Swamplot Archives by Tag: Freeways and Toll Roads

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Katy Freeway Toll Lanes: Pay As You Go

January 21, 2009 – 2:58 pm
   

Those new HOV-ish lanes in the center of the new Katy Freeway will have a price tag attached to them by around May or so — but Harris County commissioners haven’t yet decided what it’ll be: “The county intends to use a flexible-rate system based on congestion, called dynamic pricing. Initially, certain rates will be set for rush-hour commutes, and different prices may be set for other periods. After about 90-days, the prices may change based on traffic observations. Signs near the entrances to the Katy Freeway lanes will announce the rates. Carpoolers and other high-occupancy vehicles will be able to access the Katy toll road for free during peak hours through designated lanes along the freeway. They will not be required to use toll tags — an electronic toll collection system that drivers display on their windshields — or to register with the county’s toll authority. The Katy Freeway carpool drivers must use the left-lanes only.” [Houston Chronicle, via Off the Kuff]

2:58 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Freeways and Toll Roads, Quicklink
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Monday, January 19, 2009

Even Better Than Greenspoint: New AstroWorld Festival Office Park!

January 19, 2009 – 6:43 pm

One of Swamplot’s best tipsters forwards a link to a website featuring lovely renderings of a family of glassy office buildings and blocky parking garages squatting on the former AstroWorld site — along with a rather direct question: “Is this real???”

Well, the Crosswell Torian website is a real website, where the development company proudly presents its AstroWorld tower roundup under the name SouthPointe: “a hundred+ acre, transit-oriented mixed use development.” But a brand-new 13.5-million-sq.-ft. project doesn’t exactly seem tailor-made for today’s cautious real-estate market.

If the SouthPointe design isn’t real, though, it’s a brilliant parody — down to the ultra-generic name and its not-so-silent extra vowel. It expertly answers this question: How might a bunch of suburban developers — some of them from, say, Conroe — make a complete mockery of Houston’s highest profile and best connected redevelopment site?

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6:43 pm | 12 Comments | Read more about Commercial Real Estate, Mixed Use, Neighborhoods: Reliant Park, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Transportation
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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Trans-Texas Corridor Is Dead

January 6, 2009 – 10:39 am
   

But maybe it’ll come back, with a new name! “In response to public outcry, the ambitious proposal to create the Trans-Texas Corridor network has been dropped and will be replaced with a plan to carry out road projects at an incremental, modest pace, a state transportation official announced today. ‘The Trans-Texas Corridor, as it is known, no longer exists,’ said Amadeo Saenz, Jr., executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation a forum in Austin. The state, he said, will carry forward with modifications to proposed projects and will rely heavily upon input from Texans through more town hall meetings and an updated Web site. He also made clear that, should toll lanes be added to various roads, tolls will be assessed only on those, and not existing lanes. The renewed effort now will operate under the name ‘Innovative Connectivity Plan.’ Saenz also said the state will continue to pursue various projects, including the Interstate 69 project. If, however, more lanes are needed along U.S. 59, the state will simply widen that roadway, Saenz said.” [Houston Chronicle]

10:39 am | 8 Comments | Read more about Freeways and Toll Roads, Proposed Developments, Quicklink
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Katy Freeway Construction Officially Done

October 29, 2008 – 11:42 am

Aerial View of I-10 West at Sam Houston Tollway, Houston

Let the Great Katy Freeway Lane Rush begin! More than 5 years and $2.8 billion in the making, West Houston’s new 18-car-wide and rail-free Main Street is at last officially complete — and open for more traffic than ever! The tollway on the four inside “managed lanes” won’t be instituted until April. Until then, those lanes are meant for cars with more than one passenger.

Photo of I-10 West and Sam Houston Tollway interchange: Flickr user Rustypicstx

11:42 am | 4 Comments | Read more about Freeways and Toll Roads, Neighborhoods: West Houston, Transportation
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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

More Shopping Centers Lie in Wait for the Grand Parkway

October 28, 2008 – 1:38 pm
   

Under previous owners it was going to go residential, but now all the site at the southeast corner of Kuykendahl and Spring Stuebner in Spring needs is an offramp: “Steve Gregory, president of Hopkins Commercial, said the site is a long-term investment for a retail center that will be built, possibly in one to three years. The site is attractive to the company because a leg of the Grand Parkway that will start construction in late 2010 will go by the 56 acres. The site is just north of a big collection of retailers at FM 2920 and Kuykendahl, including Wal-Mart SuperCenter, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Kroger, Palais Royal and 24 Hour Fitness.” [Houston Business Journal]

1:38 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Development Strategy, Freeways and Toll Roads, Neighborhoods: Spring, Quicklink, Real Estate Investing, Retail, Shopping Centers
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Ride-for-Less-Than-a-Grand Parkway

October 15, 2008 – 9:33 am
   

“Fort Bend County officials Oct. 14 signed off on a joint resolution with numerous government entities to establish a set of terms and conditions to build the Grand Parkway as a toll road. . . . The agreement stipulates the scope of work, initial toll rate and methods to increase toll rates as the Grand Parkway, also known as Texas 99, is constructed as a 180-mile road looping around Houston. Under the terms, the project will be a tolled, two- to six-lane road with overpasses at major intersections and direct connectors at interchanges with other major thoroughfares.” [Houston Chronicle]

9:33 am | 4 Comments | Read more about Fort Bend County, Freeways and Toll Roads, Quicklink
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Friday, September 26, 2008

Seen on the Street: Convoy

September 26, 2008 – 6:23 pm

Tree Truck Convoy, Houston, after Hurricane Ike

Fun pix from around town: Part of a convoy of about 40 tree trucks headed down the Eastex Freeway last weekend, looking for a little bit of work.

More photos:

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6:23 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Disaster Aftermath, Neighborhoods: Meyerland, Neighborhoods: Montrose, Neighborhoods: North Montrose
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Katy Freeway Construction: End in Sight

July 15, 2008 – 11:47 am
   

“The eastbound main lanes are wide open all the way into downtown for the first time in more than 36 months. . . . Having this long stretch of roadway open paves the way for the final completion of the entire project slated for October 2008, a grand total of 23 miles.” [abc13]

11:47 am | 5 Comments | Read more about Freeways and Toll Roads, Openings and Closings, Quicklink
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Left Behind on the Lost Highway: Evacuation Is the Only Option

May 21, 2008 – 9:46 am

Closeup of Stranded Porta Potty on Old Beltway 8 Onramp

Stuck in traffic on I-10 near the Beltway 8 interchange, Lou Minatti spots this construction leftover, stranded on an old onramp that’s already being torn down at both ends.

After the jump: the long view.

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9:46 am | 1 Comment | Read more about Demolitions, Freeways and Toll Roads, Hazards, Neighborhoods: Shadow Oaks
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