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Texas State Highway 99 facts for kids

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State Highway 99 marker State Highway 99 toll marker

State Highway 99
Grand Parkway
Opened sections of SH 99 highlighted in red
Route information
Length 85.5 mi (137.6 km)
Existed 1994–present
Segment 1
Length 71 mi (114 km)
CCW end I-69 / US 59 in Sugar Land
Major
junctions
I-10 / US 90 in Katy
I-45 in Houston
CW end I-69 / US 59 in New Caney
Segment 2
Length 14.5 mi (23.3 km)
CCW end I-10 in Mont Belvieu
CW end
Bus. SH 146 in Baytown
Highway system
Highways in Texas
Interstate • U.S. • TX (Loops – Spurs – Rec – FM)
SH 98 SH 100


Texas Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway Toll Road, is a ring road in Texas, United States, that opened its first section on August 31, 1994. When TX 99 Grand Parkway Toll is complete, it will be the longest beltway in the United States of America, the seventh longest ring road on Earth, and the third (outer) loop within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metro area, with Interstate 610 being the first (inner) loop, and Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) being the second (middle) loop. The proposed 170-mile (270 km) loop has been divided into 11 separate segments for construction and funding purposes. In May 2019, the Texas Department of Transportation gave the Grand Parkway Toll Road a secondary, yet honorable designation as the Mayor Bob Lanier Memorial Parkway. Bob Lanier, who served as the mayor of Houston from 1992 to 1998, had spearheaded the creation of the Grand Parkway.

Previous routes

In 1926, SH 99 was a minimal highway from Fort Stockton to San Angelo. By 1933, SH 99 had extended to Alpine. By 1935, this route was transferred to SH 10. In 1960, a new route was made for SH 99, going from Denton to the Oklahoma line, replacing the old routing of SH 10. SH 10 then was changed to SH 99 to match OK 99 at its border. In 1968, this route became US 377.

Segments

Overview

Segment Status (Planned)
completion
From To Length
(miles)
(Future)
Toll Road
A Design alternates Unknown SH 146 I-45 south tbd (yes)
B Recommended alternate
Construction is planned to start in 2019
2023 I-45 south SH 288 south 28.2 (yes)
C Construction began in August 2016 2019 SH 288 south I-69 / US 59 south 26.9 (yes)
D Completed; toll collected. 1994 I-69 / US 59 south I-10 / US 90 west 18.2 partial
E 2013 I-10 / US 90 west US 290 / SH 6 15.2 yes
F-1 2016 US 290 / SH 6 SH 249 / Tomball Tollway 11.9 yes
F-2 2016 SH 249 / Tomball Tollway I-45 north 12.1 yes
G 2016 I-45 north I-69 / US 59 north 13.6 yes
H & I-1 Construction began in August 2016 2019 I-69 / US 59 north I-10 east 37.3 (yes)
I-2 Completed; toll collected 2008 I-10 east SH 146 14.5 yes

Segment A

Segment A is a planned segment that will go from SH 146 to I-45 South. The completion date is unknown.

Segment B

Segment B Construction is planned to begin in 2019 and finish in late 2023. This segment extends from I-45 South to SH 288 South.

Segment C

Segment C Construction began in August 2016 and will finish in late 2019. This segment extends from SH 288 South to I-69 / US 59 South.

Segment D

Segment D, the first section opened, runs from just north of Interstate 10, west of Houston, south to Interstate 69/US 59 in Sugar Land where it terminates and intersects with FM 2759. The portion of this segment south of the interchange with the Westpark Tollway is now a four-lane divided highway feeder road, with maintains crossing over the Westpark Tollroad.

The 18-month-long construction of two ramps connecting westbound I-10 to southbound SH-99 and northbound SH-99 to eastbound I-10 was completed in 2011. The occasional traffic jams at this intersection prompted the sped-up construction of the ramps before the through lanes of SH-99 were built through the I-10 interchange. Two more ramps connecting southbound SH-99 to eastbound I-10 and westbound I-10 to northbound SH-99 opened as part of the construction of Segment E in December 2013. A final ramp connecting northbound SH-99 to westbound I-10 has been completed and is operational.

Between the Westpark Tollway and I-69/US 59, Fort Bend County has constructed toll overpasses at nine locations along Highway 99. Motorists are charged around 35¢ to use each overpass, or can bypass the toll by using the current roadway through the signalized intersections. Overpasses between I-69/US 59 and US 90-Alt. opened on February 27, 2014, Airport Boulevard and Harlem Road on March 18, 2014, and Mason Road and Bellfort Street on March 30, 2014. The rest of the tolled overpasses to I-10 opened in late April 2014.

A TXDOT study is currently underway for Segment D of the Grand Parkway. The study includes looking at ways to reduce traffic in the original segment of the non-tolled portion of the freeway; this includes the possibility of adding continuous feeder roads. This segment has been open since 1994 and population, and thus traffic, in the surrounding area has increased exponentially. There is no timetable on when or if any new projects will come out of this study.

Segment E

September 2011 construction began on Segment E connecting I-10 Katy Freeway in the south to US 290 and opened in December 2013. On June 3, 2008 the Harris County Commissioners Court voted to fast track the construction of Segment E with construction to begin in 2009 and then came the addition of $150 million in Stimulus money yet still the project stalled. As with many Stimulus projects it turned out not to be "shovel ready" enough and the $150 million was sent back to TXDOT for use elsewhere. In 2011 the Wetlands permit from the Army Corp of Engineers was acquired. In addition, Harris County relinquishing its rights to TXDOT who will construct a Public Private Cooperative toll road. At its April 28, 2011 meeting TXDOT allocated $350 million and the construction permits were let in July 2011. On July 28, 2011 TXDOT reported that three out of four contracts for Segment E were awarded and that construction would start by early September 2011.

The multi year reconstruction of I-10 was completed in 2008 while US 290 reconstruction was not due to even start until 2011. " The 22-mile (35 km) 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 its use.

Segment F-1

Segment F-1 connects US 290 to Texas State Highway 249. Construction began June 2013 and was completed and opened to traffic on February 5, 2016.

Segment F-2

Segment F-2 connects Texas State Highway 249 with I-45. Construction began on Segment F-2 in June 2013. A one-mile section of frontage road lanes between I-45 and Holzwarth Road (near the ExxonMobil Campus in Spring) was completed and opened to traffic in April 2015. The remainder of Segment F-2 opened on February 5, 2016.

Segment G

Segment G connects I-45 with I-69/US 59 North. Construction began June 2013 and was completed and opened to traffic on March 29, 2016. An interchange with the Hardy Toll Road to the Grand Parkway was completed on July 18, 2016.

Segment H and I-1

Texas Transportation Commission members met in Pasadena on 26 June 2015, and one item on their agenda is soliciting interested builders to develop, build and maintain the next 37.4 mile Grand Parkway segment from Interstate 69/US 59 north of Houston to Interstate 10 east of the city. The project, which began construction in August 2016, is expected to cost $1.2 billion.

Segment I-2

Grand Parkway 005
The southern end of the tolled portion of segment I-2

Segment I-2, which opened on 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.)

TxDOT began collecting tolls on this segment on November 1, 2011. Motorists are able to pay tolls using TxTag, EZ TAG or TollTag transponders. No cash or mail payments are available on this segment. Tag reader gantries have been installed on the mainline just south of FM 565, and on the northbound entrance and southbound exit ramps at FM 565. Tolls will be $1 for two-axle vehicles.

Future construction

  1. The next sections to be constructed are Section C along with Sections H and I, which will include improvements/upgrades to the existing portions of Section I-2.

Future sections of the Grand Parkway will be built as tollways.

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 30+ year old 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." Further expansion in this area is planned to start in 2010 with two tollway lanes added in each direction.

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 toll road option to drive to San Antonio, Austin, northeast Texas, or Louisiana without having to drive through the city of Houston, or using Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) to bypass around the city.

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.

The controversial segment A, which would stretch from Texas State Highway 146 to Interstate 45 southeast of Houston through a very developed area, has not been fully designed yet. Texas Highway 146 is a possible route of the highway during segment A, but TXDOT has released plans for the highway to intersect I-45 from the west at its intersection with FM-646. If the highway continued south on Highway 146 to its intersection with FM 646 (Supposing the highway was built along the route of FM-646), it would eventually have to pass through the town of Kemah, which could not support a large highway unless many businesses were destroyed as seen on Google Maps

Exit list

County Location Mile Roads intersected Notes
Fort Bend Sugar Land I-69 / US 59 / Crabb River Road
Riverpark Drive interchange; south end of freeway
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
New Territory Boulevard
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed

Alt. US 90 / FM 1464 / Sandhill Drive
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Gantry is located between Harlem Road and Airport Boulevard
Airport Boulevard / Harlem Road
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Gantry is located between Mason Road and Bellfort Street
Houston Mason Road / Bellfort Street
Peek Road proposed interchange (currently only a turnaround and now under construction as of April 2016)
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Houston Bellaire Boulevard
FM 1093 / Fort Bend Westpark Tollway east
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Houston Fry Road
Westheimer Parkway
Cinco Ranch Boulevard
Bay Hill Boulevard / Highland Knolls Drive
Harris Kingsland Boulevard
SH 99 north (Frontage Road) northbound (clockwise) exit and southbound (counterclockwise) entrance, access to Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital
I-10 (US 90) – San Antonio, Houston I-10 exit 743B.
Franz Road / Colonial Parkway
Morton Ranch Road
Houston Clay Road
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
FM 529
West Road Road not connected yet; no northbound exit
Tuckerton Road Road not connected yet.
Bridgeland Creek Parkway
North Bridgeland Lake Parkway
Toll gantries for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
North bound gantry is near Louetta Road and South bound Gantry is near North Bridgeland Lake Parkway
Louetta Road
US 290 (SH 6) – Austin, Houston
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Cumberland Ridge Drive
Mueschke Road
Cypress Rose Hill Road
Telge Road
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Houston SH 249 / Tomball Tollway / Boudreaux Road Access to Tomball Tollway via Frontage Road.
Gleannloch Forest Drive / Champion Forest Drive
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Houston FM 2920 / Boudreaux Road
Kuykendahl Road / Spring Stuebner Road Boudreaux Road to be renamed Spring Stuebner Road
Gosling Road
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Springwoods Village Parkway / Holzwarth Road Springwoods Village Parkway does not connect yet
I-45 south – Houston Access to I-45 Southbound via Frontage Road, exit 71.
I-45 north – Dallas Direct Ramp to I-45 Northbound, exit 71.
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Hardy Toll Road south No exit to northbound Hardy Toll Road.
Montgomery Riley Fuzzel Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Rayford Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Birnham Woods Drive Westbound traffic to Rayford Road must use this exit.
Townsen Boulevard, Imperial Promenade Drive Both roads do not connect yet
Riverwalk Drive Road not connected yet
FM 1314
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
I-69 south / US 59 south / Loop 494 / Community Drive, Valley Ranch Boulevard – Houston Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; temporary access to Loop 494 via Community Drive.
I-69 north / US 59 north – Cleveland Direct Ramp to I-69 Northbound
Gap in route
Chambers I-10 – Beaumont, Houston I-10 exit 799.
Old Needlepoint Road
Kilgore Parkway
FM 565 / FM 2354 – Cove, Beach City
Toll gantry for both directions
Electronic toll tags only, no cash allowed
Turnaround
Fisher Road south (clockwise) end of toll road
Turnaround interchange
FM 1405 to SH 146 – Beach City At-grade intersection
Baytown West Bay Road At-grade intersection
Koppel Road At-grade intersection
Turnaround interchange; southbound (clockwise) exit and northbound (counterclockwise) entrance
Harris Baytown Tri Cities Beach Road At-grade intersection

Bus. SH 146
At-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  • Begley, Dug. "Grand Parkway segment on pace for December opening." Houston Chronicle. June 17, 2013.
  • Kirk, Bryan. "Segments of Grand Parkway are taking shape." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday April 17, 2012.
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