Austin Transportation & Roadways

[MissingInAction 24746]

183 flyover getting exploded tomorrow morning between 6 and 8. I'm getting stoned and enjoying the view.

[Pasken 1309]

19 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

183 flyover getting exploded tomorrow morning between 6 and 8. I'm getting stoned and enjoying the view.

Good. People are going to be really really shocked with how improved the new design is. It really goes back again to making highways smarter which Txdot has been doing in the last few years. They have been building those very expensive but very useful braided entrances and exits.  The new 183 ramp has 3 key improvements. More Gradual Slope, It has a dedicated lane that leads to it instead of a sharp nascar swerve exit and traffic entering from the frontage (cars coming from 290) will now pass under it instead of before it so entering cars aren't going through people trying to take the ramp.

Promote smarter highways, not wider ones.

[clapclapclap 9000]

Quote

Promote smarter highways, not wider ones.

Promote smarter and wider.

Edited May 7, 2021 by clapclapclap

[Machinator 32097]

 

[Godzillatron 292]

If I remember correctly it is because of a federal law that prohibits forced use of a toll road. Interstate Commerce Act, maybe?

There’s a federal that prevents the conversion of existing interstate lanes to tolled lanes - have to build additional. There’s a state law that prohibits conversion of an existing state facility to tolled. That’s why you see CTRMA tout that the frontage roads were improved on 290, Bergstrom,etc. that’s the equivalent facility for the old highway. On SH 45, the old 620 had a bypass under the railroad and Parmer, so they had to add a free bypass after they had opened.

[ChickenSandwich 9795]

https://www.kvue.com/mobile/article/traffic/austin-traffic-crashes-people-of-color/269-d156e3cd-ff0f-4320-9e1b-3b745d4ee259
 

[crash_davis 23076]

14 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

https://www.kvue.com/mobile/article/traffic/austin-traffic-crashes-people-of-color/269-d156e3cd-ff0f-4320-9e1b-3b745d4ee259
 

 

People of color are being pushed out of Central Austin, which means they must drive along busy highways to get to the metro area. Most of the severe crashes happen along those high-speed roadways, Leff said.

 

 

That's a lazy fucking causal assumption. So Latinos aren't also pushed out of Central Austin? Wouldn't their deaths also be higher than their respective population? Why don't they break down the deaths by driver age & sex, time of day, age of the car, driving record of drivers, wearing or not wearing seat belts, speed (if available or eyewitness accounts), etc.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by crash_davis

[Pasken 1309]

3 hours ago, crash_davis said:

 

People of color are being pushed out of Central Austin, which means they must drive along busy highways to get to the metro area. Most of the severe crashes happen along those high-speed roadways, Leff said.

 

 

That's a lazy fucking causal assumption. So Latinos aren't also pushed out of Central Austin? Wouldn't their deaths also be higher than their respective population? Why don't they break down the deaths by driver age & sex, time of day, age of the car, driving record of drivers, wearing or not wearing seat belts, speed (if available or eyewitness accounts), etc.

 

 

 

 

good lord. Can we move this thread to the 6th Street Journal? The amount of old white man anger in the DT is just too much. Why the fuck are you trying to make a culture war fight in a thread about transportation projects? 

[Samson's Wig 3167]

28 minutes ago, Pasken said:

good lord. Can we move this thread to the 6th Street Journal? The amount of old white man anger in the DT is just too much. Why the fuck are you trying to make a culture war fight in a thread about transportation projects? 

Why are you scared of discussing why Austin roads are systemically racist?  What are you trying to hide?  You probably think "All Drivers Matter", don't you?  

[crash_davis 23076]

1 hour ago, Pasken said:

good lord. Can we move this thread to the 6th Street Journal? The amount of old white man anger in the DT is just too much. Why the fuck are you trying to make a culture war fight in a thread about transportation projects? 

I didn’t make traffic deaths a race thing, that article did. Reading is hard. All I did was point out the bullshit to that guy’s statement. 
 

Is the stupidity of defending stupid shit a millennial displaced anger thing?

[Deej 76396]

Just maybe people of a lower socioeconomic status drive cars that are less likely to be road-worthy, and/or with fewer modern safety features?

[crash_davis 23076]

29 minutes ago, Deej said:

Just maybe people of a lower socioeconomic status drive cars that are less likely to be road-worthy, and/or with fewer modern safety features?

no, no. austin drivers and interstate road designers want to kill black people. 

[ChickenSandwich 9795]

16 hours ago, Pasken said:

good lord. Can we move this thread to the 6th Street Journal? The amount of old white man anger in the DT is just too much. Why the fuck are you trying to make a culture war fight in a thread about transportation projects? 

You under the impression our city council won’t jump all over this story like a bitch in heat?

[clapclapclap 9000]

What are we going to do about the systemically racist sun?  Ever notice that autos of color are hotter to the touch than white cars on sunny days?  Forcing their drivers to pay higher gas bills as they run the A/C more.

[Somnio 751]

The real story is that over 80% of traffic fatalities are male.  Road designers are systematically murdering men at a disproportionate rate, thus proving the Matriarchy is not only alive and well, but is intent on exterminating all men.

The facts can not be disputed.

[Machinator 32097]

 

[Armybrat 40648]

On 5/15/2021 at 9:39 AM, clapclapclap said:

What are we going to do about the systemically racist sun?  Ever notice that autos of color are hotter to the touch than white cars on sunny days?  Forcing their drivers to pay higher gas bills as they run the A/C more.

Well, y’all can just kiss my white privilege...

 

[Guest Lobo]

3 hours ago, Machinator said:

 

HOw old was that flyover section  /??

[Texas Jeff 1930]

3 hours ago, Lobo said:

HOw old was that flyover section  /??

Maybe 1997?

https://www.texasfreeway.com/austin/183-research-blvd/

[Godzillatron 292]

Maybe 1997?
https://www.texasfreeway.com/austin/183-research-blvd/

Construction started early 1990s

[demos 2983]

Wtf is this stupid shit. You’ve got a slow ass delivery bot taking up the entire bike lane, so bicyclists will jumping out into the street (if they’re not there already) to get around it. Clearly, we will need bigger bike lanes to accommodate this stupid thing and bicyclists.

Where there isn’t a bike lane, it’ll be in the street; that won’t be a fiasco at all.

And o/u on how many of these get jacked?

[Guest Lobo]

I got the worst fucking politicians /georgebluth 

[bluto 4861]

Wtf is this stupid shit. You’ve got a slow ass delivery bot taking up the entire bike lane, so bicyclists will jumping out into the street (if they’re not there already) to get around it. Clearly, we will need bigger bike lanes to accommodate this stupid thing and bicyclists.

Where there isn’t a bike lane, it’ll be in the street; that won’t be a fiasco at all.

And o/u on how many of these get jacked?

You totally overlooked the fact they will have assistants riding nearby to ensure safe travel… so they aren’t even autonomous really

[BabaYaga 15190]

23 hours ago, demos said:

 

 

Wtf is this stupid shit. You’ve got a slow ass delivery bot taking up the entire bike lane, so bicyclists will jumping out into the street (if they’re not there already) to get around it. Clearly, we will need bigger bike lanes to accommodate this stupid thing and bicyclists.

Where there isn’t a bike lane, it’ll be in the street; that won’t be a fiasco at all.

And o/u on how many of these get jacked?

 

They had a movie about those things.  Catch up people.  

Wait until you see their ideas about robot spiders

[MissingInAction 24746]

some coo diddle in a jacked up F450 is gonna flatten those things.

[TPCJ007 48]

Any word on when the new I35 Northbound to 183 North flyover will open? I drove by today and they had the stripes painted.

[Updawg 2254]

6-9 months is my guess

[Deej 76396]

28 minutes ago, Updawg said:

6-9 months is my guess

That's optimistic. 

[UTexasFight 9364]

4 hours ago, TPCJ007 said:

Any word on when the new I35 Northbound to 183 North flyover will open? I drove by today and they had the stripes painted.

Tomorrow?

access road had signs talking of lane shift happening tonight

if not, scheduled by end of month

 

edit: Saturday at 8am

https://communityimpact.com/austin/northwest-austin/transportation/2021/09/09/reconstructed-i-35-to-us-183-ramp-to-reopen-saturday-sept-11/

Edited September 10, 2021 by UTexasFight

[Chet Steadman 940]

Is the work on 360 of removing all the lights still expected to begin in a few months?  

[demos 2983]

I love what they’ve done with stassney between manchaca and west gate. Down to one lane to make room for a bicycle lane (because there’s so much bike traffic) and you have to merge immediately after the light at the manchaca intersection instead of past all the business which would make more sense as people are turning into conan’s pizza, dq, and the taqueria.

[faps 806]

I hate all the restriping projects around town that added bike lanes (that are never used) at the expense of lane widths. Driving on Slaughter between 35 and Mopac gets kinda claustrophobic at times and surely contributes that to being a "High Crash Roadway". Maybe it wouldn't be if the lanes weren't so gd tight.

[Revolution512 1465]

9 hours ago, Chet Steadman said:

Is the work on 360 of removing all the lights still expected to begin in a few months?  

Early 2022 at Westlake drive. 2244 won’t start until 2026 most likely 

[Snake Diggity 4607]

Read thru 11 pages of shit and not one mention of the oak hill parkway project that just started in earnest.  I haz disappoint.  I live right in the middle of it and am stoked they are finally doing something to alleviate traffic at the Y, mainly just hope they put up sound barriers along the neighborhoods.

[bschoolprof 6227]

They're finally building an overpass/underpass at the Y?  Never thought I'd see it in my lifetime. 

 

[Grade of D as in David 13253]

18 hours ago, Revolution512 said:

Early 2022 at Westlake drive. 2244 won’t start until 2026 most likely 

And won't finish until 2244 either

[Pasken 1309]

18 hours ago, faps said:

I hate all the restriping projects around town that added bike lanes (that are never used) at the expense of lane widths. Driving on Slaughter between 35 and Mopac gets kinda claustrophobic at times and surely contributes that to being a "High Crash Roadway". Maybe it wouldn't be if the lanes weren't so gd tight.

You get claustrophobic when your car lanes aren't wide enough? Maybe stop being such a fucking pussy and drive between the lines. The bike lanes on my part of town are used constantly. The more you build out your bike network, the more bikes your attract because they can actually get places. 

[Revolution512 1465]

1 hour ago, bschoolprof said:

They're finally building an overpass/underpass at the Y?  Never thought I'd see it in my lifetime. 

 

They went with the option recommended 15 years ago!?!?!

[ChickenSandwich 9795]

On 9/11/2021 at 12:00 PM, Pasken said:

You get claustrophobic when your car lanes aren't wide enough? Maybe stop being such a fucking pussy and drive between the lines. The bike lanes on my part of town are used constantly. The more you build out your bike network, the more bikes your attract because they can actually get places. 

Horse shit. Tens of people use those lanes in August/September, and they aren’t biking to work. Pet projects of the wealthy elite. 
 

Hills and heat, but keep setting tax dollars on fire. If not bike lanes it would just go to hobo hotels. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by ChickenSandwich

[UTexasFight 9364]

On 9/9/2021 at 7:11 PM, TPCJ007 said:

Any word on when the new I35 Northbound to 183 North flyover will open? I drove by today and they had the stripes painted.

Well dammit. I guess I knew this would be the case but no more merging on to NB 35 just north of 290/Koenig and then taking exit ramp to NB 183.

you can still get on 35 from there (now going under the 183 exit ramp) but the nearest entrance ramp that puts you on 35 and allows you to take the new NB 183 exit ramp, is back at Airport Blvd.

 

[Jiggy-Z 3427]

On 9/11/2021 at 9:58 AM, Snake Diggity said:

Read thru 11 pages of shit and not one mention of the oak hill parkway project that just started in earnest.  I haz disappoint.  I live right in the middle of it and am stoked they are finally doing something to alleviate traffic at the Y, mainly just hope they put up sound barriers along the neighborhoods.

The project is temporarily held up.  Injunction or something due to trees already taken down.  Hearing was on 9/2 but I'm finding nothing on the googles since then.

[Guest Lobo]

there is a decent writeup on it in community impact newsletter of all places).  Statesman gave up writing about roadway corruption years ago when it decided to crown Adler God-King.  It's behind a paywall but Ill try to scan it 

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

4 hours ago, Jiggy-Z said:

The project is temporarily held up.  Injunction or something due to trees already taken down.  Hearing was on 9/2 but I'm finding nothing on the googles since then.

Same.  I knew the hearing was earlier this month, but I've found nothing.  I'm going to reach out to my TxDOT buddy later this week to catch a beer after work, so I'm hoping to get the scoop then.

[Jiggy-Z 3427]

6 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Same.  I knew the hearing was earlier this month, but I've found nothing.  I'm going to reach out to my TxDOT buddy later this week to catch a beer after work, so I'm hoping to get the scoop then.

I live out by Circle Dr. at the end of the project boundary and a month or so ago I saw the news crews filming by all of the shredded trees.  About the same time there were some other people there measuring tree trunks etc.

Just from reading what was available (so I am not saying this is the whole story), TxDOT/Contractor says they took out trees but all were 8" or less in diameter.  Just by looking I can tell that is not the case, from the few trunks that were for some reason not shredded.  But even if it is, there were probably not many and certainly no huge oak trees.

I am certain there is a tree survey of the cleared area, so it seems like this would be easy enough to clear up.  I am not sure of the requirements, but I am pretty sure there is going to be a tree replacement program for trees of a certain size that were removed in this area.

On a different front, there are many large and old trees down at the start of the project by William Cannon and those in the current median where the existing freeway ends.  Not sure what the plan is for those, but my guess would be they are staying since they already built the road around them anyway.

The new South 183 project was able to save several very large oaks around the Thompson Lane area, but those were were pretty conveniently located for construction purposes.

I also am interested in the goings on with concrete plant and its opposition.  As I understand it, this is a temporary batch plant intended to service the new road construction only and it will be disassembled close to the end of completion.  From a friend in the construction business, seems like a done deal and all opposition is just for concessions and show.  I feel for those close by though.

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

21 minutes ago, Jiggy-Z said:

I live out by Circle Dr. at the end of the project boundary and a month or so ago I saw the news crews filming by all of the shredded trees.  About the same time there were some other people there measuring tree trunks etc.

Just from reading what was available (so I am not saying this is the whole story), TxDOT/Contractor says they took out trees but all were 8" or less in diameter.  Just by looking I can tell that is not the case, from the few trunks that were for some reason not shredded.  But even if it is, there were probably not many and certainly no huge oak trees.

I am certain there is a tree survey of the cleared area, so it seems like this would be easy enough to clear up.  I am not sure of the requirements, but I am pretty sure there is going to be a tree replacement program for trees of a certain size that were removed in this area.

On a different front, there are many large and old trees down at the start of the project by William Cannon and those in the current median where the existing freeway ends.  Not sure what the plan is for those, but my guess would be they are staying since they already built the road around them anyway.

The new South 183 project was able to save several very large oaks around the Thompson Lane area, but those were were pretty conveniently located for construction purposes.

I also am interested in the goings on with concrete plant and its opposition.  As I understand it, this is a temporary batch plant intended to service the new road construction only and it will be disassembled close to the end of completion.  From a friend in the construction business, seems like a done deal and all opposition is just for concessions and show.  I feel for those close by though.

I saw the same thing with the trees.  Given the heightened scrutiny of this project from an environmental standpoint, it would be a pretty boneheaded move to whack heritage trees right off the bat.  To your point, I guarantee they have a tree survey from that area.  And, I'm curious on the bigger trees near William Cannon as well.  They moved some major trees on campus for the Blanton and the North DKR expansion, so it can be done.  Regardless, they'll have a hefty tree replacement program for sure.

Regarding the batch plant, it's definitely going to happen.  It's logistically and economically the right move.  It's going to suck for the neighbors in the immediate vicinity, but for the community as a whole, having a temporary batch plant on site (or within spitting distance) is a way better option than trucking.  There's a ready mix plant near Circle Drive, but the next closest ones are at Ben White / I-35.  And, for a project of this size, the concrete needs are vast, and pour times could literally be at damn near any time of day, so an on-site dedicated batch plant is a must. 

[JimmyJames 12271]

Anyone who has lived in Austin any reasonably lengthy period of time knows you don’t mess with the old oak trees unless you got really good permission. Did the contractor really do that? I’m not familiar with this issue. 

[Jiggy-Z 3427]

2 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

I saw the same thing with the trees.  Given the heightened scrutiny of this project from an environmental standpoint, it would be a pretty boneheaded move to whack heritage trees right off the bat.  To your point, I guarantee they have a tree survey from that area.  And, I'm curious on the bigger trees near William Cannon as well.  They moved some major trees on campus for the Blanton and the North DKR expansion, so it can be done.  Regardless, they'll have a hefty tree replacement program for sure.

Regarding the batch plant, it's definitely going to happen.  It's logistically and economically the right move.  It's going to suck for the neighbors in the immediate vicinity, but for the community as a whole, having a temporary batch plant on site (or within spitting distance) is a way better option than trucking.  There's a ready mix plant near Circle Drive, but the next closest ones are at Ben White / I-35.  And, for a project of this size, the concrete needs are vast, and pour times could literally be at damn near any time of day, so an on-site dedicated batch plant is a must. 

We were the concrete site and hardscape contractor for the Blanton and I remember those tree moves.  They were not particularly large trees, but the thinking was that the University would rather have instant trees rather than wait.  There were a whole lot of factors that made those moves pretty easy.

Soft dirt/clay,

trees stayed on site.

level surface

client with gobs of money

client with professional arborists on staff,

tree size.

I don't think they can move the big trees on the Oak Hill Parkway project.

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

38 minutes ago, Jiggy-Z said:

We were the concrete site and hardscape contractor for the Blanton and I remember those tree moves.  They were not particularly large trees, but the thinking was that the University would rather have instant trees rather than wait.  There were a whole lot of factors that made those moves pretty easy.

Soft dirt/clay,

trees stayed on site.

level surface

client with gobs of money

client with professional arborists on staff,

tree size.

I don't think they can move the big trees on the Oak Hill Parkway project.

Totally agree.  There's a few massive ones that are either going to get whacked or have already been designed around.  Those trees at Blanton seemed pretty darn big, but by comparison, I'm sure they don't compare.  

[Jiggy-Z 3427]

45 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Totally agree.  There's a few massive ones that are either going to get whacked or have already been designed around.  Those trees at Blanton seemed pretty darn big, but by comparison, I'm sure they don't compare.  

Well, that was 16 years ago, I'm sure they have grown.  Those new cedar elms sure did.

[Somnio 751]

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas denied a motion to halt the construction of the Oak Hill Parkway in Southwest Austin Sept. 13.

The case hinged on the argument that the Texas Department of Transportation had not adequately considered the environmental ramifications of the project and thus violated the National Environmental Policy Act. Specifically, the plaintiffs said that the environmental impact statement did not account for the concrete batch plant, which TxDOT would build to facilitate freeway construction.

However, Judge Robert Pitman found in his ruling that the state transportation agency had provided sufficient detail around the construction’s environmental impact.

https://communityimpact.com/austin/na/transportation/2021/09/14/judge-denies-effort-to-stop-oak-hill-parkway-construction/