HOUSTON – A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Tuesday to mark the start of construction on a new eight-lane highway in southeast Houston.
This is part of the Texas Clear Lanes program, which was launched by lawmakers and Texas Governor Greg Abbott in 2015 to create solutions for congested highways.
Recommended Videos
The new project will be located along State Highway 35 from Griggs Road to Interstate 45/Spur 5. Williams Brothers Construction is working on the project for $93.9 million.
“Just this 1.8-mile segment of SH 35 sees an average daily traffic of more than 102,000 vehicles a day. In the next 10 years, that’s projected to increase to 142,000,” Texas Transportation Commissioner Robert Vaughn said.
The new highway will have main lanes, four direct connectors, and ramps. The initiative will expand the bridge to create more space for drivers and to allow traffic to flow better in case of a hurricane evacuation.
“According to the United States Census Bureau, we have about 30 million people living in our home state, and according to the state demographic center, that number could grow to more than 40 million by 2050. We recognize with that growth comes challenges,” Vaughn said.
Texas Clear Lanes are working to fix some of those issues in Houston and also focusing on Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio.