- Mayor Parker Halts Plans To Turn Former Exxon Tower into New Police and Courts Complex Over Uncertain Financial Outlook [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
- U.S. Post Office Considers Sale of Energy Corridor Post Office Property [Houston Chronicle]
- Houston Ranks No. 6 Among 36 Major U.S. Cities for Fastest-Growing Home Values, According to Zillow [HBJ]
- What Houston’s Average Home Price Buys Around the Country [Houston Chronicle]
- Median Houston Rent Price 17% Higher Than Renters’ Expectations at $1,330 Per Month, According to Apartment List [HBJ]
- Transwestern’s Kevin Roberts on the State of the Houston Office Market [Realty News Report]
- Feedback Wanted on Southwest Freeway Study Aimed To Ease Congestion [Houston Public Media]
- Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council Approves $3.4M for Houston B-Cycle [The Highwayman]
Photo of Skyhouse River Oaks: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
In regards to the SW freeway, you have some significant challenges. However before any significant ROW is taken, the lowest hanging fruit that will bear any fruit has to be access ramps and flyovers.
In regards to just the freeway, all exits and entrances to the freeway from 610 to 8 have to be configured one on top of the other (like the Kirby entrance and exits) and with much longer merge/exiting lanes.
In addition, the HOV lanes need to be two way like the article says. If its a stack (elevated), maybe no ROW is needed.
Thirdly, the Chimney Rock exit and entrance to the freeway need to be done away with. I’m sorry but they’re just too close to 610. Somehow they need to be a way to get ppl to exit well before 610 to get to Chimney Rock.
Forthly (word?), Westpark tollway needs to be extended past (or before depending how you’re headed) 610 and maybe even provide direct 610 access (headed from / to the south and maybe the north although IDK).
Lastly, there needs to be two flyover lanes from the SW freeway headed north to 610 headed south. If the tightness of the curve can be straightened that would also be nice. This is a significant bottleneck.
All this would cost $$, but I think that the ROW isn’t like what happened to I10 or what’s planned for 45 north. Will it solve all the issues? No.
Besides the land btwn the Westpark tollway and 59, there’s really no room to expand the footprint of the without big $$$$’s (I’m assuming TXDot could stomach the ROW cost of whatever’s between the tollway and 59).
That is all.
Who and how many consultants pocketed $3 million to figure out that moving city government to the Exxon Bldg. was not a good idea? I wish the media could be bothered to name names. At 6%, $3 million could have been an architect’s fee for a $50 million dollar new police and courts building.
Do the headline images ever line up with any of the articles? I saw a Sky House photo and was briefly puzzled since the headline was talking about Mayor Parker and the former ExxonMobil/800 Bell tower.
Congestion pricing. There, i just fixed your problem, where’s my consultancy fee.