The very thought of overhead HOV & express lanes for 20 miles straight is insane in my honest opinion. If only trying to built commuter rail between SA & Austin was not shot down. Sigh, that's Texas for you where one-dimensional transportation options (roads & only roads) seem to be king.
It’s crazy how fast they’ve knocked most of the construction out. I live in New Braunfels and commute to Lackland daily, watched this project start and hopefully get to drive the finished highway.
A good video but can you imagine if San Antonio have a monorail system with this project later for VIA Public transportation and a Commuter rail from San Antonio to Austin
Your video was freaking awesome!! I don’t want to sound negative, but I was initially stationed at RAFB in 1984 and I don’t think I’ve EVER seen IH35 NOT under construction! I hope this works out , but honestly between my time here and 28 years as a police officer in one of the NE suburbs and seeing the “efficiency” of TX DOT, I have my doubts
Love these overview videos. I don't live in Texas and it's just crazy to see the road projects they're working on. I often wonder if maintenance on all these viaducts will be a problem in 50 years.
@@rt1111zun - Honeycombing can sometimes just be cosmetic and fixed in-place. But even if it is structural and has to be torn-out and replaced, the contractor bears that cost, not the state.
They are going to regret not taking away the cloverleaf interchange. They didn’t learn there lesson from 10/410 interchange and 10/1604 interchange(Which are changing now)
I can see where you're coming from, but there are a few differences with this one. First, that existing turbine ramp (EB to NB) helps to prevent the same kind of congestion seen in full cloverleafs. Second, quite a bit of traffic will use the new flyovers, which will take it out of the cloverleaf. Maybe eventually they'll need to replace it, but for the foreseeable future, it should not see the same problems as other cloverleafs.
Both. In the short term, new lanes do alleviate traffic, but induced demand eventually fills them up again. But this is Texas, and folks want more lanes, so that's what the politicians push for.
I would agree in the short term if construction took a year or less. But, when it takes 3-5years plus delays to finish the project the increased demand over those years eliminate the benefit in a few weeks. IMO. I do like more lanes personally, but the deaths/loss of revenue during construction doesn’t justify. Especially a lofty project like this. Love your content as always.
I appreciate that. To follow-up on your concern, when planning capacity requirements on a project, the typical standard is to build capacity for the 20 year forecasted traffic volume. That 20 year window starts from the expected completion date, but yes, delays in getting work started or finished can eat into that. And, induced demand is really hard to pin down and often is higher than expected, which also cuts into or shortens the relief gained by the expansion. An ROI analysis is always part of the decision process, and some concepts do get nixed as part of that.
I believe if they do it like St. Louis did to eliminate traffic by creating a train system around the city you can save money in the long hall and actually create more revenue for the city.
I agree. You can even cater to drives with a train... Just build a higher parking garage next to the train station. That way here in SA I just drive to the train station, similar to airport parking garage, hop into train, that takes me to Austin, I do whatever in Austin, then hop back in the train to SA and drive back home.
What I find amazing is that txdot continues to have their budgets for maintenance slashed. Colorado has a great dot budget and so does California! Imagine if we could find a major light rail through San Antonio up to Austin much like RTD in Denver!
Well, TxDOT's budget issue is not as bad as it was a decade or so ago. But in Texas, transportation funding is constitutionally-mandated for highways. TxDOT has just about no funding for public transportation, so that's mainly left to local authorities. As for SAT-ATX rail, light rail would actually not be the best option there-- commuter rail would be, and was making progress not too long ago until it was derailed (pun intended) when the agency working on it could not convince Union Pacific to either share their rail line or relocate to a new line. Locally, voters shot down a VIA light rail system back in 2000, and seemingly vetoed any future rail systems for the foreseeable future with a vote a few years ago that was an indirect referendum on VIA's downtown streetcar project.
This came across my feed the other day... thought you might find it interesting: unofficialnetworks.com/2023/02/15/letter-to-the-editor-interstate-70-is-a-disgrace-to-the-state-of-colorado/
I live in the PNW for many years, from my experience HOV lanes don’t work. Whoever had the idealistic dream about commuters would be eager to vanpool to work everyday or entire families would ride happily together to the mall just because there is a dedicated line for 2+ did not consider our reality, how our society is organized and designed. I mean, a systemic approach, a societal approach. I see HOV lanes as the first stage to impose toll lanes, taxed roads, privatized public roads to be only used by the upper middle class or the wealthy. If you travel to Seattle, WA. I highly encourage you to use 520 or 405. Initially both freeways added HOV lanes, a few years later the HOV lanes turned into toll lanes. Currently, you pay between $5 to $10 bucks a day according to algorithms and congestion, but don’t go further just go to Austin and Fort Worth to experience it at first hand. Light rail is also unrealistic, billions to pay by you with your tab taxes and property taxes. Go to Seattle again, the fancy choo-choo train is an expensive shelter for potheads, the bummers and homeless. Good Luck San Antonians!
The vast majority of the problem are drivers in the passing lane driving too slow and won't move. We need to do like Europe and make it a traffic violation. Bad drivers equal traffic!
Exactly. Just like in downtown Austin on I-35. The traffic is not caused by there being too many cars, the traffic is caused by idiots going 30 mph in the left lane for no reason. If people would learn how to drive or stay on the frontage roads if they want to drive Miss Daisy, these freeways would flow much better. Adding 20 lanes is not going to fix bad drivers.
TXDOT - We give the people what *WE* want
It's ridiculous the amount of bridges and overpasses we build for roads. Can you imagine if we built elevated high speed rail instead?
The very thought of overhead HOV & express lanes for 20 miles straight is insane in my honest opinion. If only trying to built commuter rail between SA & Austin was not shot down. Sigh, that's Texas for you where one-dimensional transportation options (roads & only roads) seem to be king.
Yep That's the car
TXDOT (short for TX-DESPOT)
Best visual guide I’ve seen of this project, thank you!
it would be so great to see an update on this project now! the flyovers are getting HUGE
Yeah pretty pathetic how big they're getting instead of building a proper infrastructure. More lanes will never solve the problem.
It’s crazy how fast they’ve knocked most of the construction out. I live in New Braunfels and commute to Lackland daily, watched this project start and hopefully get to drive the finished highway.
A good video but can you imagine if San Antonio have a monorail system with this project later for VIA Public transportation and a Commuter rail from San Antonio to Austin
They would spend more money and get less results to ease traffic and serve less people.
@wrexchicane8259 not if done correctly.
Reminds me of the Simpson’s monorail episode!!😂🤣😂
monorails are awfully expensive to maintain
The way you don't have money to pay for it.
Your video was freaking awesome!! I don’t want to sound negative, but I was initially stationed at RAFB in 1984 and I don’t think I’ve EVER seen IH35 NOT under construction! I hope this works out , but honestly between my time here and 28 years as a police officer in one of the NE suburbs and seeing the “efficiency” of TX DOT, I have my doubts
It's called pattern recognition & this "fix" fixes nothing at all.
Love these overview videos. I don't live in Texas and it's just crazy to see the road projects they're working on. I often wonder if maintenance on all these viaducts will be a problem in 50 years.
Great video! I was curious how it would end up. Thank you!
this is 635-SH12 all over again
635-SH1T ☹️
I created the 3d drive through back in 2015, pretty cool to see it being put in place now
What's up with all messed up columns I've seen near the i35 and 410 intersection??
@@rt1111zun - What about them is messed up?
@@TexasHighwayMan All the columns that have honey combing...how much more is it costing to demolish them and re- build them?
@@rt1111zun - Honeycombing can sometimes just be cosmetic and fixed in-place. But even if it is structural and has to be torn-out and replaced, the contractor bears that cost, not the state.
They are going to regret not taking away the cloverleaf interchange. They didn’t learn there lesson from 10/410 interchange and 10/1604 interchange(Which are changing now)
I can see where you're coming from, but there are a few differences with this one. First, that existing turbine ramp (EB to NB) helps to prevent the same kind of congestion seen in full cloverleafs. Second, quite a bit of traffic will use the new flyovers, which will take it out of the cloverleaf. Maybe eventually they'll need to replace it, but for the foreseeable future, it should not see the same problems as other cloverleafs.
Would love to see some kind of expansion to include Wurzbach Parkway to help alleviate backups from WP to O’Connor.
Provisions were made in the design to accommodate a possible future interchange with WP south of O'Connor.
Could you make an updated video please?? They’ve done MAJOR construction now.
Great video!!!!
Every city will greatly benefit some express lanes that move people that are passing through, not needing to conflict with local exits
You should cover I-30 east of Dallas to Greenville
Love these old photos!
Thanks! I always like to show where we've been before I talk about where we're going. :-)
Enjoyed the video, thanks!
Do you believe that more lanes alleviates traffic or the introduction of more lanes brings more cars on the road thus not alleviating traffic?
Both. In the short term, new lanes do alleviate traffic, but induced demand eventually fills them up again. But this is Texas, and folks want more lanes, so that's what the politicians push for.
I would agree in the short term if construction took a year or less. But, when it takes 3-5years plus delays to finish the project the increased demand over those years eliminate the benefit in a few weeks. IMO. I do like more lanes personally, but the deaths/loss of revenue during construction doesn’t justify. Especially a lofty project like this. Love your content as always.
I appreciate that. To follow-up on your concern, when planning capacity requirements on a project, the typical standard is to build capacity for the 20 year forecasted traffic volume. That 20 year window starts from the expected completion date, but yes, delays in getting work started or finished can eat into that. And, induced demand is really hard to pin down and often is higher than expected, which also cuts into or shortens the relief gained by the expansion. An ROI analysis is always part of the decision process, and some concepts do get nixed as part of that.
I believe if they do it like St. Louis did to eliminate traffic by creating a train system around the city you can save money in the long hall and actually create more revenue for the city.
I agree. You can even cater to drives with a train...
Just build a higher parking garage next to the train station. That way here in SA I just drive to the train station, similar to airport parking garage, hop into train, that takes me to Austin, I do whatever in Austin, then hop back in the train to SA and drive back home.
What I find amazing is that txdot continues to have their budgets for maintenance slashed. Colorado has a great dot budget and so does California! Imagine if we could find a major light rail through San Antonio up to Austin much like RTD in Denver!
Well, TxDOT's budget issue is not as bad as it was a decade or so ago. But in Texas, transportation funding is constitutionally-mandated for highways. TxDOT has just about no funding for public transportation, so that's mainly left to local authorities. As for SAT-ATX rail, light rail would actually not be the best option there-- commuter rail would be, and was making progress not too long ago until it was derailed (pun intended) when the agency working on it could not convince Union Pacific to either share their rail line or relocate to a new line. Locally, voters shot down a VIA light rail system back in 2000, and seemingly vetoed any future rail systems for the foreseeable future with a vote a few years ago that was an indirect referendum on VIA's downtown streetcar project.
This came across my feed the other day... thought you might find it interesting: unofficialnetworks.com/2023/02/15/letter-to-the-editor-interstate-70-is-a-disgrace-to-the-state-of-colorado/
@@TexasHighwayMan Thank you for explaining why this madness exists. No one in the family likes driving in/ around TX cities anymore 💔
Good job!❤
Thanks for the information. Currently in AZ but I might need to get back to S.A. to document the building process.
Pretty interesting!
This is a great video
I live in the PNW for many years, from my experience HOV lanes don’t work. Whoever had the idealistic dream about commuters would be eager to vanpool to work everyday or entire families would ride happily together to the mall just because there is a dedicated line for 2+ did not consider our reality, how our society is organized and designed. I mean, a systemic approach, a societal approach. I see HOV lanes as the first stage to impose toll lanes, taxed roads, privatized public roads to be only used by the upper middle class or the wealthy. If you travel to Seattle, WA. I highly encourage you to use 520 or 405. Initially both freeways added HOV lanes, a few years later the HOV lanes turned into toll lanes. Currently, you pay between $5 to $10 bucks a day according to algorithms and congestion, but don’t go further just go to Austin and Fort Worth to experience it at first hand. Light rail is also unrealistic, billions to pay by you with your tab taxes and property taxes. Go to Seattle again, the fancy choo-choo train is an expensive shelter for potheads, the bummers and homeless. Good Luck San Antonians!
The vast majority of the problem are drivers in the passing lane driving too slow and won't move. We need to do like Europe and make it a traffic violation. Bad drivers equal traffic!
Exactly. Just like in downtown Austin on I-35. The traffic is not caused by there being too many cars, the traffic is caused by idiots going 30 mph in the left lane for no reason. If people would learn how to drive or stay on the frontage roads if they want to drive Miss Daisy, these freeways would flow much better. Adding 20 lanes is not going to fix bad drivers.
One more lane, bro. Fuck cars.