I-10 thru Houston

[Rose]

We'll be traveling from New Mexico to Florida on I- 10 and was wondering if anybody had any tips for passing thru[around?]Houston? I can't deal with city traffic so well anymore!!

[Rose]

We'll be traveling from New Mexico to Florida on I- 10 and was wondering if anybody had any tips for passing thru[around?]Houston? I can't deal with city traffic so well anymore!!

[RustyJC]

If you don't mind paying tolls, use Sam Houston Tollway to bypass downtown Houston. I'd suggest taking Sam Houston Tollway NORTH - fewer tolls (the Eastern portion is Beltway 8 - non-toll but a few traffic lights) and generally lighter traffic (that's a relative term). Using SHT North, you'll have 2 toll booths, and the toll at each will be $3.50 for 4 axles.

Otherwise, Loop 610 North (not much better than I-10) or a wide loop around Houston on the backroads north of the Houston metropolitan area, but development has caught up as far as FM1488 up around Conroe, so anything from there on South won't be much better than I-10.

Frankly, I-10 isn't all that bad if you come through during non-rush-hour times (rush hours being generally 6-10 AM and 3-7 PM).

Rusty

[Rose]

How about Beltway 8 to the south RustyJC? Or maybe I-10 at 3AM.
Thanks for the response!

[RustyJC]

Beltway 8, where the Sam Houston Tollway is completed, is nothing but the access or service roads to the Sam Houston Tollway. You would have a blue jillion traffic lights going around Beltway 8 South and would still have to get onto the Tollway to go over the Fred Hartman bridge over the Houston Ship Channel. If you went on the Sam Houston Tollway South, you would have many more toll plazas ($3.50 a pop) than on Sam Houston Tollway North, and sections of the Sam Houston Tollway South neck down to 2 lanes each direction and can get pretty crowded.

I-10 at 3:00 AM should be a snap! Just watch out for the drunks as the bars close at 2:00 AM.

Rusty