Major Freeway/ Highway you do your best to avoid in Houston Metro area?

[Ramu3]

I-45 here

[weslinder]

I don't live in Houston, but I'm there a lot. 290 seems worst to me.

[ryan_98]

290, and i live off of 290 and antoine.

[rudan]

I try to avoid the ramp off beltway 8 to 290 if I can :grin:

[gwatson86]

I don't get on 610 unless I have to... I hate that loop.

[TreeRollins]

Once inside the loop, 59 is a nightmare until you get past downtown.

[MadMax]

290 is awful.

I live out west on I-10...it's absolutely the best freeway to drive on since the expansion.

[Dubious]

290 Rush Hour is bad.

610 Galleria is bad


Other than than, Houston's traffic snarl is an anachronism, it's been solved by government spending; and tollway taxation. We are huge, you can spend an hour going somewhere, but the new freeways and tollways work great. I-10 is the best billion dollars ever spent.

Now we just need alternative electrical generation and electric cars. We will be the model for future megalopolises. Highways in the sky. Because personal transportation is freedom.

(this is why I got kicked out of Urban Planning, I'm a heretic)

[Rocketman95]

290 is awful.

I live out west on I-10...it's absolutely the best freeway to drive on since the expansion.

my dad still doesn't believe me that we are in traffic a grand total of 50 minutes a day driving from old katy to the galleria. that drive took him 90 minutes each way when i was a kid.

[No Worries]

610 @ Galleria (between I-10 and 59).

[DallasThomas]

It's been about ten years since I've done any real driving around Houston. I mean, I drive there from time to time, but not around town or anywhere near rush hour.

So I don't really know what it's like nowadays (you have an HOV-slash-toll road built inside of an already-massive freeway?!), but when I lived there, man, I HATED 610.

[Harrisment]

Yeah I don't know how anyone could list I-10. Since the expansion I love driving on it.

290 is my pick. During rush hour it is absolute hell.

[Amber Lamps]

The different sides of the loop should have their own options in the poll. The south loop isn't nearly as bad as the west loop or north loop.

And who ever drives the east loop??





loop.

[s land balla]

59 is the greatest highway of all time.

Fact.

[v3.0]

Another vote for 290 during rush hour, it reminds me of typical LA highways. A freakin' stop and go parking lot.

610 near the galleria is also a biatch.

[Bojangles]

290, and i live off of 290 and antoine.
HOLLA ATCHA BOY! 290/antoine!

[thelasik]

290.

So glad I carpool and take the HOV to and from work.

[Bojangles]

59 is the greatest highway of all time.

Fact.

no, no, and no. lol.

[dmc89]

Here in Chicago, it's definitely the Circle Interchange (I-90 & I-290). I heard it is one, if not the, worst traffic spot in America.

[dmc89]

59 is the greatest highway of all time.

Fact.

That goes to Westpark or the newly expanded I-10 by Beltway 8. On Westpark, one can easily hit 150 mph without posing a danger to other vehicles at night, and maintain that all the way from West H-town till the Galleria.

[noscrusir]

290 is awful.

I live out west on I-10...it's absolutely the best freeway to drive on since the expansion.

Before the expansion, I-10 Katy Freeway would've easily been tops on this list.

[PointForward]

Are you guys referring to 290 going toward downtown (south east) or the other way?

[Refman]

I would rather give birth to a porcupine that is on fire than drive on 290 during rush hour.

[Sajan]

I-45 / 610 east loop or anywhere the hispanics drive.

i was just driving on 45 near the friendswood area and theres a big slowdown..i was like wth..i look and it's this hispanic girl with her windows down in her truck with big rims just driving about 45 on the left lane. ??????

[s land balla]

That goes to Westpark or the newly expanded I-10 by Beltway 8. On Westpark, one can easily hit 150 mph without posing a danger to other vehicles at night, and maintain that all the way from West H-town till the Galleria.

I lauged. Because it's true. I love Houston drivers. So glad I don't have a car here in Chicago.

[dmc89]

I-45 / 610 east loop or anywhere the hispanics drive.

i was just driving on 45 near the friendswood area and theres a big slowdown..i was like wth..i look and it's this hispanic girl with her windows down in her truck with big rims just driving about 45 on the left lane. ??????

http://media.tzaam.com/images/full/fd.gif

Having said, I've lost count of the times when I see some Latinos in a 30 year old pickup with a trailer of their landscaping equipment going 10 mph under the speed limit in the fast lane. :mad:

[Stone Cold Hakeem]

I lauged. Because it's true. I love Houston drivers. So glad I don't have a car here in Chicago.

Living in Chicago gave me a greater appreciation of Houston highways. Seems like every freeway there is like driving on 290.

[ItsMyFault]

the loop and 290 are the worst.. although I don't ever use 290. I'm coming off of 59, where it's moderate. I-45 is pretty bad in the afternoons...

[KePoW]

West 610 Loop

[JeopardE]

290 is by far the worst. 610 gets bad, but it's not the nightmare that 290 is.

[Eps]

610 is pretty bad i 45 sux on all days besides sunday, and i will agree 59 was made for the easy commute. i love 59. and the hispanic folks are just as annoying as the huge monster trucks(f-150's and up) trying to run over my s!@# and those l.e.d lights at night. i have to literally wear my sunglasses at night. :cool:

[Poloshirtbandit]

I used to work in Bellaire right off 610 near the 59 interchange. I hated trying to get onto 610 to go home, but the alternatives were even worse.

[DonnyMost]

290

honorable mention to 610 near the galleria (north and southbound... although I think northbound is slightly worse)

[Summer Song Giver]

290 Rush Hour is bad.

610 Galleria is bad

Let me start by saying that, because of location alone, I avoid 45 as much as possible but, it is nowhere near as bad as the two you mentioned. I used to work near the galleria and it was routinely a twelve hour, eight hour work day when traffic was jacked. I also used to work off 290 and Brittmore so I have experience with that also; 290 at rush hour, is hell on earth.

[ryano2009]

I would say 290, when the Rush hour hit it's freaking nightmare, the best Highway IMO I would say I-10 after the reconstruction.

[ima_drummer2k]

290 outbound during rush hour. That freeway is about 30 years behind the development of the area. It's a cluster-**** from 290 all the way out to Cypress. I can't imagine having to drive that commute every day.

I-45 right around Little York seems to be congested 24/7. And if it rains for more than 10 minutes, the feeders are all under water.

The Eastex is as smooth as a Ray Allen jumper. At least until they build that Earthquest place...

[weslinder]

Here in Chicago, it's definitely the Circle Interchange (I-90 & I-290). I heard it is one, if not the, worst traffic spot in America.

I spent a little time in Chicago on my last job. I learned why they have the "avoid highways" option on my GPS. When the average speed is 0 on the freeway, you can get everywhere faster on surface streets.

[s land balla]

Even when traveling for work from my apartment to O'Hare, depending on the time of the day, I usually elect to take the Blue Line to the airport, rather than a cab (even though I can expense it either way). Traffic here sucks.

[Supermac34]

They went and built giant suburban master planned communities in Cypress without thought of the transportation to get there. At least when the Champions/Klein/Tomball areas blew up they expanded 249 "highway to nowhere".

290 is way under capacity for the amount of people that live out there. At least there are big time plans to expand it. It'll be even more hellish while they do the work, but in the long run, its greatly needed.

[SwoLy-D]

Aside from a few people that have already said it, can't you all specify which way you're mentioning? :confused: I can't figure out if you all mean Inbound/Outbound or North/South or East/West for some of the freeways you're mentioning.

No freeway is one I try to avoid at all, as I don't really complain about traffic... but if it had to be the "worst" one, it would be the 59 Southwest Freeway going northbound between Shepherd and the downtown split at any time of rush hour, whether morning or afternoon. :o The "fix" made it worse in there... the bottleneck seems to be at the split and exit to Fannin/Main, not at the dip.

[justtxyank]

290 is awful.

I live out west on I-10...it's absolutely the best freeway to drive on since the expansion.

Ditto Max. I10 is a great freeway. 290 is the worst freeway of all time. OF ALL TIME.

[ima_drummer2k]

Aside from a few people that have already said it, can't you all specify which way you're mentioning? :confused: I can't figure out if you all mean Inbound/Outbound or North/South or East/West for some of the freeways you're mentioning.
Seems pretty obvious that most are talking about rush hour.

[pgabriel]

I remember back in 98, some magazine ranked the 610/59 intersection at the galleria as the second worst in the nation behind some intersection in LA.

290 is just stupid, but I think since the katy fwy expansion, a lot of those commuters are learning to just go out the katy and go up north on hwy6 or barker. if I lived off 290 that's what I would do.

[SwoLy-D]

Seems pretty obvious that most are talking about rush hour.Well, I guess the question was "during rush hour" initially... :grin:

610 West Loop northbound and southbound and that one piece of 59 I mentioned seems to be full no matter which way or time of day. :(

[s land balla]

Compared to pretty much any other big city, Houston traffic flys.

[ElPigto]

They went and built giant suburban master planned communities in Cypress without thought of the transportation to get there. At least when the Champions/Klein/Tomball areas blew up they expanded 249 "highway to nowhere".

290 is way under capacity for the amount of people that live out there. At least there are big time plans to expand it. It'll be even more hellish while they do the work, but in the long run, its greatly needed.

I believe they are also going to make the Hempstead Tollway as well, or so I heard.