Interstate 610 (Texas)

Interstate 610
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length: 38 mi[1] (61 km)
Major junctions
Beltway around Houston
  I-10
US 90
US 59
I-45
US 290
SH 288
SH 225
Highway system

Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Main • Auxiliary • Business

Highways in Texas
Interstate • U.S. • TX (LoopsSpursRecFM)

I-410 I-635

Interstate 610 (abbreviated I-610) is a freeway that forms a forty-two-mile loop around the downtown sector of city of Houston, Texas. Interstate 610, colloquially known as "The Loop", "Loop 610", "The 610 Loop", or just "610", traditionally marks the border between the inner city of Houston ("inside the Loop") and its surrounding areas. It is the inner of the two Houston beltways, the other being Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway). Interstate 610 also runs through the city of Bellaire.

Contents

Route description

Major segments of Interstate 610 are known as the North Loop, the South Loop, the East Loop, and the West Loop. The North Loop runs from U.S. Highway 290 to U.S. Highway 90. The East Loop runs from Highway 90 to State Highway 225. The West Loop runs from Highway 290 to the South Post Oak Road spur, and the South Loop runs from South Post Oak Road to Highway 225. Sometimes, a direction is added as a suffix to denote a more specific part of a portion of the loop.[2] For example:

Lane configurations

Starting at U.S. Highway 290, moving in a clockwise direction, mainlane counts are as follows:[10]

History

The concept of building a bypass highway around Houston was first proposed in 1931, but plans did not begin to formalize until 1941. The loop was initially proposed to transport troops and materials around the city. On May 3, Harris County voters approved a bond to build the "Defense Loop". It was officially designated as Loop 137 in 1942, and the North Loop was approved by the Texas Transportation Commission. World War II delayed construction of the Loop until the 1950s.

In July 1953, the city of Houston asked the Texas Transportation Commission to include 2 new sections of Loop 137 (the West Loop and the South Loop) as part of the state's highway system. It was initially rejected, but in October 1954, the North Loop was upgraded to a freeway, and the West and South Loops were approved as freeways.

When the Interstate Highway system was authorized in 1956, the then C-shaped Loop 137 (now designated Interstate 610) was adopted into the plan. The East Loop would not be approved until 1960. That segment was finished in 1973 with the opening of the Sidney Sherman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel.

Construction on the North Loop began in 1950. Construction was sporadic throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It was completed in 1976 with the interchange that connects Loop 610 to Interstate 10 east of Houston.

In the early 1990s, TxDOT proposed a widening project for the West Loop, which at the time was the busiest freeway in Houston. One of the proposals was for a dual-dual freeway with a total of 24 lanes in some places, which would have made it the widest freeway in the world. Amid vocal opposition and little apparent support, the plans for expansion were cancelled.[11]

In the late 1990s, the need to repave and reconstruct portions of the West Loop became evident. The reconstruction project was approved, but only as a "no-capacity-added" project; only safety and structural improvements could be made.[11][12] However, some Houston residents have noted that merging lanes and exit ramps are particularly long and in effect, serve as additional lanes.[13]

Exit list

The entire roadway, which forms a complete loop, is located in Harris County.

Location # Destinations Notes
Houston 1A FM 521 (Almeda Road) Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
1B Fannin Street
1C Kirby Drive
2
US 90 Alt. (South Main Street) / Buffalo Speedway
3 Stella Link Road
4A South Braeswood Boulevard, North Braeswood Boulevard
4B South Post Oak Road W becomes N and S becomes E
5A Beechnut Street Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Bellaire 5B Evergreen Street Northbound exit is via exit 6
6 Bellaire Boulevard
7 Fournace Place, Bissonnet Street Northbound exit is via exit 6
Houston 7 Westpark Drive Northbound exit and southbound entrance
8A US 59 (Southwest Freeway) – Victoria, Downtown Houston
8B Hidalgo Street, Richmond Avenue Southbound exit and northbound entrance
8C FM 1093 – Westheimer Road The non-FM 1093 segment and the FM 1093 segment of Westheimer Road meet here
9 San Felipe Road, Post Oak Boulevard Signed as exits 9A (San Felipe Road) and 9B (Post Oak Boulevard) southbound
10 Woodway Drive, Memorial Drive
11A I-10 (Katy Freeway) – San Antonio, Downtown Houston Signed as exit 11 northbound
11B Katy Road, North Post Oak Road, Silber Road Southbound exit and northbound entrance
12 West 18th Street, Hempstead Road No northbound entrance
13 US 290 (Northwest Freeway) – Austin Signed as exits 13A (east) and 13B (west)
13C West T.C. Jester Boulevard, East T.C. Jester Boulevard N becomes E and W becalmed S
14 Ella Boulevard
15 Spur 261 (North Shepherd Drive) / North Durham Drive
16 North Main Street, Yale Street Signed as exits 16A (Yale Street) and 16B (North Main Street) eastbound
17A Airline Drive Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
17 I-45 (North Freeway) – Dallas, IAH Airport, Downtown Houston Signed as exits 17B (north) and 17C (south)
18 Irvington Boulevard, Fulton Street
19A Hardy Street, Jensen Drive Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
19B Hardy Toll Road north
20 US 59 (Eastex Freeway) – Cleveland, Downtown Houston Signed as exits 20A (south) and 20B (north) westbound
20C Hirsch Road Eastbound exit is via exit 21
21 Lockwood Drive
22 Homestead Road, Kelley Street
23A Kirkpatrick Boulevard E becomes S and N becomes W
23B North Wayside Drive, Liberty Road
24 US 90 east (McCarty Drive, US 90 Bus. east, US 90 Alt. west) / Wallisville Road North end of US 90 overlap, signed as exits 24A (US 90) and 24B (Wallisville Road) northbound
25 Gellhorn Drive Southbound exit and northbound entrance
26A I-10 (Baytown East Freeway, US 90 west) – Beaumont, Downtown Houston South end of US 90 overlap
26B Market Street Northbound exit and southbound entrance
27 Turning Basin Drive No northbound exit
28 Clinton Drive
29 Port of Houston Main Entrance S becomes W and E becomes N
30A Manchester Street Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
30 SH 225 (La Porte Freeway) – Pasadena, La Porte Signed as exits 30B (east) and 30C (west)
30D Lawndale Avenue Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
31 Broadway Boulevard
32 I-45 (Gulf Freeway) / SH 35 south – Galveston, Hobby Airport, Alvin, Downtown Houston Signed as exits 32A (I-45 south) and 32B (I-45 north, SH 35 south)
33 Woodridge Drive, Telephone Road
34A South Wayside Drive, Long Drive
35 Crestmont Street, M.L. King Boulevard, Mykawa Road
36A Calais Road, Holmes Road, M.L. King Boulevard
36B FM 865 (Cullen Boulevard) Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
37 Scott Street
38 SH 288 (South Freeway) – Lake Jackson, Freeport, Downtown Houston, IAH Airport Signed as exits 38A (south) and 38B (north) eastbound

References

  1. ^ Texas Department of Transportation, [1]
  2. ^ Clearing up confusion of multiple highway names Houston Chronicle, November 20, 2005.
  3. ^ North Loop Fwy W Google Maps, accessed September 7, 2006.
  4. ^ North Loop Fwy E Google Maps, accessed September 7, 2006.
  5. ^ East Loop Fwy N Google Maps, accessed September 7, 2006.
  6. ^ South Loop Fwy E Google Maps, accessed September 7, 2006.
  7. ^ South Loop Fwy W Google Maps, accessed September 7, 2006.
  8. ^ West Loop Fwy S Google Maps, accessed September 7, 2006.
  9. ^ West Loop Fwy N Google Maps, accessed September 7, 2006.
  10. ^ Notes and Index Houston Freeways, Erik Slotboom.
  11. ^ a b The Loop, Interstate 610. Erik Slotboom, Houston Freeways. Last accessed December 15, 2006.
  12. ^ Reader worries drivers will take turn for the worse. Rad Sallee, Houston Chronicle. December 3, 2006. Last accessed December 15, 2006.
  13. ^ More buildings checked for 'stray' Metro current. Rad Sallee, Houston Chronicle. November 26, 2006. Last accessed December 15, 2006.

External links

See also