HOUSTON – Drivers traveling along the Southwest Freeway are still navigating rough pavement, lane closures and construction zones as a major paving project continues alongside World Cup-related improvements near the Montrose area.
The work comes less than a year after transportation officials began a large-scale effort to repave Interstate 69, one of Houston’s busiest corridors, while also completing separate beautification projects ahead of Houston’s role as a host city for the FIFA World Cup.
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For many drivers, the most noticeable part of the freeway remains the uneven transitions between roadway sections and bridge approaches.
“There’s a lot of bumps,” said Melanie Workman of Baytown. “There’s always traffic due to the construction. It’s very frustrating.”
Amber Workman, who frequently drives the freeway through the Montrose area, described the ride as rough.
“It almost feels like you’re going over moguls or holes in the road,” she said.
Fadi Tatari, a Montrose resident, said the conditions have been a problem for years.
“It’s horrible,” Tatari said. “Especially when you get across the transition between the bridges and the actual highway.”
He says the rough pavement has damaged tires on his vehicle.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, crews are repaving the Southwest Freeway between the Interstate 610 Loop and Beltway 8. The project began before Houston was selected to host World Cup matches and is separate from FIFA-related improvements, transportation officials have said.
TxDOT expects paving work to continue through the end of the year.
At the same time, drivers have also noticed changes near the Montrose bridges, where crews removed ivy, repainted retaining walls and completed landscaping improvements.
TxDOT has described that effort as part of a beautification project intended to improve the appearance of key corridors ahead of the World Cup. A spokesperson also said thousands of trees have been planted at locations across the city.
Some residents questioned whether the money could have been better spent on transportation needs.
“I don’t think it’s a good spend of money, personally,” Amber Workman said. “They could be fixing the roads or something a little bit more simple that could help the community more.”
Melanie Workman expressed a similar view.
“I think they should’ve already fixed the freeways,” she said. “Why didn’t they do it for our citizens that pay the taxes?”
Tatari said he supports improvements that benefit the city long term but questioned whether the beautification work would have occurred without the World Cup.
Traffic remains a concern as Houston prepares to host seven World Cup matches at Houston Stadium.
TxDOT officials said they do not plan to close freeway lanes on match days, a move intended to reduce congestion for fans traveling to and from games.
While construction activity is expected to continue in the coming months, transportation officials say keeping lanes open during match days should help ease traffic during one of the city’s busiest international events in years.