark near Weslayan (circa 1980s).)

The only recent strict street intersection grade separations I can think of is FM 1960 at Kuykendahl, which was a TxDOT project. Bellfort at Holmes and Almeda was paid for by TxDOT, and also involves a railroad. There's an overpass being built at FM 1960 and West Lake Houston Parkway, which is also a TxDOT project.

In the 1970s I remember hearing about plans for a grade separation at Westheimer and Hillcroft/Voss. Of course that never happened. More recently I remember seeing a project listing for a separation at Wesheimer and Gessner. I'll be surprised if that actually happens.

[JLWM8609]

On 3/17/2024 at 6:48 PM, Ross said:

Those plaques used to be everywhere. Unfortunately, they seem to get demolished when the item is rebuilt. I've always thought there should be a museum for them.

When the original 1960 Ardmore St. Bridge over Brays Bayou was demolished in 2018, the contractor told me that the plaque would be removed and preserved by Harris County. I'm not sure if the City of Houston does the same thing. I think some plaques also fell victim to vehicle accidents or scrap metal thieves. 

 

23 hours ago, MaxConcrete said:

Seeing that plaque makes me realize that the City of Houston seems to have abandoned the idea of street intersection grade separations after 1962. I can't think of any strict street-to-street separations financed by CoH since then.

The Waugh/Allen Parkway Street to Street separation was constructed around 1980 and the Studemont/Allen Parkway separation was constructed in 1967.

[IWantTransit555]

That underpass needs pressure washing badly!

[editor]

On 3/17/2024 at 5:19 PM, Highrise Tower said:

Do other underpasses/bridges/etc have plaques as well? I see the number 731 next to the sign. I'd assume it stands for sign number 731.

 

Yes.  

I'm not sure how you'd get a picture of it, other than being stuck in polo club traffic, but I saw two on Memorial Drive recently.  They're on the supports for the Woodway Drive bridge over Memorial.  Here's the Apple Maps versions: