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Opinion

Slow freeway sees some progress

Santiago Lopez
Opinion Columnist

There were more than 10,000 High Occupancy Vehicle lane violations last year in Houston, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday. That means at least 10,000 cars with less than the required number of occupants were caught driving through HOV lanes in an effort to shave time off of commutes.

The fact that a large proportion of the offenses occurred on the Katy Freeway points to a problem: the time it takes to get anywhere on the freeway is obscene. In the past, a commute from downtown to Highway 6 would take more than an hour, with almost 30 minutes passing before a driver would travel from the usual slowdown on the westbound side of Interstate 10 at T.C. Jester Boulevard to get to the Silber Road exit.

However, with the recent shutdown of the old Silber exit in order to open a new one and the addition of an extra lane to westbound I-10 as it passes under the 610 Loop, traffic at this section moves by much quicker than the snail's pace it did just one month ago. 

This points to a need for the construction workers on I-10 to continue to work toward smaller milestones as opposed to the overall goal of completing all work on the Katy Freeway. The freeway should be finished in the first part of 2009, according to estimates on the Katy Freeway Reconstruction Program's Web site. 

Small projects keep traffic flowing and do much to prevent HOV lane violators from needing to constantly break the law. These violators seem to regularly ride this section of the freeway and should know to allocate a certain amount of time (yes, sometimes an hour or more) for their daily commute in both directions. With a little time management, one can leave for work or school a little earlier rather than wasting time dressing up a pillow to look like an extra passenger, as the Chronicle reported one driver attempted to do.

There is hardly a need to run the risk of being caught alone in the HOV lane when the time to get to Highway 6 has been cut almost in half. 

Though it does take longer than it should to get where you're going on the Katy Freeway, relief is in sight as the construction projects continue to make progress. A little inconvenience now is worth it. Such congestion will seem like a distant memory when you can drive the speed limit on your way home every night. 

Lopez, a creative writing senior, 
can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu.