Early last week, TxDOT presented some new options for renovating the Elysian Viaduct as part of a longstanding plan to extend the Hardy Toll Road into downtown. Later in the week, we learn that many of the affected neighborhood residents to whom these schemes were unveiled liked them very much.

Now, I'm on record as supporting the Hardy extension into downtown, as I believe such a reconfiguration would (eventually) move some traffic off of I-45 to there, and thus stall (hopefully forever) the perceived need to widen I-45 south of Loop 610. Having said that, I don't want that to cause excessive displacement or damage to the existing neighborhood. The I-45 widening that I oppose would directly impact me and my neighbors, and I have no desire to impose that on any fellow Inner Loopers. If that makes TxDOT's project more expensive and time-consuming, so be it. I don't know what the best answer is, but I wish the Near Northsiders well in finding it and getting TxDOT to implement it.