Grand Parkway: Paving the Way
January 27, 2014 7:40 PM
Aerial photo of construction
Texas State Highway 99, the Grand Parkway, is under construction around the Houston metro area, with financing from the Grand Parkway Transportation Corp. The corporation was created by the Texas Department of Transportation. The proposed 184-mile loop would be the longest beltway in the U.S., spread across seven counties. In 2011, TxDOT accepted the right to finance and develop segments of the system, which will include tolled and non-tolled lanes. In 2013, the Grand Parkway Transportation Corp. issued $2.9 billion of debt, with loan guarantees from TxDOT. (Image: TxDOT) See the full story: Nearly $1B Coming for Houston's Grand Parkway
Map of Grand Parkway
Divided into 11 segments, the Grand Parkway System is designed to run from Galveston County and Baytown to the south to The Woodlands in Montgomery County to the north. The parkway system is to tie into the Interstate 69 system currently under development and relieve pressure on Interstates 10 and 45, as well as U.S. 59. (Image: TxDOT)
James Bass
James Bass, chief financial officer for TxDOT, serves as president of the Grand Parkway Transportation Corp., a conduit bond issuer and developer of the Grand Parkway System. In addition to those duties, Bass is interim executive director for TxDOT pending a permanent replacement for the departed Phil Wilson. The corporation is negotiating agreements with the Harris County Toll Road Authority over connections to HCTRAs system. HCTRA chose not to take an active part in developing the Grand Parkway. (Image: TxDOT)
Protesters
In May 2011, about 50 protesters gathered outside TxDOTs Houston district office to express their objections to the Grand Parkway plan. Environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, said that Segment Es remote proposed location in the Katy Prairie could create hazards for wildlife. (Image: Offcite.org).
Wetlands sign.
On Aug. 22, 2012, Federal District Court Judge Ellison ruled that construction of Segment E could continue after turning down the Sierra Club's request for an injunction to stop construction. Along the course of the highway project, the nations largest stream mitigation bank project is underway. The project, developed with the Katy Prairie Conservancy, seeks to restore more than 110,000 feet of streams. (Image: Katy Prairie Conservancy).
Parkway construction
Crews work to complete connectors from the Grand Parkway to Interstate 10, also known as the Katy Freeway. Named for the Katy Railroad that once traversed its route, the Katy Freeway was expanded in 2004 to 16 lanes wide with capacity for 200,000 cars per day. The parkway will also connect to Interstate 69, a new interstate designed to connect the ports of Texas with rail and truck traffic from Mexico. The new interstate will travel northward from Houston to Texarkana in the northeast corner of Texas. (Image: TxDOT).
Exxon campus
Exxon Mobil is building a 386-acre campus adjoining the future Grand Parkway and the Harris County Toll Road Authoritys Hardy Toll Road in a rapidly-growing suburb called The Woodlands in Montgomery County north of Houston. When completed in 2015, the Exxon Mobil national headquarters will accommodate 10,000 employees, according to the company. The worlds largest oil company is closing its downtown Houston office. (Image: Exxon Mobil).
Runners on Grand Parkway
To prepare for the opening of the Grand Parkways Segment E, the Grand Parkway Association and the West Houston Association hosted a Party on the Parkway in December, including a 5k run with benefits going to a Houston non-profit employment training center. The first mile of the tollway opened on New Years Day 2014 without tolls. The operators plan to begin tolling in February. (Image: Grand Parkway Association).
