Sam Houston Tollway and Beltway 8
Bridgewalker J the Chestnut Cockatiel
the feeder/service road is actually Beltway 8? My wife told me this a
few months ago and I'm skeptical.
...................................................................
Bridgewalker J, the Chestnut Cockatiel
( b r i d g e w a l k e r @ m a i l . c o m )
Photographer-in-training / Mac OS fan
Jorge R. Frank
>
> Is it true that the actual highway is the Sam Houston Tollway and that
> the feeder/service road is actually Beltway 8? My wife told me this a
> few months ago and I'm skeptical.
That is true, according to both the Houston Chronicle and the road signs
themselves. However, to muddy the matters a bit, there are stretches
where the mainlanes are not toll (e.g. between IH45N and JFK, and from
IH10E north to US90), and these are also referred to as Beltway 8.
The entire road is also called the Sam Houston Parkway.
--
JRF
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Bruce
"Bridgewalker J the Chestnut Cockatiel"
>Is it true that the actual highway is the Sam Houston Tollway and that
>the feeder/service road is actually Beltway 8? My wife told me this a
>few months ago and I'm skeptical.
Well, I used to work on North Sam Houston Parkway East. I believe that the
address referred to the feeder. Is there a difference? Hell, I don't
know.
Bruce
Dave
when it was first planned. The Sam Houston Parkway/Tollway is a newer, but
overlapping title for the same sections of road. Just like North Loop West
is another name for a portion of Loop 610.
Portions of the beltway are OLD, like near the east side 20 years ago when
it was 2 lane blacktop. Conversely, the southernmost portion between 45
south and 59 south are only 5 years old.
The tollway was built under contract by the HCTRA, but portions were built
by Tx DOT including the ship channel bridge, and the section near
intercontinental. The access roads/feeders are pretty much built by Tx
DOT. Thats why the southern portion of the belt, near telephone/state 35
doesnt have a feeder bridge over Mykawa and the tracks. The HCTRA built
the toll road over it, but the state hasnt gotten to building the access
roads over it.
Bridgewalker J the Chestnut Cockatiel wrote:
> Is it true that the actual highway is the Sam Houston Tollway and that
> the feeder/service road is actually Beltway 8? My wife told me this a
> few months ago and I'm skeptical.
jb
(Bruce) wrote:
>In houston.general
>"Bridgewalker J the Chestnut Cockatiel"
><bridge...@macintoshman.mail.com> wrote:
>
>>Is it true that the actual highway is the Sam Houston Tollway and that
>>the feeder/service road is actually Beltway 8? My wife told me this a
>>few months ago and I'm skeptical.
Technically yes, the highway is the Sam Houston Tollway and the
feeder is Beltway 8.
-jb
Bridgewalker J the Chestnut Cockatiel
>That is true, according to both the Houston Chronicle and the road
signs
>themselves. However, to muddy the matters a bit, there are stretches
>where the mainlanes are not toll (e.g. between IH45N and JFK, and from
>IH10E north to US90), and these are also referred to as Beltway 8.
When you say "are not toll," do you mean that there is just a long
stretch between booths, or exits and entrances are free too? (I don't
have much experience with the tollway.) Where is it free?
Jorge R. Frank
>
> Jorge R. Frank wrote in message <37684638...@ibm-pc.org>...
> >That is true, according to both the Houston Chronicle and the road
> signs
> >themselves. However, to muddy the matters a bit, there are stretches
> >where the mainlanes are not toll (e.g. between IH45N and JFK, and from
> >IH10E north to US90), and these are also referred to as Beltway 8.
>
> When you say "are not toll," do you mean that there is just a long
> stretch between booths, or exits and entrances are free too? (I don't
> have much experience with the tollway.) Where is it free?
I mean that the entrances and exits are free, just like the rest of the
freeway system. There are two stretches where this is the case:
- North side between I-45 and JFK Boulevard: this stretch was built by
TxDOT before Lindsey had the idea of building the rest as a tollway.
- East side between I-10 and the new US90: I have no idea why this
section was built free instead of toll. But it's free, so enjoy it!
Bruce
"Bridgewalker J the Chestnut Cockatiel"
>When you say "are not toll," do you mean that there is just a long
>stretch between booths, or exits and entrances are free too? (I don't
>have much experience with the tollway.) Where is it free?
They are actually NOT part of the toll road. The toll road does not circle
Houston unbroken. Just before you cross 45N heading east on the tollway,
it becomes just another freeway. There are other parts, but I'm not
familiar with them.
Kenny
Jim Riley
Cockatiel" <bridge...@macintoshman.mail.com> wrote:
>Is it true that the actual highway is the Sam Houston Tollway and that
>the feeder/service road is actually Beltway 8? My wife told me this a
>few months ago and I'm skeptical.
The state planned the beltway but didn't have the money to build it
quickly (though it did build the toll bridge over the Ship Channel).
In some places it was just an ordinary street (Westbelt). Harris
County came up with a plan to build it as toll road, at the same time
the Hardy Tollroad was funded. The state acquired the land, and also
built the frontage roads, and also built some of the major
interchanges. They also built the portion from I-45 to JFK near IAH.
When the first sections of the tollway were opened between I-10 (Katy)
and US59 (Southwest) in 1988, articles in _The Houston Post_ would use
statements like: "called the Sam Houston Tollway , will open along the
Beltway 8 corridor", "Sam Houston Tollway is the county's name for the
toll road under construction along the Beltway 8 corridor from the
Southwest Freeway to Interstate 45 North", and "All that has changed,
however, since the latest extension of Beltway 8, also called the Sam
Houston Tollway"
More recent articles in the _Houston Chronicle_ say things like "the
Texas Department of Transportation is underwriting the tollway's
bridge crossing, rather than a Beltway 8 bridge crossing, at Mykawa.
It has no near-term plans to build the frontage road across.
Therefore, motorists attempting to drive along Beltway 8 for free will
either have to pay a quarter to veer briefly onto the tollway."
Also, the state doesn't name highways but simply gives them route
designations. Any names are given by localities. The free portions
are called the Sam Houston Parkway, and the ship channel bridge, which
the county has bought is not the Sam Houston Tollway Bridge.
So I think your wife is right. It's like the county built a toll road
in the median of a divided state highway.
Just_Plain_Bill
signs. As you'll see, the frontage roads are plainly marked Beltway 8 and
the toll road is marked Sam Houston Toll road. A good place to see these
markings is south-bound on U.S. 59 on the southwest side of Houston. Just
prior to the interchange with the toll road, you'll see an exit market
Beltway 8. If you take this exit, you'll wind up on the frontage road
north-bound alongside the Sam Houston Toll road. I used to have a business
near this intersection and my employees often gave visitors dirctions to
the airport in which they told them to take the Beltway 8 exit off 59. Of
course this put them on the frontage road instead of the toll road as
intended. Also, next time you're going to the airport, you should note
that the non-toll portion of the roadway approximately between IH 45 and
U.S. 59 is called Beltway 8.