Interstate 45

Not to be confused with Texas State Highway 45.
"I-45" redirects here. For the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine, see Japanese submarine I-45.

Interstate 45 marker
Interstate 45
Map
I-45 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TxDOT
Length284.91 mi[1] (458.52 km)
Existed1971–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end SH 87 in Galveston
Major intersections
North end I-30 / I-345 / US 67 / US 75 in Dallas
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountiesGalveston, Harris, Montgomery, Walker, Madison, Leon, Freestone, Navarro, Ellis, Dallas
Highway system
← SH 44→ SH 45

Interstate 45 (I-45[a]) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. While most primary Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with the entire route located within Texas. Additionally, it has the shortest length of all the primary Interstates that have numbers ending in a "5". It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico.

I-45 replaced U.S. Highway 75 (US 75) over its entire length, although portions of US 75 remained parallel to I-45 until its elimination south of Downtown Dallas in 1987. At the south end of I-45, State Highway 87 (SH 87, formerly part of US 75) continues into downtown Galveston. The north end is at I-30 in Downtown Dallas, where US 75 used the Good-Latimer Expressway. A short continuation, known by traffic reporters as the I-45 overhead,[3] signed as part of US 75, and officially I-345, continues north to the merge with the current end of US 75. Traffic can use Spur 366 (better known locally as the Woodall Rodgers Freeway) to connect to I-35E at the north end of I-345.

The portion of I-45 between Downtown and Galveston is known to Houston residents as the Gulf Freeway. The short elevated section of I-45, which forms the southern boundary of Downtown, is known as the Pierce Elevated after the surface street next to which the freeway runs, while north of I-10 it is known as the North Freeway. I-45 and I-345 in the Dallas area, north of the interchanges with I-20 and SH 310 (old US 75), is the Julius Schepps Freeway. The Gulf Freeway and North Freeway both include reversible high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV lanes) for busses and other HOVs to and from Downtown.

The freeway is the subject of ongoing controversy and federal investigation due to a proposed expansion project in Harris County, which would displace hundreds of people from their homes and worsen air quality.[4] The local authorities have opposed the expansion project, while the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) supports expansion, and negotiations are pending.[5][6] The project's estimated cost is at least $9.7 billion and is expected to take at least two decades to complete.[7][8]

  1. ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "Highway Designations Glossary". Texas Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Hartzel, Tony (July 7, 2002). "Road Names Honor Texas Leaders". The Dallas Morning News.
  4. ^ Love, Caroline (December 7, 2021). "Federal highway officials visit Houston amid I-45 expansion civil rights investigation". Houston Public Media. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Vasquez, Lucio (November 16, 2021). "Harris County pauses federal lawsuit over I-45 expansion to negotiate with TxDOT". Houston Public Media. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "'It's just more and more lanes': the Texan revolt against giant new highways". the Guardian. April 29, 2022. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Lozano, Juan A (December 20, 2022). "Houston city officials support $9 billion I-45 expansion project despite dispute". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Begley, Dug (May 4, 2023). "The long, long journey ahead for $9.7B rebuild of I-45". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.


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