Quote:
Originally Posted by Trae
Right like what will those Midtown residents ever do with a brand new large linear park connecting them with downtown. And those Woodland Heights/Near Northside residents must hate the fact the city wants to build a new deck park over the freeway for them connecting their neighborhoods together. I bet they hope the city doesn't put something crazy like a dog park on that deck park. Who needs that? And I bet everyone who takes 45N to catch a flight wishes TxDot keeps those sharp curves, terrible sight-lines, and skinny lanes on the freeway. Maybe even repaint to put the far left lane even closer to the HOV concrete barrier. The margin for error is already half an inch there, why not make it half a centimeter?
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I just don't share your enthusiasm about having more and wider freeways. Maybe I am just cynical after experiencing 30+ years of Houston and TxDOT freeway design and construction. Nothing wrong with fixing issues (I think TxDOT has made horrendous designs in the past, like the "disappearing" lanes on 45N that require frequent lane changes), but the continuous state of construction (and re-construction, and re-construction again...) on Houston freeways, I feel, can arguably be responsible for more disruption and issues for Houston drivers than undersized road design alone. With stability, at least drivers and residents can adapt, either by finding alternate routes, or changing their place or work or residence. Or, crazy as it sounds for Houston, seek alternate forms of transportation (I'm so old I remember when only buses and vans (and later 3+ carpools) were allowed on the HOV or "contraflow" lanes).
I also have little confidence in TxDOT road designers doing a better job in the future.