HOUSTON ARCHIVE · ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
NASA 1 Bypass Freeway
The short bypass around Webster took years to reach the construction schedule. This archive page keeps the original account, route maps, roadside views and September 2000 preliminary plans together.
Last updated March 23, 2001
TexasFreeway NASA Road 1 archive
The Saturn V was one of the rockets visible from NASA Road 1.
Saturn V rocket seen from NASA Road 1From the Houston archive. This account retains its original wording and period predictions from March 2001.
01 / MARCH 2001 ACCOUNT
A short bypass after a long delay
(add link to NASA construction photos)
The Saturn V, Redstone, and Altas rockets are visible from NASA Road 1.
As its name suggests, NASA Road 1 leads to NASA's Johnson Space Center in far southeast Houston. By 2003, the NASA 1 bypass should finally be under construction. It will be short - only about 2 miles long - but it should permanently solve the chronic traffic problems that afflict NASA Road 1 in the section just east of I-45. The freeway will have 4 lanes, no feeders, and a narrow right-of-way (45m = 147 ft). There will be two direct connectors at the I-45 interchange.
It's been a painfully long wait for the improvements to NASA Road 1. Construction was set to start in 1989, but the City of Webster stalled in paying its 10% share of right-of-way and utility relocation costs, which amounted to $1.7 million. On May 2, 1992, Webster voters rejected bond money to pay for the project by a margin of 16 votes, putting the project on indefinite hold. See a news article from May 25, 1992, detailing the fallout. By 1994, TxDOT and the City of Webster agreed to build a bypass on the south side of the city. Public hearings were held in about 1996. The resulting design is a limited access freeway bypass with direct connectors to I-45. Construction is set to begin in December 2002, a 14-year delay from the original schedule.
A TxDOT press release from September 18, 2000 gives more details. Projected construction start date is December 2002, but could be accelerated if right-of-way acquisition is completed sooner. Project construction cost will be about $32 million.
02 / PERIOD MAPS
Where the bypass was planned
Undated period map
NASA 1 bypass route through Webster
Detailed period map of the planned NASA 1 bypass south of Webster.
Undated period map
NASA 1 bypass location in southeast Houston
Wide-area period map locating the bypass near I-45, Webster and Clear Lake.
03 / ROADWAY PHOTOGRAPHS
NASA Road 1 before the bypass
Photos taken November 24, 2000
November 24, 2000
NASA Road 1 at State Highway 3
NASA Road 1 at the intersection with State Highway 3. Between I-45 and Highway 3, NASA Road 1 is a four-lane undivided roadway on a very narrow right-of-way.
November 24, 2000
NASA Road 1 near the eastern end of the bypass
NASA Road 1 near the eastern end of the bypass. This traffic light will be replaced with an overpass.
04 / PERIOD TIMELINE
Project History
| Early 1960's | The Manned Spaceflight Center (now the Johnson Space Center) becomes the focus of the Apollo moon landing effort. |
|---|---|
| 1960's-1990's | The Clear Lake City real estate development takes shape, increasing traffic pressure. The development was built-out by the mid 1990's. The critical stretch of NASA 1 between I-45 and TX3 remains in a rural configuration. |
| 1989 | Construction originally set to begin. |
| 1992 | On May 2, 1992, a $1.7 million bond issue to pay for right-of-way and utility relocation is defeated by 16 votes in Webster. |
| 1994 | The City of Webster agrees to a new location bypass south of the city on January 15, 1994. |
| Mid 1990's | Public hearings on the bypass route. |
| Dec 2002 | Projected letting of the contract for the NASA 1 bypass freeway. Estimated cost is $32 million. |
05 / SEPTEMBER 2000 PLANS
Schematics
September 2000 preliminary plan
NASA 1 bypass at the I-45 interchange
The NASA 1 bypass freeway at the I-45 intersection will have two direct connectors. Notice the wide I-45 bridge, with about half of the pavement area striped off. I-45 will be widened to 10 mainlanes and 2 HOV lanes at some point in the future (probably between 2005 and 2010), and the new bridge will be built wide enough for the future expansion.
High resolution (1360k) Medium resolution (257k) - Best for viewing
September 2000 preliminary plan
Eastern end of the NASA 1 bypass
The eastern end of the bypass where the bypass freeway merges back with the existing NASA Road 1.
Medium resolution (178k) - Best for viewing