I don't have experience with Texas but there are plenty of interchanges as you describe in California. Sometimes you even see momentarily more lanes just before

I don't have experience with Texas but there are plenty of interchanges as you describe in California. Sometimes you even see momentarily more lanes just before and after an at-grade intersection. While more permanent lanes seems more desirable, for lack of space or money or whatever, this compromise at least increases the capacity of the ramp to absorb the queue before it starts to back up into through traffic. Of course, in practice the capacity is often not enough.