Best Way Around Houston

[rk911]

we'll be heading to Phoenix west on I-10 from I-55 in early February. for several reasons we'd prefer not to detour off I-10 towards the Dallas area. if our schedule holds we'd be hitting Houston late morning or early afternoon on a Friday, possibly a Saturday. absent construction or traffic accidents both of which I will check on before we get there...barrel through on 10 or detour onto 610? tolls don't bother us. suggestions?

[rk911]

we're at Houston East RV park tonite (saturday) and will be heading thru Houston and SA tomorrow on our way to Buckhorn Lake in Kerrville tomorrow. we did the 210 bypass around Lake Charles which wasn't as rough as portions of I-55 and I-10 we had encountered over the previous 2-days but the section of I-10 west of Lake Charles...wow! i thought the MH was gonna shake itself apart.

we're gonna grab some gas at the Baytown Buc-ees in the morning and then on to Kerrville for a few days. haven't decided on barreling thru SA or doing the end-around but we'll top off the tank near or in SA one way or the other. barreling thru SA on a Sunday can't be a problem. looking forward to getting back to Kerrville and the hill country for a few days.

appreciate all your suggestions.

[rk911]

PartyOf Five wrote:
Houston traffic isn't bad, certainly better than Chicago with those extra lanes. I'd just go in the off hours, skip the toll roads, and save my worrying for those tall bridges- less worrisome for my 450 than for my heart!

we both know all about Chicago traffic and I sometimes forget that bad traffic is in the eye of the guy stuck in that traffic. we've been in other cities...Nashville comes to mind...traveling through at their rush hour and listening to the traffic reports on the radio reporting how terrible the traffic was whereas we found it on the slow side but nothing like when I used to commute to the U of I downtown on the Stevenson or the Ryan.

(and on a personal note...apologies for this morning. we both feel terrible.)

[PartyOf_Five]

Houston traffic isn't bad, certainly better than Chicago with those extra lanes. I'd just go in the off hours, skip the toll roads, and save my worrying for those tall bridges- less worrisome for my 450 than for my heart!

[rk911]

thanks for all of the help, suggestions and tips. we've made the trip from Chicago to Mesa, AZ each spring for the past 12-yrs or so but usually leave home in early March and take I-44/I-40 to ABQ and then depending on the weather either stay west on I-40 to I-17 or divert south on I-25 to I-10. this is the first year we're able to leave Chicago earlier than usual and instead of our usual route we're heading south as fast as we can to escape winter. looking forward to it!

[rk911]

b17drvr wrote:
Use this link to check the traffic in Houston.
http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/mobile/imaps.aspx?HR=1

thanks. added to my pc and tablet.

[prichardson]

Houston is best done I-10 straight thru on weekends. While the bridge in Lake Charles is steep it is not more than Baton Rouge and the loop is longer and rough. Construction - east of Baton Rouge, between Lafayette and the basin bridge, and as always Orange to Winnie. All are maintaining two lanes open during the daytime.

[abom2]

Another thing to keep in mind. There is perpetual construction of I-10 between Orange, TX and Winnie, TX. You will hit some slow downs between Orange and Beaumont. Early morning the traffic is not bad. There will be some slow downs as you near the bridge construction on the east side of Beaumont. Biggest hazard will be the wanna be stock car racers zig zagging the lanes.

If approaching Houston on a Friday evening I would recommend you consider stopping in the Winnie area for the night and get an early start Saturday morning.

There are two RV parks in Winnie. I stayed at one for three years (Trading Days RV and Flea Mkt.) Nothing fancy, just basic hook ups.

An early Saturday start will find I-10 thru Houston relatively easy flowing. Watch your GPS when approaching San Antonio. STAY on I-10 through there. If you follow the GPS expect many tight turns and stop lights. (Don't ask me how I know. lol)

Top off your tank around Comfort, TX. Fuel again around Ft. Stockton. My home base is just NW of Houston. I carry 110 gallons of fuel with a full bag. I can make Phoenix with that if I push it. I generally put on another 40 gallons at Las Cruces, NM just because things can happen.

When arriving in the Phoenix area watch out for the few empty heads that change lanes on a whim and think they are the only ones there. Also, It is amazing the amount of head on collisions I have heard on the news on the Loops (101/202) over the last year that I have been here.

Keep your head on a swivel when stopping for fuel around Houston. But be double alert around San Antonio and El Paso!

Personal experience. YMMV

[Team_Triton]

I am generally heading North from there so I take Hwy 105 at Beaumont and hit 45 in Conroe

[pawpaw47]

Traffic in Houston on Friday is ALWAYS a problem, especially after mid day.
If you get to Houston on Friday, I would suggest that you get off I-10 going west just after the Channelview/Baytown area, and take Beltway 8 north. It will loop around the city and reconnect with I-10 on the west side of Houston bypassing most of the traffic congestion. It is a toll road though.
If you get to Houston on Saturday or Sunday you shouldn't have any problems at all just taking I-10 straight through.
Best of luck and happy camping!

[b17drvr]

Use this link to check the traffic in Houston.
http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/mobile/imaps.aspx?HR=1

[rk911]

Isaac-1 wrote:
The I-210 bridge is not nearly as bad as the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles, it has a long sweeping curve that is not nearly as steep, and no shoulders, but at least has wider lanes than the I-10 bridge.

thanks, Issac...appreciate the help.

[Isaac-1]

The I-210 bridge is not nearly as bad as the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles, it has a long sweeping curve that is not nearly as steep, and no shoulders, but at least has wider lanes than the I-10 bridge.

[rk911]

holy bumper tag, Batman! thanks for the photos and the Lake Charles advice. I've adjusted the GPS route to take I-210 around. is the 210 bridge just as steep?

[Isaac-1]

I-10 passes north of the ship channel, however there are steep bridges on both beltway 8 (toll road) and I-610, fog can also be an issue north of Galveston Bay (Beaumont to Baytown on I-10) in the mornings in early spring, though typically this is more common in March. The bridges are usually not a big deal, but are steep enough to slow down some large trucks. On this topic take the I-210 bypass around Lake Charles LA, it will add 3-5 miles, but will let you avoid the steep, narrow, antiquated I-10 bridge that dates back to the late 1940's, the I-210 bridge by contrast was built in the 1970's.

I-10 west (katy freeway) in Houston is a mixed use roadway with free interstate outer lanes, and limited access HOV / toll road expressway down the middle which I think is EZ pass only. The katy freeway built about 10-15 years ago is the widest stretch of freeway in the US in places up to 22 lanes wide and about 25 miles long.

p.s. here are a couple of photos for you

Katy freeway, and the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles, LA