Why Are Texas Interchanges So Tall?

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

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[@AB0BA_69]

Wow, so much hate on Texas. You know what's really bigger in Texas? Soul.

[@whochecksthis]

I have an interchange question. What determines which merge lane ends? In NC, the highway on-ramps start out two or three lane, then have to merge left or right to join the highway. Ignoring those lanes where the exit is on the left of the road… What determines which of the on-ramp lanes end? Same highway, same direction, in Charlotte it is a toss up weather the left or right lane ends… and it is frustrating. Why can’t there be a standard? I mean, it would make sense that always the right lanes end, and everybody entering the highway from multi lane on-ramps would always merge left to join the right lane.

[@kaboom4679]

Make sense ? BLASPHEMY !

[@tomar81]

Be careful, Grady. Saying "Roundabout in the US" may cause your video to be demonetized.

[@calvin7330]

NordVPN doesn't get around the Chinese firewall, by the way

[@fieryweasel]

"...vehicles flowing" is a strong term for that traffic. When I was there, we just sort of oozed.

[@NiSE_Rafter]

Lol oozed is a good way of describing it

[@gus473]

As a former Tarrant County resident who often had to drive over to Dallas and fly out of Love Field, "ooze" is being kind! 😎✌️

[@dishmanw]

If you take the toll lane, it's faster. Austin is bad too, and we usually bypass it.

[@dishmanw]

BTW, my wife is terrified of the high lanes.

[@zwojack7285]

as shown as in the video itself at that moment lol

[@brandonwestfall3241]

"impossible to cover them all." That's quitter talk, gimme that 5 hour long interchange extravaganza

[@Croz89]

Ask RoadGuyRob, he'll probably do a livestream.

ask Alex at Technology Connection for a 1 hour talking lol

[@msromike123]

LOL, Ill watch it!

[@Konraden]

Yes please. Some of us love interchanges more than our own children.

[@alveolate]

that tease with the slot machine thing was just too much... I WANT ALL OF THE STACKS

[@TukaihaHithlec]

“It’s this terrible thing, but the engineering is impressive” describes too many things that I like

[@JeffMTX]

Terrible is in the eye of the beholder

[@RDKirbyN]

They're so ugly and such a gross waste of land, but the engineering of trying to make car traffic work is fascinating

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

@@RDKirbyN I don't think they're ugly at all, especially the ones in Texas. I live in MA and we don't really have any interchanges that big. Most of our bridges here are falling apart and look gross.

[@IvanSal778]

​@@Jon_Nadeau_ they never look all that good when they are 100% of the time under construction

[@fallinginthed33p]

It's kind of crazy seeing the same multi level stacks in San Antonio and Shanghai. Car-centric architecture is all too common unfortunately.

[@unvergebeneid]

I can say from personal experience that these things are not only impressive feats of engineering but almost impossible to build. It's a terrible mess of "slope too steep", "invalid shape" and that's not even mentioning getting those pilons to land exactly between the other roads!

[@chasedavidson2855]

I haven't touched vertical and horizontal curves since college and I like it that way

[@ericsilver9401]

@@chasedavidson2855you’re missing out

[@EdwardM-t8p]

You must play Cities Skylines, right?

[@jameswakim5863]

@@EdwardM-t8p I was thinking the exact same thing lol

[@Kni0002]

It’s easy, just control + A and all your problems go away, given you got the anarchy mod

[@nutsandbolts432]

When driving a big truck through Dallas for the first time, knowing which lane to be in is paramount to getting where you’re supposed to go. Simply using cardinal directions won’t help because you get twisted and turned so many times. Ramps that go to ramps that go to ramps. The only good news, when you inevitably end up on the wrong road, there is still likely a way to get where you’re going.

[@DanBowkley]

I got to make a sightseeing trip under the convention center with a 53' trailer once because I got stuck in the wrong lane, that was *ahem* exciting.

[@stratcat3216]

Agreed. Even in a car it's a maze.

[@elainebenes7971]

There are signs telling you where to go.

[@bluecollar58]

I was in driver training twenty years ago , at night in the rain , and one of the student drivers got scared , stopped the truck on top of a loop and refused to drive further. There were six of us jammed in the sleeper and I got mad and jumped up front and drove. I couldn’t believe someone would let their fear endanger us and himself.

[@DavidPruitt]

@@elainebenes7971 True, but with all the construction they're barely visible and never accurate.

[@steves7896]

I spent eight years working on billboards in DFW, Houston and San Antonio. I was always impressed with how well their freeway systems worked (compared to my home town Vegas). Most drivers in Texas are on the same page, the speed limits are high and aside from rush hour you could cover a great distance in a short amount of time with little to no stress. You mentioned that there were downsides to the frontage road designs but you didn't say what any of them were. I'm my experience I thought they were great. The Texas U-turns were brilliant, very efficient. Drivers in Texas too usually changed lanes to the left with time to spare to allow traffic to enter the freeway, common courteousy. Here on Vegas roads selfishness is the hottest game in town.

[@ryancampbell2192]

As a former Ft Worth resident, I can tell you the one major downside is during the rare (but inevitable) ice storms. As there are no salt trucks, this causes glaze ice on these interchanges, causing huge pile-ups. I barely avoided being a part of a hundred car pile up when a semi trailer made it 95% of the way up to the top, but due to traffic stalled ahead they had to hit the brakes...it then jack-knifed & came sliding back down, pushing every car on the 2 lanes & the side berms all the way back down. There was nowhere to go, no way to stop the accident, no way to back up...literally dozens & dozens & dozens of cars crushed in inevitable slow motion. Afterwards, the cars had to wait for hours & hours in the freezing rain while a fleet of tow trucks worked to pull each successive car out, starting from the furthest back.

[@cll1out]

I almost got caught up in this driving Uber in Austin. I got extremely lucky that my car got out of there without a scratch. After we were stuck for two hours, we got moving then I lost control again managing to skid right between two cars that couldn’t move then I got control again before hitting the barrier. I immediately took the service roads home after that which were just fine because they were not high up in the air with the freezing winds going above AND below the road.

[@thomaslink2685]

I live in Dallas. We have at most perhaps one or two ice storms a year. Salt trucks aren’t a thing. And heated tram rails are discussed every time ice stops rail service but always is dropped due to cost.

[@aquiamorgan2416]

Yep. Those of us in places with inevitable and routine roadway icing, bridges are the absolute worst to drive on. They're not insulated by the ground below them!

[@brucew7062]

They block off and close the I-30 West to I-35 South interchange in Fort Worth when icy conditions exist. They had to because so many trucks got stuck trying to go up the long elevated section. They just keep building more of these stacked interchanges. I-820 / 121 / 183 interchanges, I-30 / 360 interchange for instance.

[@Toby_Flenderson_1982]

I don’t know what y’all are talking about. I lived in Richardson until last year and lived through the few crazy ice storms over the last few years and we had plenty of salt trucks. Every single intersection in Richardson was salted to the point that I got annoyed because of potential rust issues. Maybe Dallas is different? That would be surprising to me as it’s much better funded.

[@everss02]

the U-turn before an overpass is the best texas road item

[@rvdb7363]

Is that for the people who see the overpass and think "nope"?

[@fortyseven1832]

The "texas turnaround" is to ease congestion at the underpass traffic lights.

[@StanLewis-m7q]

We call them Texas U-Turns.

[@Gloop_Anderson]

@@StanLewis-m7q Are you guys talking about how sometimes before you pass a red light on the off roads near highways there are those uturns.

[@StanLewis-m7q]

@@Gloop_Anderson I suppose. They’re on highways where a street goes under the highway, but before you get to the light there’s a left exit off the service road. It’s so you can get to the other side and the opposite direction without actually going through the intersection. Texas u-turn. There may be other names as well, and I’m sure this is not an official name. lol

[@Cvusmo]

As a Texan, I can confirm a frontage road is just a secondary highway. Sometimes faster to stay on the frontage road than to get on the interstate.

[@asrr62]

frontage roads are hell.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

​@@asrr62depends how crowded the city is

[@asrr62]

@@samsonsoturian6013 Austin frontage roads. lol.

[@magicknight13]

So true!!

[@johnanderson7076]

Sometimes the frontage road is the "free" road while the main road is the "toll" road in major cities.

[@AlphaCenturi-n1n]

I dont know if you actually saw my comment on last video, but I really appreciate you turning down music and going easy on the repetitive songs. It makes binge watching your stuff that much better! Thank you, Grady!

[@dfmayes]

He also squeaks his voice less than he used to.

[@LexyTheEbikeQueen]

Dang yall complain in real life and internet life smh

[@wzwzwz]

​@@LexyTheEbikeQueenwhat's wrong with constructive criticism?

[@divides_by_zero]

Whenever ice hits the DFW area (usually one or two times a winter), the high-five is the first place to freeze. Local news stations camp out here to broadcast road conditions. It is part public service and part spectator sport watching the mayhem that ensues. You try to avoid all bridges and overpasses during icy conditions, but the flat terrain in DFW makes this virtually impossible.

[@granatmof]

In the 2024 freeze I had computer parts I had ordered at microcenter, which was just north of the high five. I took surface roads the entire way there and back. It took 2 hours, but I could build my pc while staying home from work the next day. Ironically the only person in office to crash was the girl from the north who claimed she was great at driving in winter conditions. She didn't listen when we told her to stay off if you didn't need to be somewhere. Ice is different than snow.

[@phillyphakename1255]

I think the high five also gets news coverage because of the nearby Churchill Road overpass. Perfect frame to view the carnage, low traffic on the road itself, wide open skies for easy broadcast, and a nearby TV station makes for easy discovery of the perfect spot. It might not be the most dangerous spot in the metroplex, but it is definitely the best one to film!

[@jeffspaulding9834]

@@granatmof Being from a northern state means you're used to having a road department well equipped for icy conditions. The best cold weather drivers I've found are ones from the middle states, where it gets cold enough to ice over fairly several times a year but not often enough to justify the constant maintenance the northern states see. Think Iowa, Nebraska, etc. I've heard it referred to as "religious road maintenance" - i.e. "God put it there, God will take it away."

[@danielgrey2994]

Probably another reason why they’re so common in Texas as compared to other places. It doesn’t get to freezing temperatures very often.

[@rcstl8815]

@@jeffspaulding9834 "God put it there, God will take it away." - my attitude towards my STL driveway and sidewalks. I usually take snow days, liberally.

[@gregoryschaiberger3573]

One of the things I like about Texas is its frontage roads. I don’t know what the perceived disadvantages of frontage roads you are talking about. But I like being able to get off the road and getting back on if there is an accident, being able to get gas, getting food, etc just off the highway without having to drive miles off the highway to look for a gas station, find a restaurant, etc. Plus the “turnarounds” are very confident if you need to make a U turn.

[@brandoncox1252]

Grady doesn't like frontage roads because they don't fit into his public transportation wet dream. Why do you want to leave your housing unit slave!

[@solsystem1342]

Having to build two roads that both traverse the same area is an obvious disadvantage. Not to mention that freeways are incredibly inefficient for bringing customers to the business and that they make the area more difficult to traverse by anything but a car seems like a big problem to me. Like, this is something that really irritates me about my city. They build grocery stores off of freeways instead of where people live so I end up having to drive the freeways and frontage roads when I otherwise wouldn't travel to that location at all adding to the need for enormous parking lots (since they don't even run busses on the weekends 😥) Sorry, that was like half personal rant but I wish we lived in a country where we didn't have to drive to get to places. Trains are so much more relaxing way to visit friends or partners than being stuck in traffic for an hour.

[@Demopans5990]

Things change a bit if you bury the highway. Now the frontage roads can have extra space for stores or apartments. This only applies in a dense urban area though where land is extremely valuable.

[@DQSpider]

Speaking as someone who moved to Texas some years back...if you don't live here you cannot appreciate how much Texas loves highways. Whole cities are built around them. Interstates and state highways converge right where people live. And yes, they love a good frontage road. You will make more u-turns in a day here than you might ever make in your entire life anywhere else. It's truly staggering.

[@MarkAHoltz]

Absolute truth.

[@cruisinguy6024]

Yuuuup. People in other states have no concept of the commercial sprawl along frontage roads and how ugly traffic can be on frontage roads because of that. Even when I lived in NYC there was better flow because they don’t have these godawful frontage roads that exist to provide more commercial space.

[@WastrelWay]

In some places, the interchange, whatever kind it is, dumps you on the frontage road. Then, sometimes you have to make that U-turn (through a couple of traffic lights) to get in the direction you want to go. At one place in Austin (going from westbound on Steck Ave. to northbound on MoPac), you have to go through two stoplights on the frontage road before you can enter the freeway. By the way, it is rumored that there are so many frontage roads in Texas because a maker and installer of traffic lights bribed the legislature and the Highway Department to require them. As for the cloverleaf in San Antonio that is being replaced by flyovers, mentioned in the video, I have my doubts. I have driven all over Texas and I've never seen a cloverleaf.

[@thunderb00m]

He lives in texas and so do i. I35 is a nightmare. Big trucks and altimas are breaking every law out there. But yeah the texas turnarounds are super convenient.

[@thunderb00m]

​​​@@WastrelWaylmao, no its simple, see how many owners block/ refuse to sell the land for the high speed rail but if the same land being used for an interstate, then opposition dissappears, its because landowners get access to frontage roads. People are greedy by nature. Why would you sell land to a project you wont directly benefit from.

[@arielioffe1810]

Petition for Grady to make a video where he describes every interchange design.

[@IAmPGZW]

Where do we sign?😅

[@snugpig]

yes

[@meganw6007]

Absolutely. Yes. My first thought when he said that was "I gotta find his video on those!!"

[@bullithedjames937]

Only if he builds models...😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉

[@Quagmirian]

Cbrd has a really nice breakdown

[@takeshi1242]

What I really like about TX, having moved here now full time, is the frontage roads by highways, and the U-turn system that alleviate traffic at intersections! Very cool and traffic much better here imo compared to Los Angeles or Bay Area or Atlanta where I used to drive a lot.

[@ShaneDane12]

This was also my first thought about them too. The constant U-turn allowance at almost each intersection always allowed for quick turnaround

[@GetSmartish]

13:16 The designers of the WI30/I94 interchange decided to fly the left-hand turn to merge it onto . . . the inside fast lane of a 70MPH interstate. Extra difficulty points are awarded because the flyover lane disappears in 300yards and much of that traffic is trying to cross 3 lanes getting to the far-right exit for the next interchange about a mile away. Fun times!

[@absolutechaos13]

I find it hard to argue if that one is better or worse than the 12/18 and I-90 interchange directly south of it, where through lanes just appear and disappear at random. I think it mostly depends on which way you are going. 151 is probably the best of the 3 of them because it just backs up instead of throwing high-speed traffic into low-speed traffic and hoping for the best.

[@mrexists5400]

One thing Texas does right is the access roads their U-turns, easiest state to turn around if you missed an exit

[@jm5390]

Agreed. The turnarounds make correcting a mistake so much easier than in other states.

[@dubzy21]

Absolutely not

[@dubzy21]

It’s 10000x easier to turn around on I95 in south Florida than anywhere in Texas. ANYWHERE ANY ROAD STREET ANYTHINNG

[@mrexists5400]

@@dubzy21 ah, the Florida Man route, fair enough

[@dubzy21]

@@mrexists5400 lol I swear man Texas is just the worst even when I do miss a turn and get to use the turnaround, it’ll be like 2 miles away still… what’s even the point 😭 Ijs in Florida you get off the ramp and it’s 500 feet until the light and at most you’ll have to wait 30-45 sec for the light to change because we are civilized and have sensors at every light unlike TEXAS 😭

[@bleepinjeep]

Growing up in Texas and now living in Tennessee I can tell you access roads are fantastic. It’s basically 3 highways in one, usually the main highway going 2 directions, then each side of the highway is an access road that goes one direction on one side and the opposite direction on the other side. But sometimes the access road goes both directions giving you way more options to get around. I never understood the importance until I moved to Tennessee where the highways around where I live have no access roads, meaning if the highway has traffic or is shut down, you aren’t going anywhere. The geography here in the east also only allows for roads going mostly north and south so when there is a problem with I40 and you exit to find an alternate route, you’re screwed because the roads only take you away from where you want to go. Whereas in Texas, you could just get off the highway and use the access road for as long as you like.

[@ThePlainswalker13]

I know the highways in DFW are absolutely awful to navigate by GPS because of this. They have no way of determining which of the 7,000 tiers of highway you are on.

[@UncleKennysPlace]

My previous GPS database (car based) thought I should take a right, on the road twenty feet below me. I declined.

[@Broken_robot1986]

​@@UncleKennysPlacehey it's better then 20 feet above you

[@Roblafo]

Yeah it usually works until you mess something up, then the GPS has no idea how to reroute since it doesn't know what road you're on.

[@ScorpionXXXVII]

As long are youre moving and not in stop dead traffic, its fine. It needs two pings to know what direction you're going.

[@Lobonova]

I use google maps. Never had a problem and i drive over 100 miles a day here.

[@GabrielTobing]

The fact that I know some of those interchange names and designs off of cities skylines is just proof its a tradfic management game in disguise lol

[@simongeard4824]

"In disguise"?

[@klobe9]

99% traffic and budget management simulator

[@Wagga-mt6cx]

You might just be blind because there is no disguise.

[@mikegrizzle3014]

It's a civil engineering sim without a disguise at all.

[@user-wc5lw7ps6h1]

@@klobe9 Turn on unlimited money and it gets fun

[@jasonburnham1013]

So much TEXAS in this video!!!! Well done, sir!!! I’m from Baytown, refinery worker all my life. Seeing these roads that I’ve been on and the back story is AWESOME!

[@Andrew-qu7lq]

I think the FHWA requires 16' clearance, but TxDOT wants it designed to 16.5' clearance for added room with future road repairs and regrading that might increase the height of the road. Texas also has specific highways and routes classified for high clearances, the Texas Highway Freight Network, which adds another 2' of necessary clearance. So designed to 18.5' of clearance between each road and bridge. Definitely adds up quick. You can look at the Statewide Planning Map for a ton of info on this stuff.

[@illhaveawtrplz]

We have a lot of these interchanges appearing in my area and I can’t help but think about the massive headaches and costs that are going to come with replacement in 30 years. Texas gets so little snow that I’m willing to bet theirs will last longer, but we are much further north. Are these interchanges even capable of being replaced?

[@Andrew-qu7lq]

@@illhaveawtrplz I think normal bridges are built to 50yr lifespan expectancy, but repairs and maintenance extends that. All bridges in the country are inspected every 2 years, or more often if there's an issue. I wouldn't be surprised if these interchange ramps and flyovers have a longer lifespan.

[@LucarioBoricua]

AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, basically the lobby of state DOTs and their contractors) does recommend leaving at least 4" / 0.1m of added clearance for this purpose.

[@illhaveawtrplz]

@@Andrew-qu7lq That’s a relief. Do you know anything about how snowy weather and snow removal practices impact the lifespan of these types of structures?

[@Andrew-qu7lq]

@@illhaveawtrplz no, I'm in the south with little snow experience. North texas gets relatively common freezes, but not much actual snow or ice accumulation, and there's basically no actual snow removal unless they bring the roadway graders out there as a make shift plow. I know that places like El Paso actually get a lot more wear and tear on the roads though because of the frequent and drastic temperature differences between day and night. So even though rain is sparse and snow is very rare, just the temperature differences is enough to cause a lot of problems to roadway surfaces in general. I think the bridge inspections are public information, though the actual conditions and photos are now considered confidential after one of the Homeland Security acts post 9/11. Still, there's a fair bit of information out there, just have to look at what each column of info is actually saying. BRINSAP, Bridge Inspection and Appraisal, is the name of TxDOT's that inspects all bridges in Texas, including non-txdot roads (many cities and counties forget to tell TxDOT that they built a bridge so some of these local ones are missing). Not sure about other states and their names.

[@grannygrammar6436]

Note that in the film at 0:42, the majority of the cars are not moving or are just plodding along at a walking pace. This is a five-level traffic jam.

[@TylerDollarhide]

Typical rush hour in DFW. Especially on the Dallas side.

[@unvergebeneid]

Do you mean at 0:30?

[@geoffstrickler]

Yeah, the High 5 works great for thru traffic, but the interchanges between 635 and 75 are slow for 8-14 hours daily.

[@Guysm1l3y]

You mean the slow motion shot? LOL

[@nicholaswroblewski3069]

@@unvergebeneidthat shot was slow motion

[@BraveNewWrld]

I have driven in almost every major US city and lived in Dallas, DC, Baltimore..I can easily say while Dallas has the most traffic, it is by far the most well engineered and managed traffic system of any city...from simple solutions like the movable HOV lanes on I-30 to major engineering projects like the LBJ expressway...frontage roads are soooo helpful and amazing as well. I was so impresseds by this concept whe n i first moved there as these simply dont exist in the northeast...

[@egalitarian-rex]

I agree with you. I lived in the DFW metroplex for twenty years. Relocating to New England was a mixed experience with most of my frustration centered on the inferior transport system. Lack of basic infrastructure in most towns and villages makes me feel as though the inhabitants have been cautious for hundreds of years not to waste time or resources in the off chance they might need to abandon the entire area en mass and return posthaste to “Merrie Olde England”.

[@Paul71H]

7:13 Frontage roads were one thing that really struck me as different when I spent a week in the Dallas, Texas area. I remember a four-lane divided highway that had frontage roads on both sides, with restaurants and other businesses all along the frontage roads. I have seen frontage roads in plenty of other states, but I have never seen anything like what I saw in Texas, with wall-to-wall businesses along the frontage roads, mile after mile. In other states that I've visited, frontage roads tend to be minor roads in rural areas, with businesses only near exits/entrances to the main highway.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

It’s very strange to me, especially if you want to go to another business, you have to drive alll the way over instead of just walking.

[@think-some-time]

Frontage roads are an absolute abomination. They literally more than double the width of most highways, and are often the “highway lite” on toll roads. They enforce the worst style of merging.

[@granatmof]

Yeah in tex as Frontage roads serve as stroads, especially in the suburbs. The thing is the noise from the highway is really too loud, and the heat is just real bad from all the concrete.

[@evancombs5159]

Yeah, I've had the concept of frontage roads explained to me many times, but the logic of them still eludes me. How is your front facing the highway better than your back facing the highway?

[@csmlouis]

You would really hate any construction to the Interstate/Highway as it tends to pile up the frontage exit/collection ability. It is not surprising that if you have to wait for 20 minutes behind a stop sign to exit local street and onto the frontage since there is no opening from the highway exiting traffic.

[@rob-v1y]

My sister from Austin used to call the Dallas High Five: The Spaghetti Nightmare

[@gingerman5123]

I'm in Austin, when I was little they were building the 183/MoPac interchange, we called it hte spaghetti bowl. You can see it today at timestamp 1:11

[@robertaries2974]

We have a junction in Birmingham in the UK called Spaghetti junction

[@erikyoung5139]

Spaghetti bowls are what my friends who grew up here call it.

[@matttttttk4698]

I’ve always known it as the mixmaster lol

[@effervescent_smegma-s1w]

The mix master in downtown is the real spaghetti

[@snickas]

I've never heard such a warmhearted, positive explanaition about such a problematic and widely disliked part of our built environment. Very refreshing thank you!

[@jasontankable]

They had to invent a new machine to assemble the High 5, allowing them to build the flyovers with fewer interruptions to the preexisting traffic. It was this clamp-like contraption that attached to the existing pillars and roadway. It would lift a section of bridge up, then could move to the end of the new piece and lift the next section. Then it would go to the other side of the pillar and repeat the whole process. A "normal" crane had to be used to put it in position and move it between pillars, requiring traffic stoppages and such, but they were kept to the bare minimum, and usually done at night. The entire project finished ahead of schedule and under budget, too!

[@violetviolet888]

You'd be interested in these channels: @TheImpossibleBuild and @ProjectNexus2030

[@ssjwes572]

amazing!

[@Aesgor]

A bit of perspective from someone who recently moved to Fort Worth: I can drive from north forth worth all the way to North Dallas at a nonstop 75-80mph in the express lane, going through 4 interchanges and never slowing down for about 1 hour. This entire time you never leave a 'city' feel. The scale here is immense and the highways are certainly designed by engineers, not architects.

[@workingguy-OU812]

I like it. Southern Florida's 'express' lanes attempt to make our cars into bumper cars with non-sensical single lanes after miles of 2-lanes. Florida's road engineers aren't the brightest (and I've even met one who gave me the realization why our roads were so poorly planned; an engineering degree from a Florida college does not equate to having a comprehensive perspective).

[@kingunicorn7353]

i've gotten from the 35/820 interchange to downtown dallas in only about half an hour. mind you that's on the express lanes outside of the dallas rush hours, but still impressive nonetheless. It certainly does feel like aesthetically it was designed by engineers

[@maxrainey7143]

This is it exactly. These highways compensate for a complete lack of urban planning in the larger DFW metroplex. The whole area is a seemingly endless, hellish suburban sprawl. Plus, the whole highway system is insultingly complicated by the addition of the express lanes. Even for all TXDOT’s effort, the traffic is still just terrible all through and around DFW because of the way streets are designed on a local level.

[@Aesgor]

@@kingunicorn7353 Yes! The difference between traffic/ rush hour and off hour is anywhere from 0% impact to 200% impact on driving time! Thats assuming no Altima's are attempting to hit Mach 2

[@longhaulflyer]

Generous to call any part of Dallas "city feeling" - even downtown has more parking lots than it does buildings.

[@danieltx7066]

I live near I-35 and sort of between O'Connor and Loop 1604 in Converse (San Antonio area) Texas. The cloverleaf to fly-over construction in this part of town is a massive project, slowing traffic to a stop, and often closing the highway altogether. They seem to be putting in fly-overs along 35 from 1604 all the way down to 410, in an effort to relieve I-35 traffic. That's about 5 miles of being high up in the air. The Blanco Rd. to 410 interchange is long, but this new one should dwarf it in length. It'll take a while before I trust the new fly-overs. I can see how an accident might back them up completely. The way people drive here, I expect that to happen often.

[@DrRenee1]

I live in the same area. Right now all the construction is a royal pain, but I’m looking forward to seeing the end result.

[@patricksnyder1524]

Yup, traffic is especially bad on I-10 and 1604. I can’t wait till they finish this project.

[@kenthompson5723]

That 1604 (Anderson Loop) highway in far north San Antonio is frightening. With all that construction, lane closures, speeding cars coming in from on-ramps, and just the visual appearance of that intimidating fly-over section I think I might prefer to drive from Del Rio to College Station by way of the Panhandle, or just turn around and go back to Del Rio. If there's a rainstorm, then all bets for any trip through San Antonio are off. 🤐🤐🤐

[@josephdegreeff9470]

I worked for Vince Hagan. We built the concrete batching equipment for the contractor out of San Antonio who built the High Five. When we delivered the equipment, the location was an old drive in movie theater the state of Texas had purchased years in advance of the project. It was so hard back then to picture how big the High 5 was going to be. One big challenge was during a big winter freeze. Tractor trailers all got stuck going up the ramps. Blocking traffic for days.

[@BrokeWrench]

Yep, drove through Dallas right after a big ice storm once. The interchanges were all blocked. Though the truckers figured the inch or 2 of ice made them a bad idea. It was all cars stuck 😂

[@kap5160]

I moved to dallas when they still had the old cloverleaf interchange where the high five is now. You can not imagine the improvement! I worked in an office that overlooks the high five while it was being constructed. My office full of engineers had a great time watching it all come together.

[@lynneros]

you cannot imagine how much I envy you that experience

[@davedelarosa319]

I moved from Dallas while it was still there (Oct '98). The exit lane from 635W to Technology Dr. (?) was my personal race track corners. I had a friend who lived in Richardson and that was my preferred merge as the old interchange was always questionable at best. That said, moving from D/FW to ATL and working in logistics it routinely brought me laughs when I'd tell truck drivers I learned to drive in D/FW and got either immediate respect or sympathy.

[@big_beak]

The interchange that the High Five replaced at I-635 & US-75 had some loops, but it wasn't a cloverleaf. In fact there was a left-lane exit from eastbound I-635 in the center of the interchange that merged into the left side of northbound US-75. Thankfully TXDOT is trying to eliminate all left-lane exits and left-lane entrances all over Dallas, because it slows traffic down so much. They've already got a replacement designed for the I-635/I-35E interchange that gets rid of all 4 of its lefties. They just need the $$$ to do it. 😊 I too used to work in a high-rise building near the future High Five, although not close enough to view the construction. I was happy when my company announced a move to a location that took me nowhere near the High Five construction zone. 🙌👍😊

[@kap5160]

@@big_beak true it was technically a partial cloverleaf. I commuted through it on 75 from plano to downtown before I moved to that office so I’m much more familiar with that portion. 75 had the cloverleafs to get on 635 in both directions. The bottleneck as everyone slowed for those ramps was a nightmare, especially after they widened the rest of 75.

[@robertlee6781]

The Central Expressway was a total nightmare back in the 80s. It was a parking lot from downtown to LBJ 24/7..

[@Solax-Prime]

As a truck driver who witnessed first hand the growth of the American highway system. Texas is a great drive! Watching it grow over the year became a love hate relationship. Hate the construction whilst happening, including lane closures and other 4 wheel drivers impatiently crossing over various lanes. But, when the project is finished and the flow and beauty of it all can leave one speechless in appreciation. Then after the dust settles down just get out of my way there's a big rig coming through!😅

[@kenthompson5723]

As a Texan I will have to say that Texas highways are generally pretty good ... and mostly free. Try driving in Oklahoma, though. It's hard get into or out of Tulsa without paying some toll. When Okla started building turnpikes, they never looked back. Now, almost every new highway is a toll road. ☹☹

[@frogandspanner]

Here in Birmingham (aka _Brum_ ) UK we have the original Spaghetti Junction. It is high because it had to take into account the 19C railways below, and in turn that had to take into account the 18C canal below it. Below was the Roman road Icknield Street, and below that . . .

[@UnbeltedSundew]

That's pretty cool. And looking at picture of it it is definitely named correctly lol. How is it to drive?

[@56independent]

@@UnbeltedSundew i've heard that if you follow the signs it's easy but i've only been down the M6 portion.

[@frogandspanner]

@@UnbeltedSundew In the early days I kept making mistakes traversing it. These days I avoid it!

[@rupertaitken3114]

🇬🇧

[@noelnicholls1894]

It’s been many, many years but isn’t there a part up north where there are 62 parallel lanes? Or is that an exaggerated memory?

[@marekhlavackovi3677]

5:00 best thing about clover leafs is you can go all the way around and have fun

[@DrDeuteron]

bucket list item defined.

[@ElMoonLite]

​@@DrDeuteronOoh now I want to as well! And the best part is: you skip the annoying mixed interweaving and can just stay on your lane to take the next exit, apart from the last one to get back on the initial lane.

[@ElMoonLite]

​@@DrDeuteron also, if you haven't already; take a roundabout all around ;-)

[@DrDeuteron]

@@ElMoonLite Im in cali, we don't do traffic circles here. No one knows what to do, it's not taught nor findable in the book. It's a free for all, and I don't keep my guns in the car.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

@@DrDeuteron traffic circles and roundabouts are different. They look the same but traffic rules are different due to signals vs yielding. Also roundabouts are really simple. I'm not sure what there is to be confused about. For small ones with one lane, there's basically nothing you need to consider. Just yield to traffic already inside when entering. For something like a 3-lane roundabout, rightmost to turn right, center to go straight, and leftmost to turn left. It's pretty intuitive.

[@texwrexgaming]

Other "Big as Texas" engineering projects include the "HLD" in my hometown of Ingleside, TX. It's the world's largest on shore lifter crane, as referenced in an article of Popular Mechanics, With 23 (yes, twenty-three) miles of 2.5" thick cable. With it's help, Ingleside TX has built some of the world's largest oil rigs. I'm a pipefitter , I worked on the rig "Olympus" and then later "Bigfoot" at Kiewit. I believe at the time of their construction, each was the largest or heaviest, in the world. That's quite a list of engineering marvels for just my small town, don't forget about the Katy freeway and I'm sure many others I can't think of. Much love from South Texas, we are glad to have you here ❤ Love the videos.

[@kv-5]

As a german I find these giant stacked interchanges quite bizarre. Over here we rarely have left-turning flyovers. Most Autobahnkreuze (Freeway interchanges) are of the good old cloverleaf design, built in the 70s, with the lanes for off- and on-coming traffic seperated by a barrier from the through traffic. That makes the weaving in and out not so much of a problem. Next to the negatives mentioned I would argue the cloverleaf has a number of benefits: A) It doesn't have kilometers/miles of bridges per interchange that are both expensive to build and maintain since all of the ramps can usually be on earthen embankments. B) They are predictable. On a german Kleeblatt (cloverleaf) you always know where to exit: First exit to go right, second to go left. C) There (usually) is a continous looping sliproad on the inside that is capable of leading you in every direction, even if you missed your first exit (can also be used in case of Baustelle (construction work) on the right turning lanes). D) They are much less of an eyesore to the surrounding area as they are not tall at all. Only when the cloverleaf really cannot cope with the traffic demands will the german civil engineer consider a different solution. With that being said the german freeways rarely exceed three lanes per direction so the traffic levels are generally lower. The busiest interchange in germany is still a modified cloverleaf (The Frankfurter Kreuz with the A3 and A5).

[@cyan_oxy6734]

You fail to consider that Americans can't drive and have no discipline about lane speeds and driving courtesy.

[@JohnSmith-cn4cw]

I'm sure a German you do, since your country is half the size of Texas and has four times the population density, its possible that you mentally may require a much fixed common driving solution.

[@Monsuco]

Looking it up, Frankfurt has a population density of 8,100 per square mile & Berlin has a massive 10,910 per square mile while Dallas has a population of 3,841 per square mile and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex's overall density is 880 per square mile. With densities so high, many German cities can rely on mass transit while most Americans live in areas far less dense where heavy reliance on cars makes more sense.

[@TheEvilAdministrator]

@@Monsuco You've got the causal relationship somewhat backwards: US cities' population densities are as low as they are largely due to their legally-mandated transportation infrastructure (*cough* a whole lot of bad law/regulation right there) and horrendous zoning. In most if not all American states/cities, it's **illegal** to build anything other than car-dependent sprawl. You'd think with all that talk about the "free market", they'd let the market decide what it wants... BUT NO. The market's only allowed to do what it wants when it furthers the interest of certain well-connected and/or already-extremely-wealthy people & companies.

[@qoph1988]

@@TheEvilAdministrator Yes, it is illegal do do almost anything here. The United States is an ironically-named "capitalist free-market" country, but in many if not most examples it mysteriously behaves a lot like a centrally-planned communist bureaucracy... Wonder why that is

[@julianjurkoic3574]

As an engineer/nerd who's discipline isn't civil, I've been enjoying this channel for a while. I didn't expect to see an urbanist take out of this channel, but I'm very glad I did! I shouldn't be surprised as you seem like an intelligent person. Keep up the good work!

[@violetviolet888]

@ @julianjurkoic3574: You'd be interested in these channels: @TheImpossibleBuild and @ProjectNexus2030

[@cadetstar]

As someone who grew up in ruralish Texas along I-35, I always took frontage roads for granted. Moving to Houston, it was a shock going downtown and having direct on and off ramps to the highway... now that's all I use here in Missouri

[@carlospcpro]

As a kid I used to love to pass under these kinds of structures, now days I just can’t stop think about how sustainable is this way of designing our cities. Great video

[@381delirius]

you mean how unsustainable it is.

[@carlospcpro]

@@381delirius yep

[@AB0BA_69]

@@carlospcprowhat's unsustainable? You think we are going to run out of sand for concrete any time soon?😂

[@Jehty_]

@@AB0BA_69 In the not too distant future all of these have to be replaced. And before that they will have to be repaired. How much money will that cost? What will be done with the traffic during these constructions projects? This is why they are not sustainable.

[@petertbbrett]

@@AB0BA_69 Yes. There is actually starting to be a global shortage of sand that's appropriate for making concrete. Not all sand is suitable for construction.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

Being a civil engineer and having visited Texas multiple times I have to say Texas roads have some unique features. Last time we went we flew into DFW and rented a car to drive to Tyler Texas. The highway interchanges came fast and furious for at least an hour. Maybe more.

[@JonBrase]

Depending on whether you count certain closely packed interchanges that kind of merge into each other as one or two, there are 10 or 12 interchanges between the airport and the point where 20 heads off to Tyler.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

@@JonBrase those were some of the most difficult to navigate because you're unfamiliar with which to take and they're right next to each other.

[@JonBrase]

@@indetigersscifireview4360 Getting from the airport onto southbound 360 confuses me to this day, but most of the stuff around here isn't that bad.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

@@JonBrase if you are ever in Tyler head over to my nephew's brewery Truevine .

[@csmlouis]

@@JonBrase Hahaha, true when approaching the southern entrance of DFW International. At least they have "finished" constructing the 121 to northern approach.

[@technetium4761]

I am a truck driver, currently watching this video from Texas, and it is definitely interesting to hear about what the deal with both the super tall interchanges and all the frontage roads is.

[@papercrane747]

I stayed in a hotel next to one of these interchanges in dallas. It was the weirdest building ive ever been in, and the roads were insane. Ive never seen so many reckless drivers in one place. Everybodys driving at least 20 over, the horn gets more use than the turn signals, and there is little room for error.

[@kenosabi]

Ever been on the 101 in Cali?

[@Gundam4President]

Tbf if you’re not doing 20 over you can just stay on the right lane When I cruise I go for the right lane. If I’m speeding I’ll go on the right lane.

[@Lobonova]

Oh you poor baby

[@geoffstrickler]

Didn’t anyone explain that turn signals are optional in DFW?

[@jacobfreeland3303]

Its like a known rule among texas that if you not going 5-10 over then you are going too slow. Especially in smaller towns, like the one I live in, you can go 5-15 miles over the speed limit past a cop and unless its the end of the month and the quotas are hurting they won't even brake.

[@CrawfordDrummer]

10:37 I appreciate the way you cover the nuance and put into words how I've felt for many years. Almost expected a "look what they need to mimic a fraction of our power" meme 😂

[@shuriken7673]

I still laugh sometimes knowing how a failed collective urban development looks when watching US's videos. It's like a reminder to not forget your grand goal XD

[@burdburd2787]

This intersection is so much better than the clover leaf that it used to be. It was a very small clover leaf and traffic was always backed up. I am a native Dallasite (54 years) and remember this when it was way worse.

[@DJJonPattrsn22]

I LOVE & appreciate how you CORRECTLY credit the Italians for first implementing a basic equivalent to the "interstate highway"!!! The German Autobahn almost always gets the credit even though it was really just the inspiration for OUR system (when Eisenhower was exposed to it during his travels).

[@demoniack81]

Yep I was not expecting the A8 to be mentioned. Also the name "Autostrada" is basically what gives a lot of freeways around the world their name. Autobahn, Autopista, Autoestrada, Autoroute, Autocesta, Autoput, автострада (literally "autostrada" even though road is obviously not strada in russian), etc.

[@justinsayin3979]

Yeah, but he called it the _Ottostrade_ and made it sound German.

[@gerdokurt]

It's Fake News. The First italian Highways were normal Roads with a toll and blocked for pedestrians. They were Like 7m wide with 1 lane in each direction and plane crossings(the reason for this Video). It wasnt even a system, it was private Patchwork. Eisenhower simply wasnt impressed by that because it's Not an equivalent to the interstate Highway nor any Post ww2 Highway. In contrast to what Germany did basically during the Same time (planning and building Highspeed,separated multi lane, crossings free, hundreds of km long interstate Roads aka Highways)

[@DanielleWhite]

I have quite the memory of the High Five: when it was closed for morning rush hour due to a tanker wreck in June of 2018. I was moving from Raleigh to Houston and made a road trip of it to visit friends. For my last night on the road I stayed at the Best Western immediately northwest of the interchange. I woke to hearing helicopters and had an interesting start of my ride that day. I later lived near the I-10 and TX-99 interchange in Katy.

[@salvadorvega9834]

i remember that, i almost got stuck on it on my way to work lol

[@dark12ain]

This is what I fell in love with about Houston. Their highways are so intricate to me and they're so huge. I'm from Memphis so I'm not used to seeing highways like this and I freaking love it.

[@m.a.t.a.s]

Now this monument is what really represents America

[@thatoneotherotherguy]

The logical conclusion of car dependency. God forbid we build some high speed rail between the massive Texas cities!

[@theflyingfish66]

High-rise buildings so you can live 5mins away from work "Eww, no, they will ruin our neighborhood character" High-rise highways "Yes please, this will make my 1hr commute 10mins shorter"

[@taino1642]

Yeah Freedom to go and do what you want when you want. Not have to wait for gov. To provide transportation.

[@loafoffloof3420]

probably just the city sprawls of heavily dense cities such as LA, Jacksonville Florida, Queens NY, and Texas's big cities in general. In Maine, Alaska, Colorado, New Hampshire, etc there is not much giant interchanges to document about

[@magnusdagbro8226]

@@taino1642 good thing these $100bn highways and interchanges build themselves at no cost.

[@f937r]

As someone who has been on the DFW interchanges... I'm never astonished by what it is. I'm just annoyed by how awful traffic is at most times of the day.

[@mostlyvoid.partiallystars]

True that. I visited a couple months ago and it was nuts. And my basis for comparison is downtown Atlanta which is no picnic.

[@a5adahmad]

@@mostlyvoid.partiallystars it has gotten way worse after the pandemic. That was even more painful since we had gotten used to nearly empty roads. Still, the congestion isn't as bad as some coastal cities, in my experience. The quality of drivers is a whole other story though.

[@ShadowZero27]

​@@mostlyvoid.partiallystarswhen you loose to atlanta in traffic u down bad

[@mostlyvoid.partiallystars]

@@ShadowZero27 right? Maybe my familiarity with ATL biases me. I mean traffic is still insane but at least it’s not terrifying lol

[@andresross1537]

It's almost as if you can't design your way out of cars being inefficient at scale.

[@fauzirahman3285]

I will never understand why people are more open to multi-lane highways going all spaghetti but are reluctant to allow elevated railways that are only 2 tracks wide.

[@jakefromsnakefarm8d541]

There are underground railways under all of that.

[@LonghornsLegend]

At a certain point the elevation becomes extremely dangerous anytime the weather is anything but perfect. It's hard to describe how dangerous it becomes to hydroplane or hit a patch of ice on a small piece of roadway that high in the air.

[@1970broncoman]

I can take a train (hypothetical) to any city and still need a car once I get there

[@jakobwinder3687]

​@@1970broncomanIn America usually yes, except of some cities with extensive public transport, in Europe you usually have connecting trains, trams and buses to basically everywhere.

[@1970broncoman]

@@jakobwinder3687 it is true that system is more developed there.

[@QuilloManar]

0:35 - "Flowing" 😂

[@KyVisuals]

It really does flow unless there is a jam up ahead

[@heyx99]

They need one more lane for sure.

[@KyVisuals]

@@heyx99 maybe 2 more lanes and some braided ramps

[@heyx99]

@@KyVisuals of course just to be sure 👍🏽

[@teekev125]

You did not mention that we have mild winters here in Texas, and for that reason, we do not have icing issues. When we do have a rare winter storm, all of these roads have ice on the bridges and have to be closed for safety reasons. I will add that a freeway interchange is the highest point in Houston.

[@Imaboss8ball]

Houston doesn't have tall buildings?

[@RockHawley]

@@Imaboss8ball Cities in Texas (and Houston is probably the worst of them at this) are kinda notorious for building outwards with tons of suburbs rather than having many tall buildings, there are some tall buildings in Houston but not as much as other large cities

[@danielfay8963]

@@Imaboss8ball If we're including buildings then the highest point is definitely not an interchange. There are plenty of tall buildings in the downtown (although the other comments are right, outside the downtown its basically all low buildings)

[@lazydadsgarage]

It's a joke that the 5 stack interchanges are the highest point in Houston because it's so flat....

[@Ergzay]

Icing issues isn't a problem in cold places either. If the roads are coated in salt then ice doesn't form. It's more that Texas _does_ have icing issues but deal with them poorly.

[@BVN-TEXAS]

It’s funny how so many want to talk bad about Texas roads and our civic planning in cities like Houston. But when the economy slows and everyone is looking for a place where it hasn’t, they all come running to Texas and Houston. Heck we saw so many leaving California and New York and other states that share similar “developmental ideals” to come to Texas. The feeder streets / frontage roads are great at keeping a lot of traffic off the back roads and serve their purpose well for the type of businesses they tend to attract. Yes there is a more “pretty” way to make roads and highways but what’s the old saying “that don’t pay the bills”.

[@mml1426]

Doesn’t change the fact that highways destroyed our cities. Texas may be a good place to be economically but it isn’t a sustainable place to live without transit. Tokyo is, London is, Paris is, Dallas or Houston aren’t

[@adama1294]

The frontage roads are very convenient. If you take a wrong turn, it is easy to correct and get back going the right way. Plus the easy view at the stores alongside is nice.

[@stephenwilson7641]

Hi Grady. Thanks for talking about our highways. I live in San Antonio and have driven everywhere in Texas. Couple of comments. We still have several issues with merging, mostly because of the 'loop' highways that were constructed inside of existing cities and neighborhoods. There just isn't enough room to make some ramps long and graceful, so we have quite a few 20 and 25 mph ramps and a short acceleration lane. Also, a few years ago when we had the bad winter, the city had to close all of the interchanges. We don't have any mechanism for snow and ice removal here, so they just close the roads. Finally, TXDOT always waits about 15 to 20 years after the expansion is needed before starting work. The construction zone is a huge bottleneck for 4-6 years and very dangerous to drive through. The big trucks think it's OK to go 70 in a 40 mph construction zone and they do so. Pretty scary sometimes. Thanks again!

[@davidbehrend7054]

And usually as soon as they finish the expansion, they figure out they didn’t go big enough and start planning to expand again!!

[@DABrock-author]

Unfortunately, in many Texas cities the 'NIMBY' crowd has way too much power and / or influence.

[@brycechristensen1510]

@@davidbehrend7054 I wonder how often this is due to political and budget constraints. I live in San Antonio now, but I grew up in Boise, ID and a really important road stopped up on a ridge and didn't connect to the valley below. A project was undertaken to build a graceful slope down to the valley below, but then the neighborhoods complained about a bunch of high speed traffic going through their area, so the project was reduced to a single lane each way with slow speed limits and speed bumps. That kept the local residents from throwing out the politicians, but just a few years later, they had to redo a big chunk of the projects to bring it up to two lanes plus a turn lane that it should have been from the beginning.

[@LukasFink1]

@@davidbehrend7054 Almost as if induced demand is a real thing and as if it’s impossible to solve traffic congestion while making everyone having to drive everywhere.

[@Icookadapizza]

Been driving from San Antonio to Dallas for the last 5 years now… let me tell you these construction companies sure love to take their sweet time updating these interchanges

[@mskinch9]

Growing up in Dallas, we called them "Mixmasters".

[@peteasmr2952]

I was starting to think I was going crazy. I kept thinking I thought these were called mixmasters.🤣😅 Thank you for your comment!

[@dorvinion]

That's what they call them in Des Moines which has two of them. I never heard them call that in Chicago area though.

[@Yeah-its-me]

We still do. :)

[@haroldbeauchamp3770]

Having spent quite a bit of time in Houston, there they are known as spaghetti bowls.

[@AuthenTech]

I’m convinced those cloverleafs are horrendous designs. Without fail so many traffic jams and accidents at those merges

[@GarrettLoganGriffin]

I grew up in DFW, and watched them build the High Five over the years. The finished product itself is a thing to behold. However, the roads you actually could drive on during the massive construction were much lower than the roads at the base of the interchange now. So it looked significantly more massive being 30 feet below what the road ended up being and looking up at the tallest ramps. Hell of an undertaking that was. It was pretty cool to witness.

[@TylerR909]

I love the frontage roads every time I visit Texas. They're great. I wish we had them in more places.

[@kurohone]

Imagine poor little Canadian me arriving in Dallas in 1994 and seeing the I-35E (I think?) interchange heading southwards. That was absolutely mind-blowing to me. Not to mention the concept of left-hand exits. And then trying to get off the I-35 southbound in downtown Austin.... Yeah, city highways in Texas do leave an impression.

[@JamesPhieffer]

There are left hand exits in Toronto and Montréal, and Montréal has at least one impressively tall interchanges. Some of the 407 interchanges are more spaghettified as well, particularly where it meets the 427.

[@paulburley7993]

If you drive on Toronto freeways you would have been prepared. 401 is so massive it really scares out-of-towners.

[@ellissalinas3194]

Texas Bridge inspector here. The height of those bridges is certainly a challenge when it comes to inspecting them. The view from the top of the flyovers is pretty great when you drive over them slowly with traffic control behind you.

[@rogerwilco2]

I not only see a very expensive interchange to build, but also a high long term maintenance cost.

[@alexrogers777]

Seriously, who is going to pay for all this? Even a couple million drivers paying a hundred bucks a year in registration fees isn't enough to fund all the maintenance, repairs, and eventual demolition of all these highways and these elevated highways only get more expensive the taller they get.

[@BrettShadow]

If you do the opposite of usual govt work and build them right, there isn't much of an issue. As much as people complain, TXDOT is probably the best in the nation

[@swedneck]

not to mention the money you're losing out on from not having anything actually productive there, infamously you can fit entire european neighbourhoods in the area of one interchange..

[@BrettShadow]

@@swedneck Listen.... WE DONT WANT TO BE EUROPE! IF YOU WANT TO LIVE EUROPEAN, MOVE TO EUROPE

[@rsewill12]

That is the idea, make them expensive to build, the rebuild them every 15 years. Constant work for big road construction companies, lots of profit.

[@tylerkeller7120]

Current Texas driver that loves frontage roads because it means I can basically take the freeway without getting on the freeway you just have to leave 15 minutes earlier than what you planned, but it just makes the drive so much significantly less stressful

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Now imagine if half those trips could be replaced by a short stroll, or a spin on a bicycle, in an area with little traffic noise.

[@CandleWisp]

​@@IstasPumaNevadaNot all trips can be replaced by bike. But the trips that are replaced by walking or by cycling will improve the trips that really do need to be done by car.

[@badart3204]

@@IstasPumaNevadanow imagine trying to have a family in tightly packed apartments which is what you are actually describing. For all the benefits of what you describe only single family housing has a replacement level fertility rate

[@aloysiusdevadander19]

They're the best

[@nax1807]

man as an High Frequency systems network engineer, i just love to marve at these civil masterpieces some of us may take for granted everyday.

[@tnycrmb]

My gosh. The crazy-good animations combined with all the gorgeous drone footage of the interchanges really set this video apart. Next-level KZbin-ing here. 👏

[@macmedic892]

4:35 Two wrongs don’t make a right; three rights make a left.

[@Daniel-jk7pe]

2 blacks don't make a white

[@ElMoonLite]

Uhmm, are you sure? How? If I take 3 rights on a clover I end up going right from my initial direction, not left. I need to take 1+4N rights to make a left. (1, 5, 9, ...) I need to take 3+4N rights to make a right. (3, 7, 11, ...) Unless you are talking about 4 same grade regular intersections in a rectangular (Manhattan like) grid, then 3 rights do make a left from your initial direction.

[@truedarklander]

three lefts make a right*

[@Alex-bi1cl]

I live in DFW so I know most of what they are talking about, drive through them almost everyday, it might sound and look super confusing, but believe me, once you get it figured out it’s the most convenient thing ever, I got the opportunity to live in other states and the amount of time people can save if they had these would be astronomical.

[@sunnyjim1355]

The phrase 'If you build it, he/they will come', has never been more true than in regard to roads.

[@JellykaNerevan]

Am I the only one who would actually like a video covering every one of these designs?? 5:41

[@Myrddraal79]

No

[@nrm224]

Nope

[@KismetKat11]

This is so timely! A friend is visiting from Michigan and said she could never get used to all the frontage roads in Texas. I grew up here but lived up north for 20+ years. On some level, I knew other states didn’t really have them, but they’re such a part of everyday life I don’t think about it. EXCEPT that Texas has 2-way frontage roads in some areas which is super confusing and dangerous IMHO. 😳

[@mikea5745]

The High Five is a great example of the limitations of car dependency. It's an incredibly expensive and complex engineering project, but it still have major flow issues. It's also very uncomfortable to drive with how complex it is to know the correct lane to take

[@matthewgaines10]

Any and all systems have limitations. There is no perfect engineered system. It’s a feature, not a bug. GPS makes it simple for me every time. It’s unclear what would give you an acceptable level of “comfort” but you can never please everyone.

[@FullLengthInterstates]

@@matthewgaines10 in addition to using GPS and reading signs, you can also preview your route with streetview and satellite view. If you don't plan your trip, you shouldn't be surprised with the results.

[@DoubLL]

Yeah. The video was very interesting, but the actual answer to the question in the title is: "because they don't know what trains are" 😅

[@truckerdave8465]

Have you met the Katy freeway? It’s in Houston. It’s car dependency meets ‘one more lane will do it’

[@CandleWisp]

​@@matthewgaines10 Things can always be better. And the limits of road transport reaches far sooner when public transport options are poor.

[@mog0]

Would love to see a comparison with UK interchanges. I don't think we have junctions anywhere near as complex as these but still don't have problems with traffic flow. Thorney Interchange seems to be one of busiest in UK but it only seems to have 4 grades and looks simpler than the US ones without any of the stops or crossing a lot of those in this video suffer from.

[@Croz89]

Not so many lanes generally.

[@CMOT.Dibbler]

I'd say the closest in the UK is the M6 / A38 junction in Birmingham, lovingly known as Spaghetti Junction!

[@pavelow235]

The UK has crazy one-lane flyovers that are the width of a compact car....like driving in a roller coaster....

[@nowster]

Britain only has two four level stacks (Alconbury M4/M5 and Merstham M23/M25). There are no remaining intact cloverleaf interchanges, and none of those which were built were ever on Motorways.

[@stephen9894]

@@CMOT.Dibbler lovingly? It's officially been named as that I think. Or at least that's what the BBC traffic announcements led me to believe. "Tailbacks at the QE2 bridge, Dartford Tunnel and Spaghetti Junction" basically summarises the evening national traffic report.

[@mannfan12]

I live in San Antonio and appreciate this video especially. When I moved here in 1996 we didn’t have these flyover interchanges despite having 3 Interstates and 2 Loops (for you non-Texans, thats the same as a “beltway”) We now have several flyover interchanges and several more in the process of being built. I love the feeder road concept. One big advantage of that is that it can be used to keep traffic moving when a freeway is shutdown because of a fatal accident or whatever. As for the high five in Dallas (that would be the Loop 635/US75 interchange) I have driven thru it many times from several directions. That sucker is HIGH.

[@lakrids-pibe]

I remember reading a Donald Duck story by Carl Barks where he gets lost in a labyrinth of a freeway interchange. Donald's solution is to flip a coin !! In this story Donald follows the philosophy of *flipism* - using coin flipping to make all decisions in life - as the solution to all problems. The story is called "Flip Decision" from 1953. It's an absolute classic.

[@erielighthousetheater5395]

I'll have to look that up. I love Carl barks's stories. Absolute classic duck stories. As a side note, Don Rosa's style was a nice follow-up to Carl's. Very similar.

[@Chasmodius]

These interchanges feature regularly in my stress dreams. Luckily, whatever car I'm driving (frequently from the back seat!) has super grippy tires that keep me on the road when the bank grade approaches 90° (dream logic).

[@courteousanalyzer]

I remember driving through here when they were under construction in 2003. I was just a kid, but I remember being so amazed at how tall the star decorated supports were.

[@variancewithin]

So glad you're not totally lost in the sauce for highways. I can only hope you're on board with high speed rail and more sidewalks and bike lanes and busses and trams

[@BrokeWrench]

When public transit gets you to your location faster than driving it will get more popular, but getting to work from the suburbs faster wont happen until the road traffic becomes a 45min parking lot

[@Fabdanc]

I am in Houston, and these super tall interchange terrify my... the mind instantly goes to "what if this collapses while I am on it?!"

[@awesomecomputers7076]

It’s unlikely to ever collapse as long as it’s maintained properly. So as long as txdot has $$$ those should be ok.

[@juanquireyes6703]

@@awesomecomputers7076 "So as long as txdot has $$$" LOL, lmao even. 🥲

[@turnertruckandtractor]

You are not the only one.

[@makingbiscuits24-7]

I'm terrified of the 288/BW8 exit. It's just too tall and too curved. The fear of driving off or having a piece of it fall off is admittedly irrational, but I just can't make myself drive 98' in the air. I find myself having to drive out of my way to avoid our tall exit ramps and interchanges. It's good to know I'm not alone!

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

It'll fall one day. Nothing lasts forever. Texas is cheap as hell.

[@nebulaone908]

The US interstate system is actually brilliantly designed. People take this for granted. I think the interstate system is something to be grateful for. It makes traveling between cities and states efficient and even enjoyable at times. I don’t really understand the car hate in the video.

[@johnny_eth]

I'm waiting for Brady to flex his infrastructure knowledge regarding safe pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

[@hilburn-]

How would an American learn about those?

[@joebond2099]

@@hilburn- By reading the rules and regulations provided by the Federal Highway Administration and AASHTO

[@love2scoobysnack]

It would be more cost-effective for pedestrians and bicyclists to get a job and get a car.

[@hilburn-]

@@joebond2099 rules and regulations are fine and all, but I'd much rather listen to someone talk about actually competent and interesting implementations like you see... basically anywhere but the US where it's an afterthought built around car infrastructure

[@kapa1611]

@@hilburn- i'm from Europe, and "..it's an afterthought built around car infrastructure" sums up our bike and pedestrian infrastructure pretty well xD less America bashing plz, cars are a problem everywhere ;)

[@SteelinTX]

I have driven the high 5 so many times over the past 19 years. It can be quite the white knuckle event during inclement weather.

[@KyVisuals]

And rush hour

[@SamanthaEatsCookies]

I clicked on this video because I work adjacent to "the fidget spinner" project. Between the I-10/1604 interchange and the construction along 35, i am fascinated by these huge flyovers. They take so long to build, but I feel like the project is soaring by and a great pace every single day. I feel like the other flyovers around San Antonio moved so incredibly slow growing up where projects took around a decade to complete. I'm astounded by the crews and the entire process able to knock this project out

[@R-ecipes864]

This is why traveling to Texas gives me the worst anxiety, being a guy who is paralyzingly afraid of open heights. It’s gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. … and I’m flying to Houston tomorrow.

[@sunshine2528]

Reading these comments I thought I was the only one who is terrified of these interchanges, till I read your comment. I dont drive in the cities anymore very often. If I have to I stress about it the night before and also find routes through that avoid any and all bridges and flyovers. It can take me a very long time to get to my destination but it’s so much better to have a safe (ground) route.

[@codiesmth]

And I was sitting here wondering why nobody was talking about height-related anxiety. I have a pilot’s license and these things freak me out. I avoid them whenever possible.

[@sunshine2528]

@@codiesmth It blows my mind that you are a pilot and have issues with these concrete nightmares!

[@JeffMTX]

Hope ya had an aisle seat

[@R-ecipes864]

@@JeffMTX I did, in no small part because I’m 6’6” tall and need to sprawl into the aisles anyway.

[@4dognight192]

Knowing how to properly merge is the biggest problem for many drivers, many can't figure out how to spot the gap and/or match the highway speed to slip in to traffic at the gap. Brake lights are one of the last things you want to see in front of you when on the highway.

[@KontroldKaos]

Right! From reading the comments, it seems many people only know how to keep the car on the road, but not really maneuver it.

[@Ntegritty]

No accidents or construction just cars merging onto the freeway too slow. It causes bumper to bumper traffic pretty quickly even on weekend days

[@qoph1988]

Trust me, brake lights are the ONLY thing you see on I-35

[@mononaut]

As a lifelong Texan, learning that feeder roads are a unique feature here is a culture shock, I can't imagine life without them. Also we called this intersection the spaghetti bowl when I was growing up.

[@ChrisPikula]

That looks like an entire headache to deal with.

[@jacobcortez3545]

The big stacks are usually pretty easy to navigate as long as you can read road signs.

[@Gundam4President]

It is and I hate it. I love driving which is why I support public transit. Most people shouldn’t be on the road. In a perfect world I can go 65 in a 65 because the idiots braking for no reason took a train

[@Lobonova]

No is not. I enjoy driving on them. No headaches.

[@f937r]

The only real headache is the traffic jams. The signage to point you where you need to go is actually decent.

[@chefnyc]

@Gundam4President I also wish teenagers and grandmas and soccer moms weren’t forced to drive. Then we could have had stricter licensing requirements.

[@nightraver56]

Much of Indiana around Indianapolis got rid of stoplights but putting roundabouts at all 4 corners of of many interchange diamonds. Once you get the hang & figure out what's happening it's not too bad but oh my LORD it can feel like a Labyrinth the first few days when you been away. Indiana has a love affair with roundabouts

[@cmmartti]

No, it's mostly just Carmel that has a love affair with roundabouts.

[@benjaminmarshall5071]

I have lived in Texas my entire life, and I love how we build our cities around our transportation! We have a LOT of land, and we build sideways, so being able to get around quickly is more important than saving what to us is a small mount of land. Also, basically everyone here has a car so almost everyone directly benefits.

[@evan]

I’d wanna drive on it one day just to experience it. Insane how big it is. Not the most efficient use of space… similar to the jersey jughandle in the respect

[@NicMediaDesign]

In Germany the four leave clover is merge is at a separate lane for the on/offramps.

[@justinsayin3979]

A lot of states in the US have those too, but the traffic from those separate lanes still causes backups on the main interstate/motorway.

[@7791D]

I’m a midwestern and we are known for driving. I love driving and road trips way more then flying and navigating airports. Flying gives me anxiety and I love driving it’s relaxing and I love navigating our interstate system in America. Crazy how all this concrete connects and your pulling out your driveway can get you anywhere in America. From LA to NY or Miami to Seattle.

[@justanotheraviator2357]

I've always loved our Texan "spaghetti mess" interchanges. Also, Bearded Grady should stick around a while.

[@Ckamerad]

I work for a state DOT as a health and safety coordinator. Texas roads and programs are among the best in the nation when it comes to worker safety and traffic management. They represent a gold standard in the US and abroad when it comes to building safe roads for both motorists and road workers. If you ever meet someone who works in traffic or employee safety in Texas give them a high five and thank them for the work they put in!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

I'm happy for the road safety and especially for the worker safety, but "more, bigger roads" is definitely not where we should be devoting our money and land.

[@haroldbeauchamp3770]

⁠@@IstasPumaNevadaperhaps Texas should find ways to prevent population growth? Of course not, so as long as population increases, Texas will need more roads and expansion of current roads.

[@vaokon9739]

@@haroldbeauchamp3770you know there’s other ways to move people than roads, right? Ways that don’t involve bulldozing then paving half the city to make it fit?

[@jordanhicken7812]

Growing up in Dallas and watching the High Five being built was pretty special

[@romoc0p]

The High 5 is so cool; amazing to see in person. Dallas sucks though.

[@breakupgoogle]

lol

[@SpencerCookertin]

Being from Dallas my whole entire life, it’s such a treat to see this being called an engineering feat and engineer marvel when for me it’s just going to work 😂

[@isaacsucks]

right like this is just tuesday for us i love it

[@user-hr1ci1gq8i]

As an interstate trucker I appreciate your work sir!