Houston / Katy Freeway photographs
I-10 West: the Katy Freeway
Houston to Brookshire · Photographs from 2000–2001
Before the Katy Freeway expansion, the road changed character at the West Loop. Follow I-10 west from downtown Houston, past tightly packed frontage roads and the old railroad corridor, to the open prairie near Brookshire.
↗ EnlargeCollection: TexasFreeway Katy Freeway photographs
An HOV ramp rises above the downtown traffic, July 2001.
11 photographs · 2000–2001
Follow the Katy Freeway west.
Scan the photographs and captions, or settle into the larger slideshow.
Choose a stretch of I-10.
HOV lanes and the depressed freeway
I-10 west of downtown Houston
Downtown to T.C. Jester
3 archive photographsPhotos start at downtown and proceed westward
Elevated HOV lanes near downtown
The ten-lane freeway west of downtown
The depressed freeway near T.C. Jester
Railroad crossings and interchange ramps
The Katy Freeway meets the West Loop
The railroad crossing and West Loop
3 archive photographs
May 22, 2001
The railroad crossing over I-10
May 22, 2001
West from Washington Street
September 2000
The original West Loop interchange
A narrow corridor and open country
West Houston to the Katy Prairie
Voss Road to the Katy Prairie
5 archive photographs
May 20, 2001
The narrow corridor at Bingle and Voss
May 20, 2001
Main lanes beside the frontage road
May 20, 2001
Former railroad land near Bunker Hill
May 20, 2001
Old Katy Road west of Wilcrest
May 20, 2001 (source caption)
Across the Katy Prairie near Brookshire
From the original archive
Katy Freeway history and expansion plans
IH-10 West, the Katy Freeway
Also see: I-10 west right-of-way clearance | March 2001 Schematics | April 13, 2001 news report
| Historic photos and news articles
It was the best of freeways.......
It was the worst of freeways.......
It will be the biggest of freeways.
Newsflash 14-August-2001: Funding for construction will be authorized on August 30, 2001. See the good news in the news report.
In 2001, Interstate 10 west is looking forward to Houston's largest freeway expansion ever, for possibly the nation's widest fully-paved freeway corridor for a sustained distance. For more details on the planned expansion, see the March 2001 Schematics. Construction will start in 2004.
Today, Interstate 10 has two faces. The 10-lane freeway from downtown to IH-610 west, although opened in December 1968, is still modern and impressive by today's standards. It was recently repaved with new concrete, and has an impressive new HOV ramp near downtown. You could call it the best of freeways.
The freeway west of Interstate 610 is another story. Mostly constructed in late 1950's to mid-1960's, it is an embarrassment to Houston. It has only 6 lanes, a center HOV lane which was built on the interior emergency lanes, and only four feeder lanes. The freeway carries over 200,000 vehicles per day, and traffic congestion is horrible. You could call it the worst of freeways.
But Houston's worst of freeways will be transformed into the biggest of freeways. In March 2001, TxDOT presented its final design which it planned to submit for approval. But the Harris County Toll Road Authority is now proposing to participate in the project by adding a four-lane tollway in the center of the freeway. See the April 13, 2001 news report. So as of this writing on July 1, 2001, there is not a final plan of action. However, the corridor "footprint", averaging 475 feet, appears to be fixed.
| 1962 | A 1962 road map shows the freeway complete from Bunker Hill to Post Oak. |
|---|---|
| Mid to late 1960's | The freeway is completed from Post Oak (IH-610) to Katy, Texas. |
| December 28, 1968 | The 10-lane freeway is opened from downtown to IH-610. |
| May 17, 1972 | The downtown section of IH-10 is opened, completing IH-10 in Houston and connecting the Katy Freeway to the East Freeway. |
| 1989 | The five-level stack at Beltway 8 is completed. This is Houston's first five-level stack. It will be demolished and replaced in the IH-10 reconstruction. |
| 1996 | Studies begin for IH-10 improvements |
| 2000 | The concrete on the section from downtown to IH-610 is replaced. |
| 2000 | The high-flying downtown HOV connector ramp is opened late in 2000. |
| March 2001 | TxDOT presents its final design for the expansion. However, changes are likely with the proposed inclusion of a tollway in the design. |
| 2004 | Construction is scheduled to begin. The first project will be the demolition and replacement of the 4-level stack at IH-610. |
| 2006-2012 | Project completion is dependent on funding. In the most favorable scenario, the Harris County Toll Road authority contributes up to $500 million, and the entire project is complete by 2006. In the least favorable scenario, the project is piece-mealed as funding becomes available, with completion as late as 2012 or even later. Most likely scenario: completion around 2008 or 2009. |
