Texas highways more clogged, more costly

[Slick Vik]

Texas highways more clogged, more costly

 

New figures reveal spikes in congestion along routes many Houstonians favor

 

Houston's boom times are worsening the area's notorious bumper-to-bumper traffic, new state congestion figures indicate, as the area reaps the benefits of population and job growth that's putting an added strain on local freeways.

 

"With the economic boom comes the bad stuff, and that is congestion growth," said David Schrank, a researcher for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

 

Two adjoining stretches of U.S. 59 in downtown and west Houston fared the worst regionally on an annual list of the 100-most congested freeways in the state, compiled by Texas Department of Transportation and Texas A&M Transportation Institute officials.

 

Schrank, a co-author of the report, said changes to methodology led to some spikes in average congestion along certain routes. Areas with major freeway interchanges saw average congestion estimates increase, giving planners a fuller view of the gridlock afflicting most areas of the state.

 

The additional traffic is having a pronounced effect in certain areas, Schrank said: "These areas are teetering on really, really heavy congestion for long hours of the day."

 

Stuck on U.S. 59

 

Houston's two worst freeway segments are along U.S. 59. The stretch from Interstate 10 to Texas 288 ranks second-worst in the state, with an average of 743,006 hours of delay annually, per mile. The freeway from 288 to Loop 610 West ranks third-worst, with 730,655 hours of annual delay, per mile. Only a segment of Interstate 35 in downtown Austin fares worse.

 

Along both parts of U.S. 59, the new figures show a worsening pattern. Traffic on the eastern segment increased roughly 50 percent. Intense traffic at the interchanges with I-10 and Texas 288 was largely to blame, Schrank said.

 

"When you have a really, really bad quarter-mile or half-mile, it makes the whole area much worse," he said.

 

Part of the problem is design and high demand for the freeway during many hours of the day, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said.

 

"You clearly have as much traffic going north and eastbound on 59 in the afternoon as you do in the morning," Emmett said, saying any remedy needs to consider the traffic flow.

 

Four of 10 of the worst

 

Four of the 10 worst segments in the state are in the Houston area, based on the annual vehicle delay per mile.

 

In some cases, Houston-area roads fared even worse in other categories. Three of the five worst segments in terms of the financial toll of truck congestion are along I-10 from Interstate 45 westward to the Grand Parkway.

 

The segment between I-45 and Loop 610 West is considered the worst truck segment in the state, based on the criteria used.

 

Everyone affected

 

Emmett said truck traffic in the downtown area must be addressed. Not only does it make traffic worse for commuters, the congestion affects businesses and the truckers.

 

"They get paid by the mile," Emmett said of truck drivers, "so sitting in traffic doesn't do them any good.

 

They are not the culprits, and I feel sorry for them."

 

The traffic outlook wasn't all dire. Some segments, notably along I-45, saw traffic delays decrease, mostly due to construction opening new lanes or reducing gridlock at certain intersections. Work along Loop 610 North moved away from I-45, leading to less congestion along I-45. Additional lanes along I-45 south of Houston between Loop 610 South and the Sam Houston Tollway eased congestion on that stretch, according to the state analysis.

 

Even with construction projects booming across the state, however, freeways are carrying a heavier load and leaving many drivers in longer rush hours as a result.

 

Limited space

 

"It is getting worse as every day goes by," said Billy Cooke, chairman of the Transportation Advocacy Group, Houston chapter, which lobbies for increased transportation planning and spending. "People are going to have to start leaving their homes earlier, leaving their kids earlier in the day."

 

At the same time, growth is also driving traffic farther from Houston's center, establishing new places where heavy traffic is the norm.

 

The Sam Houston Tollway, envisioned as a way to beat regional traffic, has two segments on the 100-most congested list. The tollway from U.S. 59 south of downtown to Interstate 10 on the city's west side is the 73rd most congested stretch and the most traffic-riddled tolled road in the state.

 

"The western portion of (Loop) 610 is so congested that people are going to be willing to go out on Beltway 8," Emmett said.

 

Though wider lanes are inevitable in some spots, officials concede some downtown freeways will likely always be plagued with peak-commute congestion with little hope of relief.

 

Many Houston-area freeways have limited space and widening them or adding elevated lanes is cost-prohibitive.

 

"Construction is not going to end, but it is not the end-all," Schrank said. "We just don't have the finances."

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-highways-more-clogged-more-costly-4784517.php

Edited October 9, 2013 by Slick Vik

[Subdude]

Good article. 

 

It is concerning that 59 from 288 to the West Loop is the third most congested stretch in the state, since it was largely reconstructed in the late 1990s.  Likewise that I-10 from 45 out to the Grand Parkway scores on truck congestion, since that was rebuilt and tolled less than 10 years ago.  One wonders how much room we have to continue construction to relieve congestion.  Guided vehicles can’t come soon enough.

 

 

 

 

"The western portion of (Loop) 610 is so congested that people are going to be willing to go out on Beltway 8," Emmett said.

Wasn't that part of the point of the Beltway, for traffic to divert from the Loop?  

 

 

 

Emmett said truck traffic in the downtown area must be addressed. Not only does it make traffic worse for commuters, the congestion affects businesses and the truckers.

 

It can be addressed, just not in ways that are going to keep all parties happy.  I always thought that it would be a good idea in high-traffic areas to restrict trucks or other slow, bulky, large and less-maneuverable vehicles to certain lanes.  This wouldn’t fix everything, but would at least force slow traffic to the right – a traffic management principle that seems to have been forgotten over time.  

 

 

 

"People are going to have to start leaving their homes earlier, leaving their kids earlier in the day."

 

Nice bit of tugging the ol’ heartstrings.  “But what about the children?  It’s hurting families!”

 

[IronTiger]

How about adding a parallel truck route to the north side of Interstate 610? One lane each direction, trucks only, with a breakdown lane for emergencies.

[august948]

Normally I would advocate expanding the freeways, possibly going double-decker, but maybe we should leave it alone so there'll be further impetus to move employment to the edge cities.

[brian0123]

Normally I would advocate expanding the freeways, possibly going double-decker, but maybe we should leave it alone so there'll be further impetus to move employment to the edge cities.

 

The problem isn't even employment... it's just getting around period. That said, there is only so much office space an edge city can support (especially when it's only on one major freeway). If anything, the edge cities will only be in more trouble down the road because they lack any type of streets that can handle a lot of off-freeway traffic. They'll eventually only be swallowed up and in a constant state of gridlock like FM 1960 or Pearland Pkwy already are.

 

I think the best (quick) solution to traffic would be to actually make major thoroughfares work (some almost like mini versions of Memorial). Richmond, Buffalo Speedway, Shephard, Montrose, South Main, etc. Reduce speed limits and eliminate lights (heck, even tunnel at major intersections), and add bike lanes. This would ensure a slow, safe, yet constant flow of traffic and keep bikers from slowing down traffic and out of harm's way.

 

Long term, the burbs need rail. Only problem is that the burbs are conservative... so they'll vote against their best interests and keep turning it down. They'll complain about traffic and move further out... eventually turning Hempstead into the next Jersey Village.

[IronTiger]

Long term, the burbs need rail. Only problem is that the burbs are conservative... so they'll vote against their best interests and keep turning it down. They'll complain about traffic and move further out... eventually turning Hempstead into the next Jersey Village.

Dallas managed to force rail despite conservative suburbs, but then everybody will be stuck with higher taxes and low ridership. That said, since so many rail-reliant businesses for the Hempstead Tollway construction will be destroyed, it would make sense to add commuter rail on that stretch and make it the priority.

Edited October 10, 2013 by IronTiger

[KinkaidAlum]

Man, what a shocker that adding freeway lanes didn't solve traffic problems forever!  (sarcasm alert)

 

 

[brian0123]

To elaborate more on my point earlier, why can't the city do more things like South Main @ Holcombe?

 

https://maps.google.com/?ll=29.707126,-95.404424&spn=0.001037,0.001055&t=h°=270&z=20&layer=c&cbll=29.707126,-95.404424&panoid=sqJkY38dbDl_fvE2RqFtBw&cbp=12,217.45,,0,5.87

 

If the city would make S Main have no stoplights all the way to 610, that would solve a TON of traffic problems for the Medical Center. Same could be done for other roads w/out much of an impact to the existing ROW's.

[august948]

The problem isn't even employment... it's just getting around period. That said, there is only so much office space an edge city can support (especially when it's only on one major freeway). If anything, the edge cities will only be in more trouble down the road because they lack any type of streets that can handle a lot of off-freeway traffic. They'll eventually only be swallowed up and in a constant state of gridlock like FM 1960 or Pearland Pkwy already are.

The problem is employment. Specifically the in rush and out rush of employees during the work week. Moving employment away from the center, to the extent possible, would relieve the primary source of congestion. If anything, there's more room to manuver on the edges of the metro area with regards building new infrastructure.

[livincinco]

Man, what a shocker that adding freeway lanes didn't solve traffic problems forever!  (sarcasm alert)

 

Do you think that maybe it has something to do with adding 2 million people over the last 20 years?

[Slick Vik]

The problem is employment. Specifically the in rush and out rush of employees during the work week. Moving employment away from the center, to the extent possible, would relieve the primary source of congestion. If anything, there's more room to manuver on the edges of the metro area with regards building new infrastructure.

You don't like downtown, we get it.

[Slick Vik]

Dallas managed to force rail despite conservative suburbs, but then everybody will be stuck with higher taxes and low ridership. That said, since so many rail-reliant businesses for the Hempstead Tollway construction will be destroyed, it would make sense to add commuter rail on that stretch and make it the priority.

Force? Didn't cities have the right to vote into DART? It's ridership is low because it's just an in and out system on abandoned right of way. And once you get in the city there's no good way to get around. If Houston's light rail is built and commuter rail feeds into it the situation would be totally different.

Do you think that maybe it has something to do with adding 2 million people over the last 20 years?

And millions more are coming. There has to be investment in alternative modes of transportation.

[livincinco]

And millions more are coming.

 

It's interesting to see how the market is adjusting to this though.  There's definitely an increase in residential that's happening inside the loop, but the majority of the new office construction is happening on the periphery.  Brian0123 pointed out that there's only so much office space that an edge city can support, but multiple edge cities can support a lot of office space.

 

The last numbers that I saw showed that downtown provides 6% of the jobs in the metro area.  Based on all the construction going on, I'm going to guess that number is going down.

[august948]

You don't like downtown, we get it.

There's nothing wrong with a vibrant downtown, but it's just one part of a much larger and diverse metro area. We shouldn't subordinate the needs of the vast majority of residents of the metro area to the idea that everything revolves around downtown. Or the loop, for that matter.

[august948]

It's interesting to see how the market is adjusting to this though. There's definitely an increase in residential that's happening inside the loop, but the majority of the new office construction is happening on the periphery. Brian0123 pointed out that there's only so much office space that an edge city can support, but multiple edge cities can support a lot of office space.

The last numbers that I saw showed that downtown provides 6% of the jobs in the metro area. Based on all the construction going on, I'm going to guess that number is going down.

Exactly, and perhaps, in an ideal world, downtown and inside the loop would become a primarily residential and recreational area (museums, parks, theaters, etc) while large employment centers move to the edge.

[IronTiger]

And once you get in the city there's no good way to get around.

 

There you go. The problem with mass transit, ladies and gentlemen.

 

 

 

In all fairness, though, the last time I went to Dallas (about 7 years ago?), there were walkways above, below, and surface-side to take people around downtown.

[KinkaidAlum]

Do you think that maybe it has something to do with adding 2 million people over the last 20 years?

 

Yes.

 

Do you think that the expanded freeways allowed for developers to pave the prairie, tear down the piney woods, and stretch Southern growth deep into Brazoria County while marketing new housing with "easy" commutes to the unsuspecting newcomers? 

[august948]

Yes.

Do you think that the expanded freeways allowed for developers to pave the prairie, tear down the piney woods, and stretch Southern growth deep into Brazoria County while marketing new housing with "easy" commutes to the unsuspecting newcomers?

As opposed to not expanding the freeways and forcing developers to build smaller, denser, and more expensive accomodations much closer in? Put those 2 million inside the loop? Think things are congested now?

[Slick Vik]

There you go. The problem with mass transit, ladies and gentlemen.

In all fairness, though, the last time I went to Dallas (about 7 years ago?), there were walkways above, below, and surface-side to take people around downtown.

There are many cities with mass transit good enough to make it easy to move around in a city. Houston isn't one of them. If it builds university and uptown lines it will be at least functional.

[august948]

There are many cities with mass transit good enough to make it easy to move around in a city. Houston isn't one of them. If it builds university and uptown lines it will be at least functional.

Houston isn't one of them because it is not a compact city. That boat sailed long ago and no amount of wishing is going to make it different. Even adding those two lines isn't going make a significant difference for the vast majority of metro residents.

[Subdude]

To elaborate more on my point earlier, why can't the city do more things like South Main @ Holcombe?

 

https://maps.google.com/?ll=29.707126,-95.404424&spn=0.001037,0.001055&t=h&deg=270&z=20&layer=c&cbll=29.707126,-95.404424&panoid=sqJkY38dbDl_fvE2RqFtBw&cbp=12,217.45,,0,5.87

 

If the city would make S Main have no stoplights all the way to 610, that would solve a TON of traffic problems for the Medical Center. Same could be done for other roads w/out much of an impact to the existing ROW's.

 

Although the opportunities to do so may be limited, you are right.  The city should look for' cheap and cheerful' solutions that maximize the use of the infrastructure we already have.  

1.  As the quote says, 'mini-freeways' where feasible on larger streets

2.  The city should insist that new streets be laid out in a grid pattern.  Grids are remarkably effective at dispersing traffic through a dense area (witness downtown).

3.  Consider designated mandatory truck/slow vehicle lanes.

4.  Use congestion pricing on toll roads.  

 

I don't know, but I worry that continuing to build freeway capacity is a chump's game in the long run.

[Slick Vik]

Although the opportunities to do so may be limited, you are right.  The city should look for' cheap and cheerful' solutions that maximize the use of the infrastructure we already have.  

1.  As the quote says, 'mini-freeways' where feasible on larger streets

2.  The city should insist that new streets be laid out in a grid pattern.  Grids are remarkably effective at dispersing traffic through a dense area (witness downtown).

3.  Consider designated mandatory truck/slow vehicle lanes.

4.  Use congestion pricing on toll roads.  

 

I don't know, but I worry that continuing to build freeway capacity is a chump's game in the long run.

 

Eliminating free parking is another step.

Houston isn't one of them because it is not a compact city. That boat sailed long ago and no amount of wishing is going to make it different. Even adding those two lines isn't going make a significant difference for the vast majority of metro residents.

 

Neither is Istanbul, or Madrid, or Washington DC, or pretty much every major city in the US, but they are all investing in mass transit.

[Subdude]

That one is interesting.  I've worked in a few places where free parking is effectively non-existent, and it is annoying but feasible.  Still, I think a lot of people might see it as extreme unless there were good alternatives in place.

 

 

[Slick Vik]

That one is interesting.  I've worked in a few places where free parking is effectively non-existent, and it is annoying but feasible.  Still, I think a lot of people might see it as extreme unless there were good alternatives in place.

 

Agreed. An increase of the gas tax is past due as well.

[Ross]

Eliminating free parking is another step.

 

 

 

You mean when I go to my local Kroger, or to our favorite restaurant, I ought to have to pay for parking? I don't think so. The main reason there are charges for parking in large cities around the world is to keep freeloaders from parking in the retail lots while they go to work or visit other establishments. Or, the parking is provided by a separate entity, sometimes a government, and isn't provided by the retail establishments.

[IronTiger]

Eliminating free parking is another step.

 

Um, no. Ross is right in that respect, and sometimes your "mass transit advocate" thoughts come out as "anti-automobile fascist", which is probably not your intent (as there are plenty of the former who aren't the latter).

 

Neither is Istanbul, or Madrid, or Washington DC, or pretty much every major city in the US, but they are all investing in mass transit.

I'm going to have to call BS on that, because the point was just made that Houston wasn't the same type of city of those others. Washington DC is far more compact than Houston is (and their traffic problems aren't exactly non-existent), and with Istanbul, you're comparing a city that is about 200 years old with a city that's over 2000 years old, so yeah, there's a HUGE difference! 

 

 

[august948]

Neither is Istanbul, or Madrid, or Washington DC, or pretty much every major city in the US, but they are all investing in mass transit.

 

That's a very weak argument.

 

[Slick Vik]

That's a very weak argument.

 

 

Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles, Dallas, Charlotte, Orlando, Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Portland, Sacramento, and New York all undergoing rail expansion projects. I would consider all of these major cities, like Houston. Do we see something that they don't? Or are we just kicking the problem down the road, which we have done for the last 30 years? I think the latter.

[Slick Vik]

Um, no. Ross is right in that respect, and sometimes your "mass transit advocate" thoughts come out as "anti-automobile fascist", which is probably not your intent (as there are plenty of the former who aren't the latter).

 

 

 

I'm going to have to call BS on that, because the point was just made that Houston wasn't the same type of city of those others. Washington DC is far more compact than Houston is (and their traffic problems aren't exactly non-existent), and with Istanbul, you're comparing a city that is about 200 years old with a city that's over 2000 years old, so yeah, there's a HUGE difference! 

 

I don't think it's fascist. A part of the reason why automobiles are so favored is because the system is set up for them to be a favorable mode of transport. However, if clearing congestion is to be applied seriously, adding tolls, increasing the gas tax, and eliminating free parking would be immediate steps that would make people think twice about driving, and clear up the roads for those willing to pay.

 

Also, Orlando is pretty similar to Houston, sprawling city with terrible public transportation, but it's investing pretty heavily in a huge rail project, SunRail. Phoenix is expanding on its light rail as well.

[IronTiger]

A part of the reason why automobiles are so favored is because the system is set up for them to be a favorable mode of transport. However, if clearing congestion is to be applied seriously, adding tolls, increasing the gas tax, and eliminating free parking would be immediate steps that would make people think twice about driving, and clear up the roads for those willing to pay.

 

Yes. Driving should be only for the wealthy. Don't want the common folk cluttering up the road, do we now? [/sarcasm]

 

 

 

Also, Orlando is pretty similar to Houston, sprawling city with terrible public transportation, but it's investing pretty heavily in a huge rail project, SunRail. Phoenix is expanding on its light rail as well.

 

Never said that Houston doesn't need commuter rail or more light rail lines. A large part of why there's no commuter rail paralleling 290 is not so much conservative boogeymen but rather the fact that UP has priority for freight use and other bureaucratic issues. 

Edited October 11, 2013 by IronTiger