The same day that this story about TxDOT reconsidering its I-45 options (which I posted on at the time), there was also this story about the Hardy Toll Road extension and a public meeting about it to be held that day buried in the This Week section.
Since TxDOT first unveiled its plan to rebuild the Elysian Viaduct late last year, Near Northside residents and city preservation advocates have been critical of the plan, saying it would further erode the fabric of the neighborhood.
As currently constructed, the 50-year-old Elysian Viaduct is a four-lane, elevated bridge that begins at Commerce Street and heads north over Buffalo Bayou and I-10 before reaching Quitman Street.
The proposed .6-mile extension would further the viaduct to the planned future Hardy Toll Road extension near Loop 610.
TxDOT has said that the viaduct is unsafe and needs to be replaced.
But the possibility of extending the viaduct and adding shoulders to it has worried some residents who live along its proposed path.
A number of buildings along that path would have to be bought and torn down to make way for the construction, while homes close to the new road will have a major connector to the Hardy Toll Road right in the middle of their residential neighborhood.
[…]
After residents echoed their concerns at the December unveiling of TxDOT’s plan for the viaduct, department officials said they would return with alternatives that create the least possible disruption to the neighborhood.
TxDOT will present those alternative plans at the meeting.
TxDOT project manager Pat Henry said the department has created a number of new alternatives for the viaduct, including rerouting the new road away from the existing bridge and into areas that are less populated by residents.
“We’ve added a number of different alignments based on the concerns we heard at the first meeting,” Henry said.
Very similar things being said about the Hardy as has been said about I-45, including that doing nothing is not an option. I’ll be interested in seeing a report from that meeting.
Hey Charles,
I just want to say thanks.
Sean