Texas Is Moving These Interstates And It's Going To Take More Than A Decade To Do It

A truly huge highway construction project is coming to Houston, Texas. Known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), it will take more than ten years to complete. It involves a total rebuild of the I-45 corridor through Houston, shifting its route from the western side of the downtown area to the eastern side. This project will also involve changes to I-69, State Highway 288, and I-10, one of the longest highways in the U.S. 

As of March 7, 2023, the NHHIP can move forward, thanks to a Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) between the Federal Highway Administration and the Texas DoT. The VRA resolves the investigation of NHHIP under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, incorporating several goals advanced by the City of Houston, including reducing flooding, benefiting Houston's transit system, preserving the neighborhoods in the path of the NHHIP, and creating more green space. The VRA also specifies mitigation actions relating to air quality, along with the addition of trails and parks to the project.

This massive roadway rebuilding process is being undertaken to resolve a wide variety of issues that face drivers using the Interstate highway system in Houston. Traffic flow will be smoothed by eliminating curved sections of the roadway that slow the traffic, replacing them with straight sections, according to Danny Perez of the Texas Department of Transportation. Another problem that this project will address is the flooding that is common in Houston, which has earned it the nickname of Bayou City.

The primary features of the NHHIP include changing the route of I-45, making it run in parallel with I-10 to the north of the downtown area while also aligning it parallel to I-69 to the east of the downtown area. All highway lanes as well as frontage roads will be rebuilt. I-10 will add four express lanes in the section that runs between I-45 and I-69, while full-width shoulder areas will be added to all affected roadways. Pedestrian and bike-friendly features will also be constructed on the frontage roads and other relevant streets. While I-45 may not be one of the most dangerous highways in the U.S., it is currently the source of plenty of aggravation for road users in the Houston area, which the NHHIP upgrades should correct.

The part of I-45 being reconstructed was built in the 1950s and 1960s, seeing a doubling of the Houston population since its completion. The NHHIP will be built in three segments, identified as segment one, segment two and segment three. Segment three will be built first, with its initial construction project identified as 3B-1, the St. Emanuel Drainage Project. Construction began in October 2024, with completion anticipated in 2027. Segment 3B-2, which began in January 2025 with planned completion in 2033, reconstructs the I-69 main lanes in both directions between SH 288 and I-45. Once this project is completed and traffic flows better — and faster, it may be harder to avoid a speeding ticket in Houston.