Converting North And South Braeswood Boulevards Into One

[DaTrain]

This thread was inspired by a thread about having a Braes Tollway created by ex-HAIFER Plastic, only on a more mature imagination. I would like to see Braeswood Blvd, North and South, go from two separate two-way four way streets into one six lane street, with three lanes in each direction from the 610/Post Oak Y intersection to where North and South Brayswoods come together as a four lane artery before you hit Fondren. The very thought of having two four lane streets separated by the Braes Bayou makes no sense to me. It may not be fair to those who use either one pending direction to head home that they would have to go all the way around, but I would like to see North Braeswood go all westbound and South Braeswood go all eastbound. I'd recommend three lanes in each direction as opposed to four is because the far inside lane on the other side of the median can be used as a parking lane for people who want to walk the Brays Bayou trail. And Houston has a sick obsession with concrete as is, so I'd just leave the medians there as is and use the third lane on the other side of the median for a carpool lane for cars (like a street HOV) and buses (namely the METRO route 68 Brays Bayou Crosstown bus). The original lanes in the same direction would do just fine for regular cars. I'm not sure about traffic volumes but could it work?

[musicman]

no it wouldn't work. construction was done based on the current road configuration. there are numerous homes that face n/s braeswood and require these roads for access.

[ricco67]

no it wouldn't work. construction was done based on the current road configuration. there are numerous homes that face n/s braeswood and require these roads for access.

Oh? Like some of the homes on the from 4700-5000 Bellaire (Between 610-and S. Rice)? Those homes are seperated by a WIDE median that basically turns the street they are on into a pair of one way streets. One of my clients is located on one of them and they say its a pain, but it isn't that big of a deal.

Then there is another street just off bellaire (the name escapes me) that is one way (Bellaire Court?) and people find it no big deal.

While I'm not sure the North and South Braeswood streets would work, I don't think it will be that big of a deal overall and I believe it would move along traffic fairly smoothly. The one hiccup would be over by Fondren where the streets would merge together.

[musicman]

as i understand it, his premise is to eliminate s. braeswood altogether and combine them on the north side. it would be expensive for the homes on s. braeswood to build a driveway over brays bayou to attach to the proposed north braeswood. while you might find it "no big deal," i do.

[Mister X]

Please don't mess with Braeswood. N. and S.Braeswood are two of the nicest thoroughfares we have in Houston, while I'm certain that a tollway or some reconfiguration might be more efficient and DaTrain definitely has point about Houston have too much cement, this area looks nice the way it is. I don't want anyone messin' with Allen Parkway or Memorial Dr either. There's nothing wrong with 'framing' the bayous with nice roads and park-like atmospheres. I wish Houston had more roads like these - traffic jams be damned.

I think we should spend our energy making the freeways and feeders (particularly I-45) less of an eyesore, but that's a different topic.

Edited February 27, 2008 by Mister X

[ricco67]

After drinking my coffee, I can see your point.

Initially, I thought it would be converting and moving the medians on north and south and form a 6 lane road with a segregated lane for off street parking.

I'll be SOOO glad when this insomnia works itself out.

[Justin]

I think what he meant is to make the road on one side of the bayou one way eastbound and the other side one way westbound. Basically a boulevard with a really wide, watery median.

I'm no engineer but I guess it could work if routes to get across the "median" were more plentiful.

Edited February 28, 2008 by Justin

[memebag]

I think what he meant is to make the road on one side of the bayou one way eastbound and the other side one way westbound. Basically a boulevard with a really wide, watery median.

That's how I read it, too. He also wanted to loose one lane one each side, going from the current total of 8 down to 6. It all seems like a lot of trouble just to give up lanes and make life harder for those who live on that street.

[TheNiche]

I'd be plenty happy with strategic grade seperations, placed all the way from 59 to Spur 5. Something similar to Allen Parkway. The takings required for that wouldn't actually be all that tremendous, but the improvement in regional traffic flow would be pretty immense.

Either that or widen the channel and carve express lanes into the side of the floodway (below-grade) so as to add capacity to the bayou during flood events, while at the same time reducing lane capacity along the existing roads so that they take the character of relatively narrow two-way access roads. Between the access roads and the express lanes, plant lots and lots of trees and vegetation so as to reduce traffic noise and air pollution experienced by the adjacent neighborhoods. I think that's what they ought to do for TC Jester, too.

[JLWM8609]

I hope they don't do that, it's a PIA for residents. Back in 1980 or 1981, they made North and South MacGregor one way throughofares with 3 lanes in each way from Outer Belt at Hermann Park to Ardmore St. Our driveway is on a part of the one way sections that was previously a two way. You could use to turn into the driveway going either EB or WB on S. MacGregor when it was two way, but now when you approach where the two way ends, you have to cross the bridge and go back down N. MacGregor to 288 and make a u-turn and come back down the one way section to access it, adding over a mile to the trip. After almost 30 years, it's pretty much such a regular occurance that nobody cares anymore, but I think the best option would have been to construct a bridge over Brays Bayou at W. Leland Anderson Dr. and have the one way terminate there instead of at the Ardmore bridge. It would also give traffic from the TMC facility there and interior portions of Riverside quicker access to 288 as well.