Dangerous Intersection
The picture shows UTB (in center) and the University Blvd (taken 2004 and under construction at this time). Below, right shows the problem area with the intersection of Universtiy Blvd/East Ave. and the Expressway 77/83.I have a comment about an intersection that is very dangerous and have seen many accidents happen regularly and that's not counting near misses (I have been one of those near misses).
This intersection is located at University Blvd and Expressway 77/83. Here are the obvious points that make this intersection dangerous:
1. The highway is raised a few feet above University Blvd and East Ave so that people on this Blvd cannot see the people on the other end. It's basically a large hill that no one can see over unless you have a tall vehicle. Cars go flying thru this intersection and can be dangerous to those turning left from either side.
2. The light at the end of Expressway 77/83. There should not be any lights on an expressway. People are driving 60 to 80 mph as well as semi trucks. When the light turns yellow (which lasts but a few seconds) cars/trucks are forced to either run the red light or stop very rapidly. This can be confusing to those new to the area. I’ve seen trucks fly thru the red light cuz they can stop on time, which can be dangerous if not fatal to those who are turning left from the side roads.
3. The turning lane on the Expressway 77/83 to East Ave. is a miserable one lane, which people are forced to wait in very long lines (seen them go up almost to the top of the overpass during heavy traffic) causing frustration and making people do things that they would otherwise not do, like using the lane that goes towards the Veteran’s Int’l Bridge and then turn left causing cars turning left on the correct lane to swerve to avoid those idiots. This can also be true for cars waiting on University Blvd to turn left onto the expressway.
4. Accidents can and have been very severe on this intersection. I’ve seen cars smashed to tiny bits because of the velocities that are involved. Talk about a car doing 60-70 mph hitting a car turning left doing 15-20 mph. Ouch!
Solution:
Create an overpass on University Blvd/East Ave. This will eliminate the hill in the middle of the expressway, lights at the end of the expressway, horrible accidents, long lines, and other issues caused by the present situation. This is a terrible situation and needs to be remedied soon. I don’t want to become a statistic as I sure others will feel the same. Let’s fix the problem before someone dies. Money should not be an issue when it comes to people’s lives.
TonyL
posted by TonyL at 11:32 AM
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8 Comments:
I looked at your website on Preservation Brownsville. I live in Houston but am originally from Brownsville. Why is there so little interest (I noticed that there was very little attendance at your meetings) on the issues you are trying to promote?
Is it just that the people of Brownsville are not that interested in cleaning up Brownsville's image?
I'm waiting for the day that I can talk about my hometown with pride and not have to defend it against people from McAllen and Harlingen about how their cities are better.
GHA
There were a few cancellations and others did not show up for the meeting. Why that is is a good question. Some cancellations were good reasons, though. The last meeting was mostly for board members and not the general members but I was expecting a good turnout.
Anyways, the issue with people's interest in B'ville history is that the city promotes to the outside people rather than in the city itself. That's why there are organizations such as ours to help promote and preserve our history. Remember also that many the majority of the middle to upper class people live on the outside of downtown and don't really care about downtown cuz north B'ville is developing at a fast rate and the lower to poor income people for the most part don't really care about other issues other than their survival.
Downtown is in need of more middle to upper income people because they are more likely to be more proactive and would probably be more involved with downtown issues.
This is all my opinion, of course, and I'm sure that there are many other reasons or could be wrong all together. A survey would definately be needed.
As for Harlingen being better, well, maybe on the job front as there are more job opportunities but the retail aspect is pretty much dead. Now, more people from Halringen come to Brownsville to shop as the north part continues growing towards San Benito and more retail plazas, power centers, and restaurants continue to grow in that direction. According to a report done by Harlingen, they are losing $300 million a year due to retail leakage to other cities such as Brownsville and McAllen (Heay, this is a good article to write about in my blog!). Just ten years ago, Brownsvillians would flock to Harlingen and McAllen for entertainment, restaurants, and shopping. Now, I see many people from Monterrey, Harlingen, Cd. Victoria, Mex, Mexico City, and many other places coming to B'ville. You would definately not see that 10 years ago. I say that B'ville is definately gaining ground on the retail aspect. Now, if we could only attract a large Fourtune 500 Co!
Thanks for you comment and hope to hear more of your comments in the future.
TonyL
I was in Brownsville last in March. At that time they were building the Home Depot. What's the latest in that shopping center. Any other stores start building yet?
Also, heard that Target's building accross the highway. They hadn't started that when I was there. What's the latest on that?
Any other retail comming in since March?
GHA
Lots been going on since last year.
You name two of them, the 550,000 sf power center called Morrison Crossing (Home Depot is built along with Petco). Most of the buildings that will make up this power center is almost complete. It's looking nice. I wish I could post it on my website the pics of Morrison Crossing but I ran out of space.
The other one you mentioned is Las Tiendas Plaza (don't care for the name, though) that will be home to Super Target and Kohl's a bank and other retail and restaurants.
At the Sunrise Palms (where Circuit City is), the 4-story Staybridge hotel is complete and about to open as well as Bed Bath & Beyond, The Men's Warehouse, and Carnival shoes (these alst three are open).
The Sunrise Corner (across from Circuit City) has been finished and already it has several stores and restaurants such as Tres Fretelli (how ever you spell it), Quiznos, some jewelry store and something else; to early in the morning to remember.
Linen-N-Things at the Sunrise Mall is nearly complete at 28,000 sf. along with FYE Entertainment and a couple of other stores.
There's more out there but these are the largest that are coming this year.
Hope that helps. Got to go to work. Sucks but it Friday!
TonyL
Forgot to mention that Las Tiendas Plaza is already under construction.
TonyL
Thanks for the info. I probably won't be back in B'ville until spring break next year. Sounds like it'll be a much different city.
GHA
Tony,
You can count on support from the art community. Let's get things moving!
PS: I STRONGLY suggest that you read Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class. You will find it most interesting.
I'm so happy that you're working to revitalize downtown Brownsville. I live in North Texas but was raised in Brownsville until I was 12. We visit as often as we can. Lately, the visits have been disappointing since the downtown area is not like it was when I was a little girl delivering flowers for my grandparents' flower shop to Higgin's Cafe.
It is sad that the heart of a city slowly stops beating. We must learn to take care of what we have instead of continuing to grow out and out and out("urban sprawl" was a term I learned). New developments are nice, clean, and comfortable. But with that comes the costly need to develop roadways and all the things necessary for a new development.
In North Texas, I know we can't afford to continue building roadways for new devleopments. Another term I learned is "sustainable development". The idea of developing communities in which citizens can live, work, and play. Developments like a revitalized downtown area would encourage the heart of Brownsville to keep beating and with a sense of pride that yesterday is not forgotten and thrown away. Good luck with your efforts. Maybe someday I'll be back in Brownsville as a downtown resident in one of the apartments I envision built over the existing buildings. It would be a prime location for watching the Charro Days parades. Thank you.
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