News Release: from the Katy Freeway Public Information Office
Significant Time Travel Savings on the New Katy Freeway
Thursday, Dec 11th, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008
CONTACT: Tanya McWashington - Katy Freeway Public Information Officer
281-589-5969 / 713-834-2592 or email: mcwashington@pbworld.com
STUDY REVEALS COMMUTERS ARE SAVING SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL TIME WHEN TRAVELING ALONG THE NEW
I-10/KATY FREEWAY
“Texas Transportation Institute Completes a Review of Katy Freeway Travel Times and Speeds”
(Houston, Texas) – At the request of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) recently completed a review of travel times and speeds along the I-10/Katy Freeway. This initial analysis of commuter benefits relative to the recently completed expansion project reveals that drivers are saving significant time during roundtrip commutes between SH 99 and the I-610/West Loop when comparing traffic conditions in June 2008 to data collected during a recent review in November, particularly during peak time hours.
After opening the freeway in its full lane capacity at the end of October, commuters traveling the Katy Freeway corridor now save an average of 15 minutes of time during their morning commutes by increasing average travel speeds by 25 MPH, and save on average another 12 minutes of time during afternoon commutes by increasing average travel speeds by 19 MPH. “We are pleased about the recent survey results that tell us that drivers are saving as much as 40 – 45 minutes a day on their roundtrip commutes on the new and improved Katy Freeway,” says Delvin Dennis, TxDOT Houston District Engineer.
In June 2008, drivers were averaging speeds of 33 MPH and travel times of 36 minutes during morning commutes between SH 99 and the West Loop. Afternoon commutes were averaging 35 MPH with travel times of 34 minutes. With the completion of construction, morning commuters are now averaging speeds of 58 MPH and travel times of 21 minutes with afternoon commuters averaging 54 MPH and travel times of 22 minutes when traveling this same distance. This translates to almost 2 ½ hours per work week that commuters are given back valuable time to spend in other ways besides sitting in traffic.
The initial findings from I-10/Katy Freeway Updated Travel Time Study are available for review on the Katy Freeway web site via the link http://www.katyfreeway.org/KatyFwyTravelTimes.pdf. TTI will be performing a more detailed analysis and will present a comprehensive technical report after the first of the year. For more information on the Katy Freeway Reconstruction Program, please contact the Katy Freeway Public Information Office at 281-589-5924 or visit the Katy Freeway web site at www.katyfreeway.org.
