New Outer Loop Freeway? (Houston, China: activity, office, rated)

[Darbro]

59 should be called truck highway. Up here in Texarkana trucks rumble on 59 at all hours.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Darbro

59 should be called truck highway. Up here in Texarkana trucks rumble on 59 at all hours.

Sorry, but I don't feel bad for you guys,
I used to have to commute in San Antonio on I-35.

[Darbro]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Sorry, but I don't feel bad for you guys,
I used to have to commute in San Antonio on I-35.

I've heard traffic can be quite ridiculous anywhere along the stretch between D/FW and San Antonio.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by SouthernBoy205

Is this suppose to be like a freeway or a parkway with traffic lights?????

It will be a limited access highway with no traffic lights. It will be a toll road. And you may not have seen it, but someone answered your earlier question about it being a loop. It connects to Highway 146. Highway 146 runs along Galveston Bay and connects to section I-2 of the Grand Parkway in Baytown in the east and will connect to Section A in the south. Most of Highway 146 is already a freeway and there are improvement plans to make most of the rest freeway. So the Grand Parkway and Highway 146 combined will make a complete loop.

Actually, there already are 3 loops in Houston. Someone who had lived here a long time told me that where I-45, I-10 and US 59 circle around downtown Houston used to be called the inner loop and I-610 was referred to as the outer loop. Beltway 8 was the 3rd. And I guess you could consider non-freeway Highway 6/FM 1960/Hwy 146 as a 4th loop.

[jdw7337]

Originally Posted by bu2

It will be a limited access highway with no traffic lights.

In some areas, for an amount of time there could be lights, at least until the overpasses are constructed. The segment in Baytown has stop signs on it, where there are plans to build true main lanes that can be tolled.

[dillionaire30]

Originally Posted by darbro

i read somewhere that houston has a new outer loop freeway in the works. Does anyone know the particulars about this project? Thanks in advance.

grand parkway texas highway 99 will be the bypass around the city. Its currently in works of being extended to 290 from 10 in katy. There was a section added in baytown about 3 or 4 years ago. Its suppose to connect from baytown and loop south around the city and connect to 59 in sugar land. From katy its suppose to loop around the north suburbs and meet back at 10 in baytown. If i am not mistaken, i think i read about it being a future tollway as well, but not 100% sure yet.

[dillionaire30]

Originally Posted by Newbe10

Actually, the Grand Parkway, when completed, would be consider the "outer" outer loop. LOL.

Anyway, does anyone know if the Sam Houston Tollway will eventually be a "free" freeway once it pays for itself, or will it stay a tollway forever like the infamous Dallas North Tollway?

I doubt TXDOT or HCTRA had any plans of Beltway 8 being free since their have been other tollways built after the birth of it.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by bu2

Actually, there already are 3 loops in Houston. Someone who had lived here a long time told me that where I-45, I-10 and US 59 circle around downtown Houston used to be called the inner loop and I-610 was referred to as the outer loop. Beltway 8 was the 3rd. And I guess you could consider non-freeway Highway 6/FM 1960/Hwy 146 as a 4th loop.

That makes no sense. Just because I-45 loops around wouldn't make it a loop in the literal sense. It may have been called a loop but it's not a loop.

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

That makes no sense. Just because I-45 loops around wouldn't make it a loop in the literal sense. It may have been called a loop but it's not a loop.

He's talking about literally the little "loop" around downtown where I-10/59/45 intersect. It doesn't really look like a loop unless you've eaten some "tasty" brownies....but I see his point.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by lhafer

He's talking about literally the little "loop" around downtown where I-10/59/45 intersect. It doesn't really look like a loop unless you've eaten some "tasty" brownies....but I see his point.

I know what he's talking about. It looks like a loop even without the brownies but it's still not a loop in the literal sense.