About ten years ago, US 90-A (Main Street) was turned into a limited-access freeway between South Post Oak and the South Sam Houston Parkway (South Sam). During the construction period, life was an absolute nightmare for people who lived and commuted along the route.
But now, the travel along US 90-A east of Sugar Land is a breeze.
I no longer drive that route.
Highway 6 could use the same sort of upgrade, from east of Missouri City to at least I-10. Maybe even all the way to 290. Commuting relief, particularly in the Sugar Land and West Oaks area is the goal.
I leave my house at 6:45 am to get to the Addicks Park & Ride by 7:15 am. I give myself 30 minutes, even though the aver age commute time is 11 minutes and 21 seconds, because things don't always go according to plan. Occasionally I need the 30 minutes.
The biggest slow-down is at West Oaks Mall, waiting through three or four light changes before making it through. Traffic on Westheimer gets two green lights for every one on Hwy 6. Still, 11 minutes to travel 6.6 miles isn't too bad - about 35 mph average in a 45 mph zone. With the new changes at Hwy 6 and I-10, traffic isn't too bad.
Coming home, however, is an absolute nightmare.
Leaving the Addicks Park & Ride at 5:15 pm, I usually get home between 6:15 and 6:30. That's an hour to go 6.6 miles. I've found it is much faster to go through Katy, around George Bush Park to get home. That's a 16.1 mile shortcut that shaves 20 minutes off the drive time.
There's a little bit of a problem here.
The typical slowdown on Hwy 6 is just south of Memorial, near Briarhills Parkway all the way to Westheimer. 2.3 miles of pure commuting hell in the afternoon. This is nearly 30 minutes of commute - 5 miles per hour average.
Re-configuring Hwy 6 as a four-lane limited access freeway, a la US 90-A, would be a temporary relief to commuters. But planning for future growth would require someone with far more education and experience than I. And let's face it - the planners did a good job on Katy Freeway between Loop 610 and West Sam, but getting to Katy in the afternoon is still a nightmare. But that's a story for another day.
As stated in the first post, the purpose of this blog is to raise awareness of traffic troubles in Houston. I welcome comments and suggestions of other problems. I also welcome comments and suggestions from the politicians and engineers who will eventually undertake the projects.
