The 1604 boondoggle. (San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels: to live in, cost of living, moving to)

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by txtea

No, they are not talking about expanding 1604 on the west and south sides. Has nothing to do with Somerset, Poteet, etc.
They are talking about adding lanes from Bandera road to interstate 35 EAST bound on 1604, and a multi story interchange over 1604 and 10 on the NORTH side.
" Build the highways and they will come "?? Since when does that happen in SA? It's the other way around.

https://www.bexar.org/2055/Loop-1604...tal-Assessment

Thank goodness, 1604 is already expanding on the Southside between 281 and 37, I was worried for a moment too. I believe this will be the only part of 1604 South of Highway 90 East and West that is a separated highway with two lanes in each direction. I don't do much driving on the other side of 1604 as I usually just cut through the city on one of the interstates.

[TXStrat]

Originally Posted by txtea

Oh you know their usual excuse..... Didn't have the financing to do it right the first time. We'll just wait a few years and tear it up again. Years of more construction coming up, folks. Tighten your seat belts.

The issue is how the Federal budget process works. It's a five year cycle, with the associated challenges related to funding emerging requirements in a given year once a budget has already been passed.

Right now, we are in Calendar Year (CY) 2020, however, Oct 1, 2020 began Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. Budget proposals are put together each year, but they normally only impact the budget beginning 2 years out. In Federal budget terms, we are in FY 21, which is commonly referred to as the Current Year, Oct 1, 2021 would begin FY 22 which would be the Budget Year. The Current and Budget years are locked. Only those issues 2 years out (FY 23, in this case) can been changed during the budget process this year. Any changes within the Current, or Budget Years would have to be zero sum gains, with the funding being diverted from some other project(s).

This Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process is the reason TXDoT is limited on many of their consecutively occurring projects along a particular stretch of roadway. One positive example of forward thinking is the work between Ralph Fair Rd. and Fair Oaks Pkwy. When this stretch of highway was reconfigured a couple years ago, TXDoT and their contractors knew the HOV lane and 3rd GP lane project would ultimately extend all the way to SH-46 in Boerne (Bandera Rd.) They were able to move funding around to allow the contractor to build the new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Rd/Buckskin Trail (where all the fireworks stands are just past Ralph Fair Rd.) wide enough to accommodate the future additional lanes. If you drive that overpass, while the lanes are not yet present you can see the overpass is both wide enough, and already has the beam supports in place for the additional lanes. This will save a whole lot of time, money, and driver frustration when the next phase kicks off.

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by TXStrat

It isn't investigative journalism, it is liberal opinion disguised as journalism. I have lived here for quite some time, and living on the NW side, outside of 1604, I can tell you that the construction of the third general purpose lane, and additional HOV lane in each direction on I-10 outside of 1604 has had a tremendous effect on congestion in the area. If you claim otherwise, you're either unfamiliar with driving in that area, or are being willfully dishonest.

You are trying to turn this into an attack on liberals or how you feel about liberals. As far I know, I haven't seen anything that actually labels SA Current as liberal or claiming they are liberal.

You are right though, I don't drive where the HOV lanes are on a daily basis so I can't relate to that area BUT I do drive daily all over most areas of San Antonio and feel the pain of congestion just like you do.

[TXStrat]

Originally Posted by Azure110

You are trying to turn this into an attack on liberals or how you feel about liberals. As far I know, I haven't seen anything that actually labels SA Current as liberal or claiming they are liberal. And I get attacked for going off point...geez.

You are right though, I don't drive where the HOV lanes are on a daily basis so I can't relate to that area BUT I do drive daily all over San Antonio and feel the pain of congestion just like you do.

I am doing no such thing. I am simply clarifying that the SA Current is NOT news, it is opinion, and it is most certainly biased. I read it everyday, and there is no doubt of their obvious bias. My point was to take what they report with a grain of salt. I read the article, and the study, and did research into the organizations backing the study. It isn't a credible, scientific study, based on empirical evidence. It's a bunch of opinion and conjecture meant to sway opinions based on an appeal to emotion.

TXDoT's traffic studies, population growth models, and congestion figures that were the justification for the expansion projects were based on empirical evidence.

People can be as liberal, or conservative as they want. It's a free country. They are entitled to their own opinions, however, not their own facts. That is a key distinction.

[txtea]

Seems like most news these days is a bunch of opinions, instead of reporting the news without bias.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by Azure110

You are trying to turn this into an attack on liberals or how you feel about liberals. As far I know, I haven't seen anything that actually labels SA Current as liberal or claiming they are liberal.

You are right though, I don't drive where the HOV lanes are on a daily basis so I can't relate to that area BUT I do drive daily all over most areas of San Antonio and feel the pain of congestion just like you do.

I generally agree with your point here, but you must live in an echo chamber if this is true.

[malcorub16]

I feel SA current is not liberal per se, but it is obviously geared toward that crowd...typically younger people. Every city has one types of free magazines.

[rynetwo]

The title of this thread is misleading.

To elaborate, the city is sprawling and building very dense development too. Texas is growing at breakneck speed and it won’t be slowing. The HDRC is reviewing many midrises and a 32 story apartment high rise for the rapidly expanding DT.

[GEM-Texas]

Given the high density housing plans, by the time any of this is completed - it will be obsolescent at best, obsolete at the worst.

[rynetwo]

So what do you do? Nothing? That seems logical.