A Texas shibboleth
One of the first things that astute visitors and new arrivals to Texas notice is the ubiquity of frontage roads along our freeways. Indeed, Texas has more frontage roads than any other place on the face of the planet. The reason for this phenomenon is because, unlike most other states, Texas frequently upgrades existing roadways to freeways instead of building them on entirely new right-of-way, especially in urban areas. For instance, most of I-35 through Texas was built along what used to be US 81. Because adjacent property owners already had access to the existing highway, the state would either have had to purchase those access rights when the road was upgraded (freeways are controlled-access), which in many cases might actually have resulted in a full-blown taking of the property, or they would have had to devise a way to maintain access to those properties. Texas chose the latter.
This also fit in well with the philosophy of Dewitt Greer, the commissioner of the Texas Highway Department at the time work on the Interstate Highway System in Texas was in full bloom. He wanted Interstates in Texas to serve not only long-distance traffic, but also local and regional traffic. To do so would require more frequent entrances and exits. Frontage roads helped fulfill that desire.
Note that on freeways that were built on entirely new right-of-way, frontage roads are often noticeably absent. Examples are long stretches of I-37 and I-10.Â
Sometime around 2002, the Texas Transportation Commission studied changing its longtime policy of building frontage roads and proposed instead to build âbackageâ roads, which would run along the backside of the properties that fronted a freeway. At public hearings around the state on the idea, including in San Antonio, people voiced general opposition to the idea, and it was subsequently scrapped.
One interesting aspect of frontage roads is that theyâre known by different names around the state, making for a sort of Texas shibboleth. In Houston, theyâre called âfeeder roadsâ or just âfeedersâ.  In the DFW Metroplex, theyâre referred to as âservice roadsâ. San Antonians call them âaccess roadsâ. Austin uses âfrontage roadsâ, and thatâs the stateâs official term for them, which appears on TxDOT signs around the state regardless of the local nomenclature. Probably the most unique term is in El Paso, where theyâre known as âgatewaysâ.
In addition to being able to determine what part of the state a person hails from by what they call these roads, Iâve also found that you can measure the area of influence exerted by the stateâs major cities by determining what term is used in the hinterlands. For instance, most of East Texas uses the term âfeederâ, illustrating the dominance that Houston has on that part of the state. When âfeederâ turns to âservice roadâ, you know youâve entered DFW country. San Marcos provides an even more interesting aspect. Today, San Marcos is clearly in Austinâs realm, but the frontage roads along I-35 are typically referred to as âaccess roadsâ by long-time locals. This reflects the fact that when I-35 was built in the â60s, San Antonioâs influence prevailed in San Marcos. As Austin has grown, however, that influence has been diluted. Still, the âaccess roadâ moniker has prevailed, although it will be interesting to see if it continues to survive in the future.
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