18-lane highway going up in Houston

cheesy bob · January 20th, 2007, 04:40 AM

Wow that's just pure insanity

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070119/...vironment_dc_3

***Xusein*** · January 20th, 2007, 04:42 AM

18 lanes? Damn...

And I though the 8 lane highways here were wide enough...

At least the asphalt industry will be happy...

ajoutz · January 20th, 2007, 04:42 AM

Thats rediculous

Jim856796 · January 20th, 2007, 04:48 AM

I don't know why Houston wants to build an 18-lane highway, but I sure don't want it built. I thought only 10 lanes were wide enough for an expressway in Houston.

NaptownBoy · January 20th, 2007, 05:42 AM

Thanks GM for fucking us over...again

DonQui · January 20th, 2007, 05:45 AM

God Bless Texas. They'll be lickin' dem wounds when oil hits $100. Then they are going to start putting them train thingies that we got in the pinkocommie homosexual coasts, but will be about a few decades behind.

jmancuso · January 20th, 2007, 05:54 AM

this is old news. old.

the katy freeway has been in the process of being widened for the past year or so. but it needs it because traffic grinds to a halt around rush hour. i would rather have the state/ city divert the billions to a commuter rail but this is houston.

FK · January 20th, 2007, 06:01 AM

Good lord !

18 Lanes

chicagogeorge · January 20th, 2007, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmancuso

th i would rather have the state/ city divert the billions to a commuter rail but this is houston.

No, this is America, (although this does take the cake). I would say 90% of the time you here of highway expansion in American cities/metros, only 10% of the time you ever here of funds being given for mass transit. Even in mass transit heavy cities, I am willing to bet that overall, more tax dollars goes towards highway expansion than mass transit upgrades. I know this is the case for Chicago....

When will this sprawl mentality cease

brewcityfan · January 20th, 2007, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagogeorge

No, this is America, (although this does take the cake). I would say 90% of the time you here of highway expansion in American cities/metros, only 10% of the time you ever here of funds being given for mass transit. Even in mass transit heavy cities, I am willing to bet that overall, more tax dollars goes towards highway expansion than mass transit upgrades. I know this is the case for Chicago....

When will this sprawl mentality cease

Well hell when you're on the Edens or Kennedy in Chicagoland you almost grind to a halt too....but I wouldn't ask for 18 lanes to the Loop! Although I think the Dan Ryan in Chicago is expanding to around that size *if you include both local AND express lanes on each side*

***Bond James Bond*** · January 20th, 2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaptownBoy

Thanks GM for fucking us over...again

No, blame Toyota!

Sabretooth · January 20th, 2007, 12:13 PM

No, blame Americans.

edsg25 · January 20th, 2007, 12:30 PM

Let's see. If 4 lanes begot 8 lanes and 8 lanes are beggeting 18 lanes, doesn't it seem logical at some future time that18 lanes will beggeteth 36 lanes?

Wouldn't it be easier to pave the whole damn place over and skip any lane division at all? I mean, if a city has no zoning laws, why does it need lane restrictions on its freeways?

***xzmattzx*** · January 20th, 2007, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edsg25

Let's see. If 4 lanes begot 8 lanes and 8 lanes are beggeting 18 lanes, doesn't it seem logical at some future time that18 lanes will beggeteth 36 lanes?

Wouldn't it be easier to pave the whole damn place over and skip any lane division at all? I mean, if a city has no zoning laws, why does it need lane restrictions on its freeways?

4x2=8
8x2=16, not 18

chicagogeorge · January 20th, 2007, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewcityfan

Well hell when you're on the Edens or Kennedy in Chicagoland you almost grind to a halt too....but I wouldn't ask for 18 lanes to the Loop! Although I think the Dan Ryan in Chicago is expanding to around that size *if you include both local AND express lanes on each side*

This is why I choose to take the L as often as I can.

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

***I-275westcoastfl*** · January 20th, 2007, 04:35 PM

Quote:

from the article "expanding 23 miles of Interstate-10 in west Houston to as wide as 18 lanes in some stretches of the city's main east-west road."

The thread title is misleading and the article just bashes Houston the whole time. Like many highway systems in america it needs expansion to accomidate growth and the 18 lanes part is probably an interchange or something.

urbanaturalist · January 20th, 2007, 04:42 PM

I've said it like a half a dozen time up here on SSC. My lil belief, maybe even seen as crazy, moronic, too expensive, too futuristic and impractical in SOME if not a LOT of circles...............is the need to DECK the highways, whether its UNDERNEATH or ABOVE a specific stretch of urban highway/interstate, particularly in large cities like Houston.

WHY??

1) You save land, homes, and business from destruction
2) You can charge a toll for drivers to pay for an infrastructure project of that scope and future maintenance and security
3) B/se like people have noted before, how many lanes will Houston and other cities come with next.......36?.....stop at 40? 44?

Article that talks about "congestion" tunnels in cities across the world. However, I will admit I didn't see anything about actually putting a highway underneath an existing one. I'm pretty sure it could be done if the WILL was there
http://www.reason.org/ps264.html

Unionstation13 · January 20th, 2007, 04:47 PM

18 lanes? Wow, they must really depend on cars, what shall they do when oil runs out? That will suck.

kcmetro · January 20th, 2007, 06:25 PM

Only in Texas would this kind of b.s. be allowed to happen. Well, LA and ATL too.

I guess everything is just bigger in TX.....or more foolish.

EtherealMist · January 20th, 2007, 07:26 PM

18 lanes, that is pretty ridiculous. For some crazy reason I thought America wasnt about this type of projects like it used to be.

"You can simply get to your destination quicker and better in a car," Bob Lanier, a former Houston mayor, said. If you can get there faster in a car, you are not going to take a train."

I guess that pretty much sums it up. Its easy to say "BUILD MORE MASS TRAnSIT!" but when your sprawling metroplitan area like Houston, trains aren't that practical really.

January 20th, 2007, 04:40 AM	#1
cheesy bob Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PHX Posts: 120 Likes (Received): 0	18-lane highway going up in Houston Wow that's just pure insanity http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070119/...vironment_dc_3

January 20th, 2007, 04:42 AM	#2
*Xusein* Somali Mod Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kingdom Come Posts: 24,579 Likes (Received): 447	18 lanes? Damn... And I though the 8 lane highways here were wide enough... At least the asphalt industry will be happy... __________________ SkyscraperCity SOOMAALIYA

January 20th, 2007, 12:13 PM	#12
Sabretooth Proud Paultard Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Buffalo, PRNY Posts: 4,018 Likes (Received): 0	No, blame Americans. __________________ www.primarychallenge.org - If it ain't broke...it's not New York. www.CampaignforLiberty.com - 1776 > 1984. Truth is treason in an empire of lies.

January 20th, 2007, 04:47 PM	#18
Unionstation13 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Indianapolis/Lafayette Posts: 3,493 Likes (Received): 1	18 lanes? Wow, they must really depend on cars, what shall they do when oil runs out? That will suck. __________________ Peter- "Geesh, Meg is in there taking a nap under water!".

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January 20th, 2007, 04:42 AM	#3
ajoutz Bal-Wash Metro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: North Bethesda - College Park, MD Posts: 429 Likes (Received): 0	Thats rediculous

January 20th, 2007, 04:48 AM	#4
Jim856796 The Q&A Guy Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Citizen of the World Posts: 6,750 Likes (Received): 8	I don't know why Houston wants to build an 18-lane highway, but I sure don't want it built. I thought only 10 lanes were wide enough for an expressway in Houston.

January 20th, 2007, 05:42 AM	#5
NaptownBoy 1981 Civic Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 2,998 Likes (Received): 0	Thanks GM for fucking us over...again

January 20th, 2007, 05:45 AM	#6
DonQui BANNED Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: The Free City-State of New York Posts: 6,208 Likes (Received): 0	God Bless Texas. They'll be lickin' dem wounds when oil hits $100. Then they are going to start putting them train thingies that we got in the pinkocommie homosexual coasts, but will be about a few decades behind.

January 20th, 2007, 05:54 AM	#7
jmancuso make it so... Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Houston Posts: 6,875 Likes (Received): 20	this is old news. old. the katy freeway has been in the process of being widened for the past year or so. but it needs it because traffic grinds to a halt around rush hour. i would rather have the state/ city divert the billions to a commuter rail but this is houston.

January 20th, 2007, 06:01 AM	#8
FK Retired Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 11,912 Likes (Received): 262	Good lord ! 18 Lanes

January 20th, 2007, 12:30 PM	#13
edsg25 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 9,399 Likes (Received): 0	Let's see. If 4 lanes begot 8 lanes and 8 lanes are beggeting 18 lanes, doesn't it seem logical at some future time that18 lanes will beggeteth 36 lanes? Wouldn't it be easier to pave the whole damn place over and skip any lane division at all? I mean, if a city has no zoning laws, why does it need lane restrictions on its freeways?

January 20th, 2007, 04:42 PM	#17
urbanaturalist Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 514 Likes (Received): 2	I've said it like a half a dozen time up here on SSC. My lil belief, maybe even seen as crazy, moronic, too expensive, too futuristic and impractical in SOME if not a LOT of circles...............is the need to DECK the highways, whether its UNDERNEATH or ABOVE a specific stretch of urban highway/interstate, particularly in large cities like Houston. WHY?? 1) You save land, homes, and business from destruction 2) You can charge a toll for drivers to pay for an infrastructure project of that scope and future maintenance and security 3) B/se like people have noted before, how many lanes will Houston and other cities come with next.......36?.....stop at 40? 44? Article that talks about "congestion" tunnels in cities across the world. However, I will admit I didn't see anything about actually putting a highway underneath an existing one. I'm pretty sure it could be done if the WILL was there http://www.reason.org/ps264.html

January 20th, 2007, 06:25 PM	#19
kcmetro BANNED Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kansas City Posts: 917 Likes (Received): 0	Only in Texas would this kind of b.s. be allowed to happen. Well, LA and ATL too. I guess everything is just bigger in TX.....or more foolish.

January 20th, 2007, 07:26 PM	#20
EtherealMist The World Is Yours Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Boston / Northern NJ Posts: 1,206 Likes (Received): 0	18 lanes, that is pretty ridiculous. For some crazy reason I thought America wasnt about this type of projects like it used to be. "You can simply get to your destination quicker and better in a car," Bob Lanier, a former Houston mayor, said. If you can get there faster in a car, you are not going to take a train." I guess that pretty much sums it up. Its easy to say "BUILD MORE MASS TRAnSIT!" but when your sprawling metroplitan area like Houston, trains aren't that practical really.