Welcome To Case's Column
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.
In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
What Lubbock Missed Out On, And What It Should Have Done
Posted 12-31-2017 at 01:51 PM by case44
Whenever I look at a map of Lubbock, Texas, there are those times I have to shake my head. To this day, I'll never understand why city planners could not conjure up a better, more comprehensive freeway plan.
What I'm referring to in this posting is the northwest side of town and quick ways to access it. If only now, there are any. When the powers that be had come up with a plan for freeways in Lubbock, Texas, why couldn't they pick a routing for a new road to Shallowater, Littlefield, and Clovis? In place at the moment is a surface street. Outside the loop, however, work is slowly progressing on making U.S. Highway 84 in that sector of the area a limited-access freeway.
Well, that sounds fine and good. But this city has, I believe, missed out on a golden opportunity when they had the chance to do it.
Usually, Lubbock planners do their best to stay ahead of the curve. That is, until they realize what they could have had. The Marsha Sharp Freeway (U.S. 82) had been in planning for many years before it was even built. Connecting to Texas Tech University and the downtown district was that highway (just like it is now), but why not intersect it with another major freeway? That's right, have a Y just west of Texas Tech. A freeway which would have connected said areas to the northwest side of Lubbock could have been --- and, really, should have been --- built in the area around 4th Street and where Marsha Sharp intersects it now. The road would have gone around the Rawls Golf Course and snaked its way either to a point between Quaker Avenue and Clovis Highway or a northwestward turn west of Erskine on Loop 289 and continuing until it would meet Clovis Highway. Golden, golden, golden, this might have been. But no. City planners did not have the foresight to get all parts of town connected from two key areas.
Instead, what do Lubbock drivers do in the meantime? Drive city streets to connect with the northwest side or go way out of their way using Marsha Sharp or Interstate 27.
Just lovely. Oh, and that area where the freeway would have gone? It's covered up by development, specifically land closest to Tech. So, no Y interchange west of Texas Tech. And now, you wonder why.
This city really missed out. Let's hope this oversight (intentional or not) doesn't come back to haunt them in the future when something really important comes up.
What I'm referring to in this posting is the northwest side of town and quick ways to access it. If only now, there are any. When the powers that be had come up with a plan for freeways in Lubbock, Texas, why couldn't they pick a routing for a new road to Shallowater, Littlefield, and Clovis? In place at the moment is a surface street. Outside the loop, however, work is slowly progressing on making U.S. Highway 84 in that sector of the area a limited-access freeway.
Well, that sounds fine and good. But this city has, I believe, missed out on a golden opportunity when they had the chance to do it.
Usually, Lubbock planners do their best to stay ahead of the curve. That is, until they realize what they could have had. The Marsha Sharp Freeway (U.S. 82) had been in planning for many years before it was even built. Connecting to Texas Tech University and the downtown district was that highway (just like it is now), but why not intersect it with another major freeway? That's right, have a Y just west of Texas Tech. A freeway which would have connected said areas to the northwest side of Lubbock could have been --- and, really, should have been --- built in the area around 4th Street and where Marsha Sharp intersects it now. The road would have gone around the Rawls Golf Course and snaked its way either to a point between Quaker Avenue and Clovis Highway or a northwestward turn west of Erskine on Loop 289 and continuing until it would meet Clovis Highway. Golden, golden, golden, this might have been. But no. City planners did not have the foresight to get all parts of town connected from two key areas.
Instead, what do Lubbock drivers do in the meantime? Drive city streets to connect with the northwest side or go way out of their way using Marsha Sharp or Interstate 27.
Just lovely. Oh, and that area where the freeway would have gone? It's covered up by development, specifically land closest to Tech. So, no Y interchange west of Texas Tech. And now, you wonder why. This city really missed out. Let's hope this oversight (intentional or not) doesn't come back to haunt them in the future when something really important comes up.
Total Comments 3
Comments
-
They could still make N. Quaker into a short freeway, I guess, ending at Tech Pkwy. Don’t know if Tech would want another freeway running through campus.
The best outcome right now would probably be if they turned Clovis Rd into a sort of highway like 360 is in Austin, in my opinion, with overpasses at key intersections like Indiana and University Ave. They might try to improve the looks and functionality of N. University while they’re at it. Then have a complicated interchange near the Civic Center/Buddy Holly Hall area.Posted 01-02-2018 at 06:30 PM by shoe01
-
TXDOT has as much to do with the placement of freeways, as anyone. I would think traffic counts are the driving force in such decisions.
I think Loop 88 is far more important to future mobility in The Hub, than a short freeway in NW Lubbock.Posted 01-09-2019 at 05:54 PM by FKomarek
-
^^^ Certainly, Loop 88 is very important and will definitely be needed in the south and west, FKomarek. Its construction in a few years is something I'm very much looking forward to, and it will be fun to watch. I refer to it as "The Belt", even though it won't be the official name of it. Lubbock's current growth pattern is making things more interesting.
I was simply referring to things closer to town that city planners missed out on through the years. Missed opportunities; that's what I was getting at.Posted 01-09-2019 at 06:05 PM by case44 
