AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[freerover]

Phase 1 of 183 South is opening today (NB) and tomorrow (SB & Loyola Overpass).

[zrx299]

Why can't Texas build normal interstates without the giant waste-of-space parallel feeder roads, like they do in 49 other states?

What an enormous waste of money, land, and materials, made worse by tolls.

[enragedcamel]

I moved to Texas from California and I really appreciate feeder lanes, actually.

[zrx299]

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

I moved to Texas from California and I really appreciate feeder lanes, actually.

They are dangerous with all the people darting on/off the main lanes, duplicative, land-greedy, and wholly unnecessary in my opinion.

Designing highways that are an 1/8 of a mile wide is not progressive thinking. It's being stuck in the 1960's.

[sammyk]

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

I moved to Texas from California and I really appreciate feeder lanes, actually.

I moved here from NJ and love them as well.

Originally Posted by zrx299

They are dangerous with all the people darting on/off the main lanes, duplicative, land-greedy, and wholly unnecessary in my opinion.

Designing highways that are an 1/8 of a mile wide is not progressive thinking. It's being stuck in the 1960's.

It sure beats people darting in and out of shopping centers right on to the main lanes. Feeder roads make for a nice buffer.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by zrx299

Why can't Texas build normal interstates without the giant waste-of-space parallel feeder roads, like they do in 49 other states?

What an enormous waste of money, land, and materials, made worse by tolls.

Are feeder roads not a thing in other states? How are people supposed pull into and out of businesses along the interstate?

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Are feeder roads not a thing in other states? How are people supposed pull into and out of businesses along the interstate?

They are unique to Texas on the scale that TxDOT uses them. If they didn't exist the highway would be like Mopac or SH130 with no businesses to pull out from.

I've lived in Michigan and Minnesota, and I really like them to. I'm all for keeping local traffic off the main lanes. But I agree that they promote sprawl outside of city centers.

[cvillehorn]

Big news happening on 360



https://communityimpact.com/austin/n...thwest-austin/

[Echostatic]

So glad TXDOT is finally making 360 a freeway. Taken long enough really.

[zrx299]

It would be better if they took out the median and shrunk the overall footprint instead of encroaching on the cliffs.
Too bad they couldn't just sink the main highway and use shorter overpasses but Bull creek obviously prevents that in this area.

[zrx299]

Originally Posted by The ATX

They are unique to Texas on the scale that TxDOT uses them. If they didn't exist the highway would be like Mopac or SH130 with no businesses to pull out from.

I've lived in Michigan and Minnesota, and I really like them to. I'm all for keeping local traffic off the main lanes. But I agree that they promote sprawl outside of city centers.

My biggest gripe with them is that they are land greedy and add to induced demand. Highways already bisect neighborhoods enough as it is. Doubling their size unnecessarily only exacerbates that in my opinion.

Interstates are supposed to be limited-access by design. The only places feeder roads make sense is actual inner cities from when the original Interstate plans were implemented and existing streets needed to be retrofitted.

TxDOT's continued fascination with them is a wildly outdated design concept that doubles costs, materials, and RoW acquisition. It's damn near 2020 now, surely we can implement a much more progressive strategy that still deals with traffic effectively.

A big part of this is the simple fact that people who choose to live in far flung areas, far away from their job, are just going to have to suck it up and deal with the traffic that THEY create.
There's no such thing on this planet as a city with both a thriving economy AND no traffic.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by zrx299

A big part of this is the simple fact that people who choose to live in far flung areas, far away from their job, are just going to have to suck it up and deal with the traffic that THEY create.
There's no such this on this planet as a city with both a thriving economy AND no traffic.

I've had this conversation a hundred times with commuters, I've never won. Excuse after excuse why they can't live close to their work....most are just bs. They believe they should be able to live where they can get a huge house for cheap, and that they should not have to sit in traffic, and I have yet to hear ONE person take any responsibility that they ARE the traffic...they ARE the problem. I don't care where you want to live, good for you, but don't I don't feel sorry for you...not one bit. We all make our beds.

I've never commuted, cuz I hate wasting time in my car. I could live in a much bigger home, on 10 acres if I wanted to drive an hour each way. I pay more and get less for housing, but I don't bitch...it's my decision.

American's are brats sometimes. They want it all, they want it cheap, and they want it now.

I've stopped arguing with people about it....it's pointless.....I just listen and nod along with them..."geez that must suck"

[drummer]

Re: feeder roads - Thailand has them in many places, mostly suburban in nature (not downtown Bangkok, for instance). China has them in the suburbs of many cities, but they're few and far between. Other SE Asian countries as well.

Not an argument for or against, but it's been interesting to see those in some other places outside of Texas and even the U.S. over the years.

[We vs us]

C'mon now. Not all commuters actively like or want the commuter lifestyle. Many of us would love to live downtown and Lime to work, or bike, or transit, or hike, or whatever more virtuous options are out there. But we can't. I'm a normally-compensated member of the middle class with two kids and three dogs. I can't afford to live downtown -- or really in any area within a ten mile radius of the city center. And sadly the type of work I do demands I have an office in the city center, to which I must drag my sorry ass 5 days a week.

Just saying . . . it's not always a choice to commute. Sometimes it's the only feasible option.

[lonewolf]

Originally Posted by enragedcamel

I moved to Texas from California and I really appreciate feeder lanes, actually.

same. getting on the highway was a major pain in CA unless you have a ferrari

[atxsnail]

Originally Posted by We vs us

C'mon now. Not all commuters actively like or want the commuter lifestyle. Many of us would love to live downtown and Lime to work, or bike, or transit, or hike, or whatever more virtuous options are out there. But we can't. I'm a normally-compensated member of the middle class with two kids and three dogs. I can't afford to live downtown -- or really in any area within a ten mile radius of the city center. And sadly the type of work I do demands I have an office in the city center, to which I must drag my sorry ass 5 days a week.

Just saying . . . it's not always a choice to commute. Sometimes it's the only feasible option.

You sound pretty reasonable and you've probably made choices that make sense for your needs. I wanted to point out though that many people with multiple kids and pets who live in the suburbs have actively made a choice to value more living space over a better commute.

In my central austin neighborhood on a major transit corridor there are 1,800 sq ft townhomes that sell for around 100k more than a nice single family home in Round Rock or Pflugerville. People who live here and work downtown can and often do drop a car, especially when they have 2 cars already.

The difference in mortgage payment (or rent) is comparable to a car payment and probably favorable when you factor in insurance, repairs, and gas. Add in the bonus of a few extra hours spent with family each week and I think it's a winner.

I just wish there were more missing middle housing options like these townhomes available. They tend to get scooped up quickly.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

You sound pretty reasonable and you've probably made choices that make sense for your needs. I wanted to point out though that many people with multiple kids and pets who live in the suburbs have actively made a choice to value more living space over a better commute.

In my central austin neighborhood on a major transit corridor there are 1,800 sq ft townhomes that sell for around 100k more than a nice single family home in Round Rock or Pflugerville. People who live here and work downtown can and often do drop a car, especially when they have 2 cars already.

The difference in mortgage payment (or rent) is comparable to a car payment and probably favorable when you factor in insurance, repairs, and gas. Add in the bonus of a few extra hours spent with family each week and I think it's a winner.

I just wish there were more missing middle housing options like these townhomes available. They tend to get scooped up quickly.

bingo bango.

There are plenty of places to live under $400k in the city, We v Us just didn't choose them....We choose a commute. Good for We, I don't care either way, but I don't pity We either. Don't under estimate how much I really don't care what someones choices are in life (any of them), I just loathe the whining. People need to grow up...not talking to you We V Us.... talking to the complainers....who drone on endlessly.

I lived at Lake Travis for a year when I got divorced and commuted in. I smiled every minute of my hour long commute, cuz I knew I was headed to the lake...the view....the boating...the "lake rat" lifestyle. It was wonderful. But I always knew it was temporary, I'm a city boy. My time is too short/valuable to spend 10 hours a week in a car. Especially now that I have a 3 and 5 year old waiting to hang. I work 2 blocks from my house....that is my priority. It should go without saying that is not everyone else's priority, nor should it be.

[AusTex]

Originally Posted by atxsnail

......

I just wish there were more missing middle housing options like these townhomes available. They tend to get scooped up quickly.

I agree about the ownership options in the middle. Too many expensive rentals and expensive homes vs. mid-range owner options get built in the city. I know the market drives this, however, I wish We the People demanded more variety get built. Many folk commute because the affordable housing is further out and most developments are still single type developments. Even the developments in the city with a mix tend toward the upper level income. Mueller and The Grove @ 45th & Bull Creek were both publicly owned lands before they were developed. I know it is expensive to build, however, mid level are less profitable and less important to the contract negotiators. The mid level have been squeezed out of both of these developments. We the People need to demand more diversity before we allow public assets to be developed in this lopsided this way.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by freerover

Cap Metro is installing double track for the RedLine at 183 this Sunday. I didn't realize this segment was in the scope of their current project.

I was wrong about the Cap Metro Red Line work here. They were either replacing the track as a part of the federally mandated safety program or maybe they were repositioning the track for future double tracking. I believe a lot of the single track goes down the center of the ROW and has to be moved to the edge to accommodate a parallel track.

I do know the 183 area is there next target for double tracking but I guess they don't have the money. The entire 5th street run of the Red Line is almost double tracked. Seems like they'll need to wait for some more money to rebuild Plaza Saltillo to accommodate 2 tracks but that'll be the only pinch point.

[smith_atx]

I took the new section of 183 North bound this morning. It was nice and smooth except for the person almost causing a wreck with another car in front of me because they couldn't decide on tolled/non-tolled only going around 25mph.