Road construction in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas, USA, with a city population of AbOUT 2.2 million and metro population of 5.6 million, has Undergone ongoing construction to serve the many thousands of cars using the major freeways, most built in the 1950s and 1960s. The two decades were a time of expansion for Houston, and after the Interstate Highway System was established in the late 1950s, Houston shifted focus onto automobile transportation, leaving behind rail transportation. The freeways and tollways (bold if under construction) are:
- Interstate 10
- Interstate 45
- Beltway 8
- U.S. Highway 290
- Hardy Toll Road
- Westpark Tollway
- U.S. Highway 90
- U.S. Highway 59
Some other popular secondary highways and roads include:
- Memorial Drive
- State Highway 99
- U.S. Highway 90A
These roads are meant to connect central Houston with many hundreds of suburbs outside the city.
The Baytown East Freeway: 2007 - 2010
Construction began January 2007 to add lanes to the Baytown Freeway, making I-10 a 6 lane highway, and to rebuild the Trinity River Bridge.
Construction
Traffic heading west bound and east bound are currently in the east bound lanes due to a lane being added to the freeway on the north side. The north side will have a lane added to it by early 2010.
The Gulf Freeway: 2004-2009
To handle the large traffic flow to and from Galveston and NASA Johnson Space Center, projects on the Gulf Freeway have begun to partly rebuild the freeway, first incorporated in the 1950s.
Construction
The City of Houston only owns a small amount of land in the area, so the city's contribution to the freeway is limited. The city has covered a half-mile area with asphalt to smooth out the road, but hasn't planned to expand lane capacity.
Farther south, some new exit ramps and overpasses are under construction, but only a small amount. These projects are making slow ProgresS, and it isn't known if any further projects, to demolish or build, are underway. Most construction projects south of Beltway 8 to be completed by Mid November 2009.
The NASA Parkway overpass was to be closed for 70 days and was expected to re-open mid May 2009, but severe weather and heavy downpours have caused construction to be delayed. The new NASA Bypass is being used as a detour for NASA Rd 1. The construction is expected to cause major traffic problems into early July. Drivers are urged to take TX-3 for north-south traffic and Bay Area Blvd, El Dorado Blvd, and FM-518 for east-west traffic. The Brittany Bay Blvd overpass will be demolished soon, moving traffic issues farther south. The Bay Area Blvd exit (#26) heading North is closed and drivers are asked to take the NASA Bypass Exit (#25).
The Galveston Causeway is 100% complete and all lanes are now open.
State Highway 99
Construction started on State Highway 99 in the early 2000s, as part of A Plan to build a new loop around the Houston city area.
Located between George Bush Park and Katy, the highway will have the potential of becoming a major freeway for Katy residents traveling to George Bush Intercontinental Airport and other areas in north Houston.
Construction
The freeway is making slow progress north. Construction began in the late 1990s/early 2000s, and construction dates can be traced back to 1996 .
The freeway's construction hasn't caused as much hype as the Katy Freeway because of its rural position, so not much else is known about the progress of the freeway.
Future projects
There are future projects which haven't been started yet. These projects are either in the stage of considiration or are being planned.
Interstate 69
During the expansion of Interstate 69 into Texas, the freeway could follow many possible routes in Houston. The most reasonable route is to follow the route of Highway 59, but this decision hasn't been confirmed yet. Other possible routes include Beltway 8 or Interstate 610.
In May 2008, it was reported that one of the possible final routes is to pass through the Sealy area, west of Houston. The Sealy area is a small community located in rural Texas, and the planned path will have many farms and ranches demolished for the construction. The new route is under widespread opposition by residents because of the economic effect and the loss of land in the area. The Interstate 69 Texas project website (www.i69texas.org) shows a path overlaying U.S. Highway 59 has been chosen. While this is also criticized, it has not been confirmed as the path.
Hardy Toll Road
Discussion has already started on expanding the Hardy Toll Road, the strip of toll road running parallel to Interstate 45 (from North Houston to Interstate 610), into downtown Houston.
The advantage of this decision would be a fast traffic flow from downtown north to George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Even though discussions are showing a good chance of the plan, no construction plans or routes have been confirmed yet.
US 290
Reconstruction of US 290 from Interstate 610 to Beltway 8 is "next on the table" after completion of the Katy Freeway. Current plans include an additional general-purpose lane in each direction, as well as HCTRA-managed toll lanes. The new toll lanes and HOV lanes are proposed to run along Hempsted Highway. Also, a commuter rail line will be built right next to the freeway.
After the completion of the Katy Freeway in October 2008, Representative John Culberson confirmed that U.S. 290 is the next major highway renovation project for the city.
Memorial Drive
Since the western area of Houston has experienced a boom in residents and businesses, TxDOT is currently planning to expand a large portion of the Memorial Drive, two way drive, thoroughfare from George Bush Park eastward to Gessner Road. Currently the road is only four lanes wide, and regularly experiences large backups in traffic, mostly due to construction closures on the Katy Freeway. This expansion was revealed by Houston's City Council member Palm Holm in a Nottingham Forest VIII/Westchester neighborhood homeowners' meeting in May 2007. The project is also listed on the City of Houston's “Street & Traffic 2008 - 2013 Capital Improvement Plan”. Construction on a 1.4-mile (2.2-kilometer) stretch of the path from Kirkwood Road west to Nottingham Oaks Trail is slated to begin in 2009.
See also
- Transportation in Houston
- List of Houston highways