Gail Delaughter

Morning rush hour traffic headed into downtown Houston on Interstate 45. (Photo by Gail Delaughter)

(Houston -- KUHF) A trip along a Houston freeway can be a terrifying trip for the white-knuckled driver. There are entrance ramps that shoot motorists into fast-moving lanes with little warning. Exits to the left force drivers to make quick, calculated lane changes. Combine that with wrecks, breakdowns, and poorly tied-down mattresses that fly off the backs of trucks.

We spoke with the Texas Department of Transportation's new interim executive director about some of Houston's particular traffic woes. He knows more lanes could solve some of the problem, but he's thinking broader and wants Houston to tackle light rail expansion and up freight efficiency.

John Barton has been with the agency for 25 years, rising through the ranks from a high school summer job as a maintenance worker. He moved on to a full-time position after getting his engineering degree from Texas A&M. Before taking the interim director's post, Barton was an assistant director for engineering operations where he helped direct long and short-term planning, so he's accustomed to thinking big.

Barton says areas of concern include U.S. Highway 290, which carries heavy commuter traffic from downtown to Houston's northwest suburbs. He also cites the intersection of east-west Interstate 10 and north-south Interstate 45 north of downtown. South of downtown, there's that thrill-ride ramp that funnels drivers from U.S. Highway 59 onto busy northbound I-45. While the idea of added lanes may sound attractive to some commuters, Barton says just building new roads alone won't solve the problem. He says there needs to be a strong focus on mobility issues in the center of the city and that requires multiple solutions.

Houston currently has one operating light rail line, which carries riders on a seven-mile trip from downtown that passes through the city's Museum District and Medical Center. The line ends near Reliant Stadium to the south, making it convenient for Texans football fans. Other rail lines are now under development but as it stands right now, commuters in the outlying areas have to rely on buses and park-and-rides if they want to use public transit. Barton says the city needs commuter rail alternatives along with new ways of moving freight on rail and water.

As for how to pay for projects, Barton admits it's not easy to attract funding and Texas needs to come up with more cost-effective solutions. Barton cites as an example partnerships with local governmental entities that can put up some of the costs. He says there is also a lot of capital in privately-held interests, and transportation in a huge metro area like Houston is a solid investment that many companies may be willing to make. Along with money, Barton says investment from the private sector brings new ideas on how to design and build more effective solutions.

Road projects currently in the works for the Houston area include the widening of two segments of the South Beltway, one of two loops that circle the city. The road will be widened from two lanes to four lanes in each direction. Construction is also getting underway on a new segment of the Grand Parkway, which officials say will eventually become a third loop around the metro area.

Read more at KUHF.

(Photo by Gail Delaughter / KUHF)

(Gail Delaughter--KUHF, Houston) On a September day with temperatures still soaring into the 100's, officials gathered on a bare patch of land northwest of Houston to break ground for a new segment of Texas State Highway 99, also known by its more familiar name, the Grand Parkway.

Next to heavy equipment decorated with balloons, dignitaries donned orange safety vests to turn the ground with ceremonial shovels. Guests gathered under a tent to munch big Texas-shaped cookies while helping themselves to "SH 99" giveaway caps. The festivities kicked off a new toll road project that connects two major arteries into downtown Houston, State Highway 290 and I-10. It's all part of a grander scheme that's been bounced around since the early 1960's, a proposed 170-mile loop around metro Houston that would pass through a total of seven counties. It would swing wide of the two loops that now encircle the city, Beltway 8 and I-610.

Officials say construction will start in just a few weeks on what's known as "Segment E," a 15-mile freeway that passes through suburban areas where you can still see the occasional longhorn steer grazing in a pasture next to a neighborhood. Civic leaders say they look forward to new development in the area, but critics, such as the Sierra Club, fear the project will do harm to an ecologically sensitive area known as the Katy Prairie. The environmental group filed suit last month in an effort to block the freeway. Officials counter those claims, saying the project includes work to preserve area grasslands and wetlands.

We spoke to Texas Department of Transportation Interim Director John Barton, who says the freeway will make it easier for drivers to get between points west of Houston, and it will also take some traffic off the major routes. Barton says Houston has a good radial system when it comes to funneling commuters into downtown but things bog down when commuters have to travel between major freeways. He estimates the project could shave about 30 minutes off the drive time for some commuters as they will now be able to avoid side streets and traffic lights.

The project will cost around $320 million, and Barton says the money comes from the Texas Mobility Fund, which was set up by the Texas Legislature in 2003. The funding used to develop that program comes from driver's license and other fees on motorists.

Construction will take a couple of years, and Barton estimates Segment E will be open to drivers in late 2013.

Listen to an audio version of the story at KUHF.

More TN coverage of the Grand Parkway:
Controversy on the Texas Prairie: Road to Nowhere – or a Must for Houston’s Future? (link)

It’s Official: TxDOT Takes On Houston’s Grand Parkway Project (link)