Too Big for Texas? Houston's 23-Lane Freeway

After a $2.3 billion widening project, traffic once again chokes the Katy Freeway's 23 lanes. For road spending critics who are also taxpayers, this I-told-you-so moment is bittersweet.

1 minute read

June 5, 2015, 7:00 AM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Katy Freeway

cemaxx / Flickr

Texas certainly isn't the only state to spend billion after billion widening its highways. But at 23 lanes and counting, the Katy Freeway (part of the I-10 near Houston) is an exercise in extremes. An article from Streetsblog throws doubt on the project's value. 

U.S. Representative John Culberson boasted that the expansion is "moving more cars in less time, [and resulting in] more savings to taxpayers than any other transportation project in the history of Houston." But according to a recent analysis, "Traveling from Downtown outbound on the I-10 Katy Freeway to Pin Oak took 51% more time in 2014 than in 2011." 

The article calls for an end to this kind of "futile" spending and for wiser investment in alternative modes as Texas continues to grow. 

Sunday, June 28, 2015 in Streetsblog Network

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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