When was i45 built

It was the first freeway built in Texas--opened in stages beginning on October 1, , thru a full completion to Galveston in , as part of U.

Highway At the north Houston end, it connects to the North Freeway via the short Pierce Elevated, completed in Highway 75 south of this junction was upgraded on the spot. It includes interchanges with several other freeways: the Emmett F. At the merge with Spur 5, a short freeway spur to the University of Houston, elevated collector-distributor roads also part of Spur 5 begin.

Just past Dowling Street is an interchange with U. The reversible high-occupancy vehicle lane begins in downtown Houston at the intersection of St. The proposed Segment 2A project would require additional right of way of approximately It would widen I from four to six lanes and would include reconstruction and realignment of freeway main lanes and ramps.

The project would create two new interchanges. In addition, the project would improve drainage structures, bridges, frontage roads, and crossroads adjacent to new ramps and interchanges. A raised median along SH 75, from Brookview Drive to FM , would be constructed to reduce vehicle turning conflicts.

This project is funded with an estimated letting of Fall and construction to begin in Winter Jorge Bustamante, with the Greater Northside Management District, holds up a map while standing in The Raven's Tower, overlooking the area on the near Northside of town that the massive Interstate 45 widening project would impact homes and some businesses on Jan. The Raven's Tower in the Near Northside overlooks the area of town that the massive Interstate 45 widening project would impact, on Jan.

Traffic flows along Interstate 45 , as seen from the 52nd floor of the Heritage Plaza on Jan. Traffic heads southbound on Interstate 45, leaving Houston's central business district during the afternoon rush hour on Feb.

Traffic travels north on Interstate 69 into downtown Houston on June The area could significantly change if current plans for redevelopment of Interstate 45 proceed as planned. Drivers along Interstate 10 approach Interstate 45 north of downtown Houston on June A rebuilt I would flow through the area, parallel to I Signs along Interstate 69 northbound warn traffic approaching the Interstate 45 conenctor ramps on Feb.

Tanya Debose, executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, speaks during a tour of Independence Heights, north of , on Jan. The historic neighborhood, the remnants of the first city in Texas incorporated by black residents, could lose homes and businesses under a plan to widen Interstate Traffic moves along northbound Interstate 45 with downtown in the background on Dec. White Oak Bayou and the trail would be impacted by a redesigned Interstate 45, seen in the background.

Chip Place and Beth White from Houston Parks Board hold a map of the proposed freeway system which will cut across the green space on top of White Oak Bayou, as they talked about their concerns of what a redesigned Interstate 45 will do to green space along area waterways on Dec. The Pierce Elevated, otherwise know as Interstate 45 downtown, photographed from Main Street on June 23, in downtown Houston. Strip away the enormity of rebuilding Interstate 45 and the promise of speedier trips along downtown Houston freeways, and two questions about the once-in-a-generation project remain:.

And, how far should transportation officials go to reduce those impacts, to secure support and not vocal opposition? Texas Department of Transportation officials say they are balancing those concerns with a need to rebuild a freeway beyond its useful life, in a way that officials believe prepares for how Houston will move more than a decade from now.

Not every problem, however, has a solution as TxDOT awaits federal approvals, possibly by the end of this year. Construction on the segments where I, Interstate 69 and Texas intersect could start as early as That means the opportunity to tweak a project 18 years in the making is closing, with a lot of concerns remaining despite years of unprecedented public engagement between transportation officials and neighborhood and advocacy groups.

Opponents said they are committed to making sure whatever is built does not tear more inner-city neighborhoods apart. The project aims to add two managed lanes in each direction to I north of the central business district as part of a total freeway rebuild from Interstate 69 to the Sam Houston Tollway near Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Proponents of the freeway plan argue Houston is choking on congestion along the I corridor and efforts to lure people out of their cars so far have not changed things. Adding managed lanes - which benefit buses and carpoolers - helps manage traffic without adding general use lanes.