Two Roads, One Mission
HOUSTON - Today, Texas Transportation Commissioner Steve Alvis and TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams joined local officials, community leaders, and TxDOT staff to celebrate the Houston District’s completion of the I-610 Cambridge Project and the I-10 Brookshire Project. These two projects bring the total number of Texas Clear Lanes initiatives completed in Houston to four. The ceremonies took place in Houston and Brookshire, respectively.
I-610 Cambridge Project
On Tuesday morning, July 1, Commissioner Alvis and Executive Director Williams participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony beneath the direct connector from the I-610 South Eastbound to SH 288 Southbound, marking the completion of the I-610 South Cambridge project. This effort represents a $117 million investment in Houston’s mobility and quality of life.
The project involved reconstructing the main lanes and frontage roads of I-610 between Cambridge Street and Scott Street, as well as building a new freeway overpass at Cambridge and eight direct-connector ramps that connect smoothly to and from SH 288 and the SH 288 Express Toll Lane system.
“Getting Texans moving faster and safer is the goal. As we look to the future, TxDOT remains committed to addressing the challenges of traffic congestion and economic vitality to ensure that Texas continues to lead the way in transportation innovation,” said Commissioner Steven Alvis.
Texas House of Representatives Lauren Simmons praised area residents for their patience during the project, adding, “This is a shining example of government working for the people. Whether going to work or picking up kids on more efficiently flowing highways, this is how you get your tax dollars back.”
“These improvements create a continuous, high-speed corridor that connects the Texas Medical Center, Museum District, Sunnyside, Historic Third Ward, NRG Park, and nearby universities and neighborhoods,” said Marc Williams, TxDOT Executive Director.
City of Houston Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Castex-Tatum said, “This section of the 610 South Loop and its intersection with SH 288 is one of the busiest in the city. Relieving congestion saves money, helps the environment, and frees up valuable time that busy Houstonians need.”
TxDOT Houston District Engineer Glenn Allbritton echoed this commitment, noting, “It’s not just a task of maintaining existing roadways, whether through farmland surrounding Houston or through the middle of the nation’s fourth-largest city. So, our challenge is always asking how we can eliminate a bottleneck or prevent a bottleneck from developing."
This project provides crucial access between Houston and southern communities, including Pearland, Manvel, Lake Jackson, and West Columbia.
The benefits are immediate for drivers and transit operators, as it provides shorter peak-hour delays, smoother emergency vehicle access to the Medical Center, more reliable travel times to major event venues such as the NRG Complex, and improved freight flow to and from the Port of Houston.
Enhancing traffic circulation reduces fuel consumption and emissions, supporting Houston’s broader sustainability goals.
I-10 Brookshire Project
On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 1, Commissioner Alvis and Director Williams joined the Mayor of Brookshire, Texas, to cut the ribbon on the completion of the Interstate 10 Brookshire project, from FM 359 to the Brazos River. “In the Houston District, we’ve completed $461 million worth of Texas Clear Lanes projects, have over $2 billion under construction, and have more than $17 billion planned.
By adding main lanes, frontage roads, and rebuilding bridges over the Brazos River, we are making travel times safer and much more efficient for industry and everyday highway users,” said Commissioner Alvis. I-10 also serves as a major evacuation route for hurricanes. This project will help to increase flow capacity for traffic moving in and out of the metro area. TxDOT is meeting the needs of Texas, which has grown to over 30 million residents.
Brookshire’s Mayor, Robert Richards, said, “Completion of this project comes at an important time for our growing community. The Houston Association of Realtors recently highlighted Brookshire’s growth as one of the Hottest Communities. So, this TxDOT project is a welcome improvement for our rapidly expanding area. Brookshire looks forward to continuing its strong partnership with TxDOT to support Texas’s growth and prosperity.”
Darrin Willer, Vice Chair of the Transportation Advocacy Group (TAG), mentioned the importance of regional collaboration: “At Houston Transportation Advocacy Group, we are dedicated to creating a healthy state of mobility in the Houston region by advocating for multi-modal transportation infrastructure funding through collaboration with local, state, and federal leadership.”
Director Williams noted, “The population growth and real estate development west of Houston in Katy and beyond has been very rapid, causing congestion on I-10. This project provides additional capacity by widening the freeway to six lanes in some sections and eight in others. It has also improved overpasses and replaced outdated bridges over the Brazos River.” The I-10 Brookshire Project was completed at a cost of just over $141 million.
About the Texas Clear Lane Project
In 2015, Governor Greg Abbott called upon the Texas Transportation Commission to identify and address the state’s most congested chokepoints in the five major metropolitan areas of Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and Dallas. In response, the Texas Clear Lanes program was created.
Texas Clear Lanes is a statewide congestion-relief initiative dedicated to funding non-tolled roadway projects that improve safety, reduce delays, and enhance mobility for commuters and freight carriers alike. By prioritizing the state’s most heavily traveled corridors, the program channels billions of dollars in state and federal transportation funds into projects that make a measurable difference in daily life across Texas.
This investment includes the adoption of TxDOT’s more than $104 billion Ten-Year Transportation Plan to improve safety, address congestion and connectivity, and preserve roadways for Texas drivers. The program also includes $44 billion for development and routine maintenance throughout the state.
Texas currently has $60 billion in projects under active construction, more than triple the number underway just ten years ago. This surge in investment responds directly to Texas’s rapid population growth and the escalating costs of gridlock, which today amount to more than $224 billion nationwide each year.
Through collaboration with local transportation leaders and data-driven project selection, Texas Clear Lanes continues to address the ripple effects of congestion, lost productivity, wasted fuel, diminished air quality, and reduced quality of life, while keeping Texas’s economy strong and its communities connected.
Visit the Texas Clear Lanes website to learn more about the program.
Visit TxDOT Electronic Media Kit for videos and photos of both ceremonies.