A proposal for elevated lanes along Loop 610 West offers hope to motorists weary of fighting some of the state's worst congestion, but concerns about environmental impacts linger.

The Texas Department of Transportation last week offered the public a glimpse of the plan, which calls for two elevated lanes in each direction from Interstate 10 to U.S. 59. The lanes might be tolled.

It's the third time a double-decked Loop 610 has been proposed. Though some remain concerned about the appearance and environmental impacts of the $250 million project, others argue that relieving congestion is more important than maintaining a pristine view of Memorial Park or the buildings that line the freeway.

"No one will come to the park or shop if they can't get there," said Stella Banks, 52, who recently downsized to an apartment in the area to be closer to her job. She'd been making the drive from Sugar Land for 15 years.

"It didn't hit me until I moved that 20 minutes of that trip was right here," she said as she grabbed coffee near Westheimer and Loop 610.

That clog is why the segment is perennially the No. 1 or 2 most congested freeway segment in the state, as calculated by the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute.

The elevated lane design, officials said, would allow traffic headed around the loop, and not into the Uptown area, to flow more freely. The lanes would have no access to exits for San Felipe, Westheimer, Richmond or U.S. 59.

Moving that through-traffic to the express lanes would open up space for local traffic on the existing Loop 610 lanes, TxDOT officials said.

The plans have reignited fears about the effects of a double-decker freeway on the area and Memorial Park. Proposals for two tiers of freeway traffic have run into staunch opposition twice in the past 25 years.

'Biggest issues'

Residents and leaders of the Memorial Park Conservancy - a nonprofit that helps protect and manage the park - are taking a close look at the latest proposal. Local landowners and businesses also are monitoring the project, said John Breeding, president of Uptown Houston and administrator of the area's tax increment reinvestment zone.

"Noise and the visual are the biggest issues," Breeding said.

Technical aspects of the plan, such as the elevated express lanes beginning and ending with a single lane before expanding to two, also drew attention at TxDOT's public meeting.

With enormous demand and development so close to the freeway, adding capacity without buying expensive property or affecting its value with a noisy interstate requires striking a balance, planners, engineers and public officials said.

It also leads to tough choices. Because of limited space, TxDOT said only one lane to and from the elevated lanes would be practical and help control traffic flow. The absence of a second lane, however, creates a bottleneck where the lanes rejoin the rest of Loop 610.

Others criticized the plan for not having direct access to I-10.

"That's a big loss," frequent Loop 610 and I-10 driver Jason Wilkinson said. "Everybody that needs to go downtown, you've just made it so they can't use it."

TxDOT officials this week extended the deadline for comments from Dec. 28 to Jan. 8, spokesman Danny Perez said.

Though officials have said the lanes may be tolled, recent infusions of cash to transportation funding via voter-approved changes in state budgeting could mean the express lanes stay free.

Pending state and federal approvals, construction could begin in two or three years, provided TxDOT and local officials devise a way to pay for it.

The lanes, estimated to cost $250 million, are not included in regional transportation spending plans approved by the Houston-Galveston Area Council, which doles out much of the state and federal money meant for congestion relief.

'Solve the problem'

Nearly all of the money expected to come to the Houston region over the next five years for transportation projects - $2.76 billion - already is dedicated to other projects. These include four projects totaling $141 million to rebuild the Loop 610 ramps to and from U.S. 59 and Loop 610 through the interchange.

For TxDOT to tap regional money for the elevated lanes in the next decade, H-GAC's Transportation Policy Committee would have to amend its plans, shelving other projects. The Texas Transportation Commission is another possible source of funds.

Jim Scarborough, who lives along Post Oak, said what he's seen makes him a fan of the elevated lanes.

"If just the drive-by traffic does use that elevated, that to me would solve the problem," he said.

Scarborough is one of the most vocal critics of plans by Uptown and Metro to develop dedicated bus lanes along Post Oak and Loop 610. His building's homeowners association filed an unsuccessful lawsuit trying to stop Metro's role in the $193 million project.

Growing demand

The elevated lanes and bus-only lanes along Loop 610 are separate projects and not dependent on one another, officials said.

Scarborough said the new freeway lanes would help relieve traffic to and from the local streets. He predicted few people would use the buses in dedicated lanes.

"There is no question in my mind this is a better way to relieve it," Scarborough said of the express lanes.

Breeding, who has led the push for dedicated bus lanes, said more lanes are not the only answer.

"The demand continues to grow, and you can pour concrete but you can't pour enough for the increasing demand," Breeding said. "In Houston, we have reached the point that there are some freeways we can widen and improve, but there are others where we need to look to transit. ... I think we need transit. I think we need improved arterial streets. I think we need sidewalks. These are continuing challenges of vibrant cities with economic health."