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- I-45 Gulf Freeway at NASA Road 1.
- I-45 Gulf Freeway Feeder Road at NASA Road 1.
- TxDOT is marking the completion of two Gulf Freeway projects and the start of two more.
- Houston City Councilman-At-Large Mike Knox speaks at an event marking the completion of one I-45 project and the beginning of another.
- TxDOT Commissioner Laura Ryan speaks at an event on the Gulf Freeway
- Officials "pass the baton" to mark completion of one Gulf Freeway project and the start of another.
- Officials "pass the baton" to mark completion of one Gulf Freeway project and the start of another.
That project will increase the number of lanes on the Gulf Freeway from six to ten.
TxDOT has already completed widening between Beltway 8 and NASA Road One. Now that project is going further south, to FM 517 near Dickinson.
On a ramp high above the freeway officials gave an update on the work. Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan says with all the growth in in the region, the number of vehicles on the Gulf Freeway could increase by 70% in the coming decades.
"This initiative allows us the opportunity to address the mobility gap and seamlessly connect corridors and projects," says Ryan. "To deliver a corridor and not just individual projects and segmented projects."
But while that construction is in progress, what does that mean for people just trying to get to the beach? We asked TxDOT District Engineer Quincy Allen.
"We're trying to keep the same number of freeway lanes open at all times," explains Allen. "We had three lanes before we started. We'll try to keep three lanes at all times."
The section between NASA Road One and and FM 518 should be finished in late 2021. The segment between League City and Dickinson is expected to wrap up by December 2020. The work will cost about $220 million.
