Re: More Texas observations

On Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:19:33 -0500, brink <brinknospam@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
- So, I-35W is really "hidden" I-235, isn't it? I mean, obviously, Dallas
and Ft. Worth both wanted the 2di, so they had to split the number, But
I-35E's exit numbers continue in sequential order from the split while
I-35W's numbers start over. Therefore, I-35E pwns I-35W.

I wouldn't mind if TxDOT fixed that and ran 35 through Ft. Worth, and giving
I-235 to The Little Cluster of Mud Huts on the Trinity.

- Those HOV lanes on I-30 that stretch east from downtown Dallas out toward
Garland? Wow... talk about a logistical pain in the butt. TxDOT has to
move jersey barriers every weekday morning, afternoon, and evening along an
8-10 mile stretch to put the HOV lane users into the "wrong way" freeway
lanes? How much does it cost in time, money, and manpower to accomplish
that three times a day? I can't imagine it's much fun with midday traffic
either.

I have no idea of how they set that arrangement up...here in Houston, the
HOV lanes on the Eastex (US 59 north of downtown), the Southwest (US 59 in
the other direction), the North and Gulf (I-45 north and south of downtown,
respectively), the Northwest (US 290, which HOV lane originates at the Katy
Road Transit Center and follows a mile and a half of I-610) and the Katy
(I-10/US 90 west, with the HOV starting at the same Katy Transit Center, a
half-mile inside the I-610 West Loop stack) are generally single lanes, with
the exceptions being the Southwest beyond the Ft. Bend/Harris County line
into Stafford and Sugar Land, where the HOV lanes are the inner lane in both
directions to their current end just past the Sweetwater/First Colony
interchange, to be extended out to Texas 99/FM 2759 when that expansion is
completed next year. All that's needed to switch the one-way HOVs is to
switch the gates on 59 at the county line.

- Just realized this week that Texas (and especially downtown Austin) have
their own Colorado River. I've driven over it quite a few times but never
knew its name. I wonder how many people drive over it and think it's the
same Colorado River as the one that flows through Colorado, the Grand
Canyon, and to the Gulf of California?

brink

Probably more than there should be...it's not the same, and we've been up to
Austin more than a few times over the last twenty years, and the easiest way
for us is 10/90 to Texas 71 at Columbus, and then up 71 to Austin. We cross
the Colorado six times: just east of the old 71 crossing south of Columbus,
about a mile and a half north of I-10, west of the US 77 interchange north
of La Grange, just northeast of downtown Smithville, about a mile west of
the Texas 95 junction in Bastrop, and then hang a right on US 183 by
Bergstrom Airport for the sixth crossing.

--
Patrick "The Chief Instigator" Humphrey (patrick@xxxxxx) Houston, Texas
www.io.com/~patrick/aeros.php (TCI's 2008-09 Houston Aeros) AA#2273
LAST GAME: Rockford 5, Houston 2 (April 25)
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