CAMPO to report on Hays-Travis route issue

[KevinFromTexas]

They're talking about traffic congestion on Brodie Lane in Southwest Austin and wanting to move forward on SH-45 Southwest. Brodie Lane is one of the few streets that brings traffic into Southwest Austin from Hays County. It gets down to a 2 lane street south of Slaughter Lane. It winds and turns and is littered with residential cross streets.

http://www.statesman.com/news/conten.../0607road.html

CAMPO to report on Hays-Travis route issue

Brodie Lane, increasingly the preferred choice for Hays County commuters among the meager selection of entrees to Austin, is a nightmare during the evening and morning rush, residents along the road say.

But it is the leisurely pace taken by policymakers on a long-planned alternative, Texas 45 Southwest, that truly frustrates the people who live near Brodie's south terminus. Earlier this spring, more than 900 of them signed a petition in protest after the area's main transportation planning board moved the project from the back burner to a spot completely off the stove.

[Mopacs]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

They're talking about traffic congestion on Brodie Lane in Southwest Austin and wanting to move forward on SH-45 Southwest. Brodie Lane is one of the few streets that brings traffic into Southwest Austin from Hays County. It gets down to a 2 lane street south of Slaughter Lane. It winds and turns and is littered with residential cross streets.

http://www.statesman.com/news/conten.../0607road.html

Man, what a clusterf%$#

[NThomas]

The growth is already there. Its not like SH45SW will add more. There isn't anywhere to build near it. Besides, the ROW has already been purchased and it'd be foolish not to build, frontage roads or not. Brodie isn't the only one feeling it, Manchaca Rd is too and without a SH45SW that runs from MoPac to I-35, there'll be no way Slaughter Lane could possibly be used for what it was built for, local traffic. Hopefully tomorrow when CAMPO releases its report, it'll be in favor of building this ASAP.

CTRMA already lists the first phase as a "in the works" project, so I don't see what the use of it would be without the final leg to I-35 and the first time Austin would have a true loop around the city (MoPac, SH45N, SH45/SH130, SH45SE, SH45SW).

[M1EK]

"Its not like SH45SW will add more."

Once again people don't get it.

Without high-quality highways, you'll get growth of X out there in areas we don't want people to build in. With the highway, you'll get growth of X*100. (Or growth of X a hundred times farther out).

The presence of SOME development using those crappy two-lane roads does not mean you'd only have seen that much development with an eight-lane 'free'way.

[Jdawgboy]

I say they should not build it. People who decided to live that far out of the city will just have to deal with it.

[DruidCity]

I'm not familiar enough with the area to form a meaningful opinion, but will add that the one guy I know who lives in that part of Austin commutes to Texas State, and although he sometimes takes the back routes, he usually takes Slaughter to I-35.

[NThomas]

Originally Posted by M1EK

"Its not like SH45SW will add more."

Once again people don't get it.

Without high-quality highways, you'll get growth of X out there in areas we don't want people to build in. With the highway, you'll get growth of X*100. (Or growth of X a hundred times farther out).

The presence of SOME development using those crappy two-lane roads does not mean you'd only have seen that much development with an eight-lane 'free'way.

Even if a limited access, and I mean limited, SH45SW was built from MoPac to I-35 with only a single exit and no frontage roads? The only intersection SH 45SW needs (and the only one it really intersects) is FM 1626. The growth around that road has already happened. If an exit were to be at that intersection on a limited access tollway that passes through, it'd bring development only to the infill areas around the crossroads. Most of the growth would be at the SH 45 SW/SE & I-35 interchange.

The growth of the area is going to happen and it has for decades. The roadways are just now over 30 years later starting to catch up with the influx of homes, businesses, schools built already.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by NThomas

Even if a limited access, and I mean limited, SH45SW was built from MoPac to I-35 with only a single exit and no frontage roads? The only intersection SH 45SW needs (and the only one it really intersects) is FM 1626. The growth around that road has already happened. If an exit were to be at that intersection on a limited access tollway that passes through, it'd bring development only to the infill areas around the crossroads. Most of the growth would be at the SH 45 SW/SE & I-35 interchange.

The growth of the area is going to happen and it has for decades. The roadways are just now over 30 years later starting to catch up with the influx of homes, businesses, schools built already.

I think you are right though there will be in the coming years some induced demand to go along with that which is already present. I'm sure limiting the access points was part of the compromise with this. Still I'd rather they toll this new section of SH 45 because (1) there isn't a lot of money around to build it and (2) having some of the folks causing the sprawl being penalized for it is a much better idea than having other folks subsidize it for them.

[NThomas]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

I think you are right though there will be in the coming years some induced demand to go along with that which is already present. I'm sure limiting the access points was part of the compromise with this. Still I'd rather they toll this new section of SH 45 because (1) there isn't a lot of money around to build it and (2) having some of the folks causing the sprawl being penalized for it is a much better idea than having other folks subsidize it for them.

Where else would there be access to it? Old San Antonio Road? There isn't another road that crosses the planned easements.

[Raining Inside]

Build the god dam thing already. Austin needs a complete loop around the city.

[M1EK]

Originally Posted by NThomas

EThe growth of the area is going to happen and it has for decades. The roadways are just now over 30 years later starting to catch up with the influx of homes, businesses, schools built already.

That's fine, but a large amount of possible growth on tracts which are not yet developed has been retarded by the requirement to commute on those 2-lane roads in the meantime.

Once again, induced demand is real; and it's not simply a matter of "development" or "no development"; it's a matter of how MUCH development. Some people will locate 45 minutes away from downtown; others won't locate there until the commute drops to 30 minutes. The fact that there's some people there now that the commute is 45 minutes doesn't mean you're just satisfying existing demand, if there's other tracts in the area that can still be developed.

[NThomas]

Originally Posted by Raining Inside

Build the god dam thing already. Austin needs a complete loop around the city.

Amen!

[Myomi]

Originally Posted by Raining Inside

Build the god dam thing already. Austin needs a complete loop around the city.

Why? I think we need real light rail much, much more urgently.

[NThomas]

Originally Posted by Myomi

Why? I think we need real light rail much, much more urgently.

Unfortunately, that's currently not on the table.

[Raining Inside]

Originally Posted by Myomi

Why? I think we need real light rail much, much more urgently.

Why can't we strive for both? A loop around the city and light rail are not mutually exclusive.

[TXAlex]

go monorail!!! woohoo!

[Saddle Man]

.

[electricron]

If you're not going to build the highway, are you going to give the taxpayers their money back after both Travis and Hays county passed bonds and bought the right of way for TXDOT, over 10 years ago?
Total estimated costs to build the tollway is less than $90 million. I guess CAMPO is just as broke as TXDOT.

[paulsjv]

Originally Posted by TXAlex

go monorail!!! woohoo!

Yeah that would be awesome!

[NThomas]

Originally Posted by Saddle Man

But a rail system would beneficial, and loop only induces yet more sprawl. :/

So rail doesn't produce sprawl too? Any transportation model that makes it quicker to travel over a larger distance will produce sprawl and commuter and light rail is no different.