Houston's Answer To Environmental Worries, Transit Problems - Expand Highway To 18 Lanes

[hatrack]

EDIT

Between 2003 and 2009, $2.7 billion (1.4 billion pounds) of state and federal money will have been ploughed into expanding 23 miles (40 km) of Interstate-10 in west Houston to as wide as 18 lanes in some stretches of the city's main east-west road. "It is a concrete monstrosity," said Jim Blackburn, an environmental lawyer in the Texas city who fought the expansion of "I-10" and lost. "It probably shows as much as anything the philosophy of development here."

EDIT

The sprawling Houston metropolitan area, home to more than 5 million people, caters to drivers. Multi-deck parking garages are affixed to most large apartment complexes and there are drive-through lanes at pharmacies, banks, dry cleaners and coffee shops like Starbucks Corp. Lanier, a real estate developer who was chairman of the Texas Highway Commission from 1983 to 1987, said the city's decision to go with buses rather than rail for a mass transit system was the only option that made sense for such a low-density city where rail stations were impractical.

Part of the difficulty in weaning Houston off road building, environmentalist Blackburn said, is that the decades-long debate over transit planning has been dominated by the region's energy interests and by developers who made their fortunes building homes in far-flung suburbs.

Those pro-growth interests have appealed to Texas voters' preference for rugged individualism over government action. Lanier shrugs off any environmental woes that might come with the expanded highway. "You get a better environmental report moving people rapidly where they want to go, rather than having them sit in traffic," he said.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=100832007

[marmar]

1. Doesn't Houston already have some of the worst quality air in America?

This sounds like a nightmare. LA is also decentralized and low-density, but even they've opted to invest in mass transit.

[babylonsister]

2. I've referred to Houston as Entering and Leaving "Construction" I've

lived in TX longer than my formative and cumulative years in NY.
I really HATE driving around Houston, because you don't know when or where they will move the cones.

[brer cat]

4. My sister and I (both 60's) drove through Houston

last fall. It was a NIGHTMARE. These people need to get a grip and discover public transportation and car pooling. I've never seen such pavement, cones, traffic diversions. We thought we were lucky to escape with our lives. Stop there...be a tourist..never!

[tularetom]

3. WTF are they gonna do with all them lanes

when the rugged individualists (I always love it when that term is applied to sheeplike republican voters) can no longer afford to drive their big ass pick em ups and SUVs? The only thing that'll save Houston from being uninhabitable is there won't be enough oil to allow the air to get that much worse.

[Porcupine]

5. The ruins will be a monument to human stupidity.

for future generations to gawk at from tour boats.

[Canuckistanian]

6. They'll make great oxcart trails

Perfect for those mass migrations seeking relief from heat and drought.

[hatrack]

7. Or you could fish off of them . . . given sea level trends

nt

[Phrogman]

9. They'll make for nice wide boat ramps...

e0m

[Simonster]

8. I think one must not forget that Delay

and culberson have had a big hand in this too. Delay pushed for expanding I-10 for a while, all the while negating funds for mass transit in Houston. I find it interesting all the while he was doing this he was fine with mass transit in other cities. I am happy he is gone, but the damage is done. I used to drive to University of Houston on I-10 all the time, but it is horrible now. It is just going to be one big mess.