Overgrowth in the MoPac Jungle
Ben Wear has an informative article in today's Statesman, providing more details (and lots of purty pictures) on TxDOT's plan to expand MoPac. This picture is our favorite, as it shows that the new lane isn't getting added between the current lanes and the train track - it is replacing the existing shoulder (between the highway and the houses). TxDOT has promised a "noise wall," but we'll believe that when we see hear it.
The odd thing about Wear's article is that it contains no indication that anyone thinks the MoPac expansion plan is a good idea. Even proponents agree that the new plan would lead to (1) more accidents and serious injuries (after construction of a similar new lane in Dallas, accidents increased around 50% - there are differences with the MoPac plan, but their effect is not clear); (2) accidents having worse effects on traffic because smashed cars will not be able to pull off to the shoulder - this would have especially congestifying effects in the new lane, where cars won't even be able to use other lanes to go around; and (3) reduced flow in the non managed lanes, both because they will be narrower and because of turbulence created by cars going into and out of the new lane. Worst of all, no one is looking at this as anything more than a stopgap, including TxDOT. So why spend $110 million on it? Leave MoPac alone! Waste TxDOT money somewhere else.
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