Thanks for the terrific explanation of what's going on! I am not sure my wife and I would be prime candidates as advocates for the Tanner Road reconnection. We are not local, we live in WestU, we are relatively timid (elderly) riders, and we have not yet ridden the Addicks Dam roads. We do very much enjoy the multi-use trails in Terry Hershey and George Bush parks and ride them often. More than once, I have looked longingly at the underpass under I10 from the Terry Hershey Gazebo, but lacked the confidence to try it. (We ride cyclocross bikes which are somewhere between road and mountain bikes in off road capability, probably fairly similar to a hybrid.)
Bottom line, feel free to use us if you think it helps, but I want you to be aware of factors that may limit our value.
If it is not too much trouble, I would be delighted if you could post a link to the Geller classification scheme. FYI, I write a cycling blog which among other things discusses cycling in Houston:
The Zombie Cyclist