Worries about corporate interests, flooding built into 288 tollway project

The Houston Chronicle ^ | April 12, 2019 | Dug Begley

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Shortly after moving to northern Brazoria County, Evan Moskowitz noticed there was something odd about Texas 288.

“I mean, it’s huge,” Moskowitz said, noting the four-lane highway’s enormous grass median and wide shoulders. “You could fit two freeways there.”

Pretty soon, there will be, a nod to explosive growth in southern Harris and northern Brazoria counties and the constant need for faster trips into key workforce centers, including the Texas Medical Center.

Crews are in the home stretch of construction of two toll lanes in each direction from Interstate 69 to the Brazoria County line — more than 10 miles of tollway along with major rebuilds of key interchanges at Loop 610 and the Sam Houston Tollway.

Yet, as the tollway being built down the center of Texas 288 races to completion, there are elements that are less certain.

Conceived at a time when tolling was leaned on by lawmakers as a way to expand roads without increasing taxes, charging drivers lately has fallen from political favor, even as thousands are willing to pay.

Meanwhile the work lies between two eras of Houston’s recent flooding history: It was designed before heavy rains in 2015, 2016 and 2017 prompted local residents and officials to rethink flood control and storm water. It will open without any of the changes those discussions created.

That has led to worry that replacing that wide median of trees and grass with a long ribbon of concrete will worsen already well-known flooding problems along Texas 288 and many Houston neighborhoods.

The project includes massive new overpasses at key interchanges, along with new lanes. With those lanes will come new detention ponds and stormwater plans — though many question whether those will have a positive effect.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING.

[OC_Steve]

I wonder if the author actually has driven down 288. I can’t think of a single tree in the center strip. Trees don’t start popping up until after you pass Highway 6.

I do worry about the flooding though, so it is a valid article. I live over in the Energy Corridor but have a beach house in Surfside. I think drainage will be a huge issue with all the concrete they’re putting in for this project. If they haven’t accounted for the type of rains we’ve seen in recent years, it could get ugly.

[WASCWatch]

The large grass median is there for future expansion.

[OrangeHoof]

Part of 288 is dubbed the Nolan Ryan Expressway since it travels from close to the Astrodome and passes near Ryan’s hometown of Alvin.

[subterfuge]

Politicians love putting structures where natural drainage areas are so they get elected, get money and power, then they’re on to their next graft. If a few hundred people drown a few years later, so be it.

[BobL]

Thanks Tol,

Hopefully whoever does get flooded sues the hell out of the operator of the toll lanes...at least to put them out of business, and God willing, get get rid of the tolls.