Texas State Highway 99
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| State Highway 99 |
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| Length: | 31.675 mi[1] (51.0 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1984 | ||||||||
| South end: |   US 59 / FM 2759 in Sugar Land, FM 1405 near Baytown |
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| Major junctions: |
  I-10 / US 90 near Katy |
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| North end: | Franz Road near Katy, I-10 near Mont Belvieu |
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State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, is a Texas highway, which opened its first section in 1994. When State Highway 99 is complete, it will be the third loop within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, with Interstate 610 being the inner loop and Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) being the middle loop. The proposed 170-mile loop has been divided into 11 separate segments for construction and funding purposes. Only two of the 11 segments are either complete or under construction.
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[edit] Segments
[edit] Segment D
Segment D, the first section opened, runs from just north of Interstate 10, west of Houston, south to US 59 in Sugar Land where it terminates and changes to FM 2759. This segment is a combination of 4-lane divided highway (on what will be the future feeder roads) and 4-lane controlled-access freeway.
[edit] Segment I-2
Segment I-2, which opened in March 25, 2008 after five years of construction, runs from Interstate 10 east of Houston south to Business State Highway 146 in Baytown. (The former Spur 55, which ran from FM 1405 to Business 146, was renumbered SH 99 and connects with the newly constructed portion of Segment I-2 at FM 1405.) The portion of Segment I-2 from Interstate 10 south to Fisher Road will be tolled beginning in summer 2008. As of March 2008, there are no toll collection facilities in place (EZ Tag gantries, video tolling gantries, or traditional toll booths).
[edit] Future construction
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This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available. |
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The next section that will be constructed will most likely be either Section E, F-1, F-2, or G, which are located northwest and north of Houston. Section E will run from the northern terminus of Section D north to US 290. Section F-1 will start at the end of Section E and end at the intersection with State Highway 249. Section F-2 begins here and terminates at Interstate 45. Section G starts at the end of Section F-2 and travels to US 59.
Future sections of the Grand Parkway will most likely be built as tollways in conjunction with the Harris County Toll Road Authority to speed up the loop's completion. Western sections of the Grand Parkway have been mentioned as possible bypass routes for the Houston section of the proposed Interstate 69 extension to the United States–Mexico border.
[edit] Segment E - Fast Tracked June 2008
On June 3, 2008 the Harris County Commissioners Court voted to fast track the construction of Segment E from I-10 in the South to US 290 in the north with construction to begin in 2009. The multi year reconstruction of I-10 is due to be completed in October 2008 while US 290 reconstruction is not due to even start till 2011. Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack said that he pushed to fast-track Segment E "because we have to figure out a way to help with the incredible traffic on U.S. 290. The short-term solution is to get Segment E built and get them onto the Katy Freeway. It takes people almost two hours to get from Hockley to downtown Houston."[2] The 22 mile long section of I-10 from the suburb town of Katy to just inside the I-610 loop has expanded it to handle the rapidly expanding western suburbs of Houston not just adding lanes, but also an expanded HOV with two lanes in both directions where there was one lane reversed back and forth with rush hour and a toll lane for commuters willing to pay congestion prices for the quicker ride. The idea put forth is that Segment E is Toll viable from the start meaning it would pay for itself with tolls collected because of the need to relieve traffic on US 290 along with the continued expansion of the western suburbs. After US 290 construction is completed and less traffic is diverting down the E Segment of the Grand Parkway the reasoning is that the inevitable population explosion going on in the area would not just replace the lost traffic from the US 290 completion, but increase it's use. The fact that Segment E is mostly rural prairie right now also helps as there is less local opposition from the NIMBY crowd and more who want to get off the overly congested roads that connect to I-10 and US 290.
[edit] Opposition and support
Current residents who live along the Grand Parkway in Harris and Fort Bend counties (namely in the Cinco Ranch/Falcon Point areas within segment D) have noticed increased noise due to expansion of the highway, which includes construction of new overpasses as well as increased growth in the surrounding area. Sound barriers have not been constructed based on a 20+ year environmental study. Resident petitions and protests for a new sound barrier study have not been addressed and Texas DOT claims "This section of the Grand Parkway does not qualify for that."[3] Further expansion in this area is planned to start in 2010 with two tollway lanes added in each direction.[4]
Some groups in some neighborhoods are opposing the idea of the Grand Parkway going through their neighborhoods. For instance, a group called "United to Save Our Spring" is trying to stop the Parkway from going through a neighborhood off FM 2920. Residents in other unincorporated areas such as The Woodlands have not shown the same opposition and support the construction of the Grand Parkway, namely segments E, F-1, F-2, and G[1], as this would give residents living in the outer suburbs a freeway option to drive to San Antonio, Austin, northeast Texas, or Louisiana without having to drive through the city of Houston.
Some residents in Brazoria County, along segment B, have voiced opposition to several of the proposed alignments. However, TxDOT has recently proposed a fifth alternative alignment to the north of Alvin. This alternative is acceptable to the opposition group Citizens Against the Grand Parkway and is likely to encounter much less opposition from the community.[5]
[edit] Exit list
[edit] Segment D
| Mile | Destinations | Notes |
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| Fort Bend Westpark Tollway east | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; other movements can be made at the FM 1093 intersection to the south | |
| Fry Road | ||
| Westheimer Parkway | ||
| Cinco Ranch Boulevard | ||
| Bay Hill Boulevard; Highland Knolls Drive | ||
| Kingsland Boulevard |
[edit] Segment I-2
| Mile (south from I-10) | Destinations | Notes |
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| 3.0 |  FM 565 – Cove, Beach City
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Exit northbound or southbound to eastbound and westbound (FM 565 only). It is the only controlled access exit constructed as of March 2008.) |
| 6.6 | Fisher Road | |
| 9.1 | FM 1405 |
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| 11 |  SH 146 |
End of segment I-2 |
[edit] References
- ^ Texas Department of Transportation. Highway Designation File - State Highway No. 99. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
- ^ RAD SALLEE (2007-06-03). Fast lane sought for parkway plan. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
- ^ Kevin Quinn (2007-05-31). Residents suffer from Grand Parkway growing pains. abc13.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
- ^ Betty L. Martin (2007-05-23). Parkway toll plan gets mixed reaction. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
- ^ Progress on Grand Parkway moving slowly. John Tompkins, The Facts. November 12, 2006. Last accessed November 26, 2006.
[edit] External links
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