Hardy Toll Road

Hardy Toll Road

Hardy Toll Road highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by HCTRA
Length: 21.6 mi (34.8 km)
Existed: 1988 – present
Major junctions
South end: I-610
  Beltway 8
North end: I-45
Location
Counties: Harris
Highway system

The Hardy Toll Road runs from Interstate 610, near central Houston, to Interstate 45, north of Houston just below the Harris County line. The road generally parallels Interstate 45. The portion from I-610 to Crosstimbers Road is known as Spur 548, although this is unsigned.[1] [2]

Construction on the toll road started in September 1984 and the entire road was complete by June 1988.[3] The toll road runs 21.6 miles (34.8 km) [3] and costs $3.50 to drive its full length ($1.75 north of Beltway 8 and $1.75 south of Beltway 8). A four-mile (6 km) connecting road to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport requires a $1.25 toll. At Hardy North and South toll booths, a 20 cent discount applies to electronic EZ TAG users.

The road is named for nearby Hardy Street, which makes up the frontage roads for the toll road in two locations: (1) between Spring Railroad Yard and FM 1960 and (2) Greens Road to Crosstimbers Road.

A large portion of the southern segment resembles Austin's Mopac Expressway in that an active line of the Union Pacific railroad runs along its median. Like other toll roads in the Houston area, the speed limit is 65 mph (105 km/h), even inside Beltway 8.

Planned extensions

Southward

Future plans are to extend the toll road south an additional four miles (6 km) into downtown Houston (the northern most mile marker is 25, though the current road is only 21.6 miles (34.8 km) long). In November '07 the city of Houston gave approval for street closures required to construct the connections to the downtown freeway loop. Originally, construction was scheduled to start in August 2009 with completion sometime in 2011; however, this has been delayed. It is expected that the toll road will deviate from Hardy Street south of I-610 and follow Maury Street [4] to connect with the Eastex Freeway near I-10,[5] as part of the ramp connections have already been built.[6]

As of November 23, 2010, construction on the Hardy Toll Road Downtown connector has still not begun, with HCTRA's website reporting the project is still under design.[7]

Northward

As the population of Montgomery County has grown quickly in recent years, the need for a northward extension is being evaluated. Originally, the plan was to construct the extension along the right of way for the railroad. However, recent growth in Oak Ridge North will require that the Hardy Toll Road extension deviate from this right of way in places. Feasibility studies have evaluated possible routes between FM 1314 and the San Jacinto River, with the northern terminus planned to be at Loop 336. No plans for construction have yet been formulated.[8]

Lane count

The following are the number of mainlanes in each direction, as of August 2008:

Exit list

The entire route is in Harris County. All exits are unnumbered.

LocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Houston I-610 (North Loop Freeway)Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Hardy RoadSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Crosstimbers Road
Tidwell Road, Parker Road, Berry Road
Little York Road, Gulf Bank Road
Aldine FM 525 (Aldine Bender Road) / Aldine Mail Road, Gulf Bank Road
Toll plaza
Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Parkway) / Sam Houston Tollway
HoustonCentral Green Boulevard, Greens Road, Hardy Airport Connector – Intercontinental Airport
 Rankin Road
HoustonRichey Road, East Hardy Street
Westfield FM 1960 (Cypress Creek Parkway) / West Hardy Road – Cypress, Humble
Toll plaza
SpringAldine–Westfield Road, East Louetta RoadNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
Riley Fuzzel RoadNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
Northgate Crossing Boulevard, Spring Crossing BoulevardNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
I-45 northNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Airport Connector

The entire route is in Houston, Harris County.

mi[9]kmDestinationsNotes
0.00.0Hardy Toll Road – Houston, DallasWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
0.50.8Central Green Boulevard, Greens RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
0.91.4Waverly Drive, Aldine Westfield RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
3.45.5John F. Kennedy Boulevard north – Intercontinental AirportEastbound exit and westbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ↑ Texas Transportation Commission (February 22, 2001). "Texas Transportation Commission Agenda". Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  2. ↑ Stanek, David (December 29, 2000). "State Highway Spurs". Texas Highway Routes. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Staff. "HCTRA Project History". Harris County Toll Road Authority. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  4. ↑ Slotboom, Erik (March 2006). "Houston Photos". Houston Freeways. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  5. ↑ Sallee, Rad (June 12, 2006). "Hardy Toll Road goal still two years away". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  6. ↑ Google (October 23, 2006). "Satellite image: Exit ramp from Northbound U.S. 59 to Westbound Interstate 10 showing stub for future ramp to Northbound Hardy Toll Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved October 23, 2006. (Note: US 59 in this image is shown under construction, prior to 2003.)
  7. ↑ "Construction & Engineering: Major Projects". Harris County Toll Road Authority.
  8. ↑ Kuhles, Beth (May 29, 2003). "Hardy Toll Road extension is eyed into Montgomery County". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  9. ↑ "Overview Map of Hardy Toll Road Airport Connector". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 13, 2014.

External links

Route map: Bing