Texas 225, the La Porte Freeway
Last updated 3-Jan-2002 (improve image quality)
Cancelled section of 225 |
146 cable stayed bridge
 Texas 225 is the only Houston freeway that has sustained a major and permanent cancellation.
The section of 225 inside loop 610, usually called the
Harrisburg Freeway, was cancelled in the early 1970's. The rest of freeway was just finished
in 2000, with the completion of the interchange and connection ramps at TX 146, leading to the
impressive
Fred Hartman cable stayed bridge. No further improvements are planned for 225 at this time.
The 14-mile-long 225 corridor is an industrial delight, passing through a dense concentration of refineries,
petrochemical plants, and tank farms. Depending on your perspective, it is either ugly or beautiful.
Even today, a foul odor often lingers over the freeway.
A Houston Chronicle
news article
published on August 9, 1999, provides more information on the history of the 225 corridor
and the freeway cancellation inside loop 610.
Freeway History
|
Mid-1960's to early '70s |
Most of the freeway between 610 and Beltway 8 is constructed |
| Early 1970's |
Four-level stack at 610 constructed |
| Early-to-mid 70's |
225 inside Loop 610 is cancelled |
| 1982 |
The Beltway 8 toll bridge is opened on May 6, 1982. It features a 1500 ft post-tensioned concrete box
girder span. |
| Late 80's |
A short section of freeway near Beltway 8 is constructed. |
| 1995 |
The
TX 146 cable stayed bridge is opened.
|
| Mid-to-late 1990's |
The freeway from Beltway 8 to TX 146 is constructed |
| 2000 |
The interchange and connection ramps at 146 are completed. TX 225 is complete. |
Photos taken 24-Dec-2001
A. Looking west from the Battleground Road overpass. The Shell Deer Park refinery is in the background.
Battleground road leads to the San Jacinto Battleground, where Texas
forces under General Sam Houston defeated the Mexican Army under Santa Ana and won independence for Texas in 1836.
Notice the palm tree landscaping. Any kind of landscaping on Houston freeways is unusual.
B. Driver's view going west at the Richey Road exit in Pasedena.
C. Driver's view of the tank farm just east of IH-610.
D. The dramatic and permanent end of the LaPorte Freeway just inside interstate 10. The extension of the freeway to
downtown Houston, known as the Harrisburg Freeway, was cancelled in the early-to-mid 1970's.
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