The band AC/DC had it right when they wrote their hit song, “Highway to Hell”. Traveling some of these Texas highways can lead one to believe they arrived in Hell, for sure! Have you ever had the opportunity to travel from North Texas, say North of Dallas on I-35 heading South toward Waco? Well don’t, unless you love being surrounded by 18-wheeler trucks. A sea of huge trucks, trucks are so thick on I-35 South on any given day that you could easily fail to see road signs warning you of necessary lane changes and other somewhat frightening things ahead. I-35 South has got to be the worst freeway experience for anyone needing to get from point A to point B around the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. I-35 serves as a major thoroughfare into and out of downtown approaching Dallas from 35 East and Fort Worth from 35 West.

However, I will say that it’s the exact opposite for traveling on I-35 North entering into Oklahoma where suddenly this stretch of highway becomes a true gem, a real beauty with wide open lanes and plenty of room and even faster allowable speed limits. One would never know these two highways are kin to the same stretch of road as Oklahoma’s version of I-35 North is unrecognizable really, and pretty darn nice! I love Texas in many ways but state highways aren’t a thing this state can ever be proud of. Another near nightmare is Texas Hwy. 114 which feeds into and out of I-35. This piece of [sh..], okay roadway is another under a constant state of flux, with switchbacks and god-knows-what-have-you’s. Most of Highway 114 is a fugly experience from my experience(s) so I avoid this one as well whenever possible.

I grew up in Houston and my father used to say that “they’ve been working on I-45 South for 50 years and it’s still not complete!” He was right. There are people, road construction folks, that began and ended their entire highway maintenance careers just working on I-45 South into Houston; people who never did witness their efforts come to any conclusion. This is accurate. It’s that piece of highway stretching from downtown Houston, South all the way to the bridge crossing over Galveston Bay. This roughly 50 miles of highway was under a continuous state of construction for at least a period of 50 years. How much money do you think that has cost [Texas] taxpayers?

Other states have highways their residents love to hate as well, this is nothing unique to the Lone Star state. I remember once upon a time living in L.A., home of the infamous 405 freeway, which also goes under the name of the “San Diego Freeway”. It stretches North to South snaking through many Los Angeles suburbs. Cars are literally parked on this freeway during peak and even off-peak traffic hours. If you’re able to reach a speed of 20-mph on this stretch of highway that’s a win, something to get excited about. I left there in late 1980, my understanding is that traffic on the 405 grew even worse later on. The 405 once had the dubious reputation as the most congested freeway in the nation. However, that may not hold true anymore as we are finding out Californians have been fleeing the state in droves these days… either way, you best Buckle-Up Buttercup! 🙂

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