Txdot revs up

Controversial $9B downtown highway project ready to roll after green light

The first — and technically, last — stage of TxDOT's plan is set to begin soon downtown.

Photo courtesy of TXDOT

The Texas Department of Transportation is revving up to begin construction of a hotly debated Houston highway project. TxDOT reps say the agency will soon begin construction for the $9 billion North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP).

This news comes after years of planning, studying, design and redesigns in effort to address public protests and even a county lawsuit.

A "super freeway" for downtown

As CultureMap reported in 2020, the NHHIP was originally pitched as "super-freeway" concept. Initial plans called for I-45 to merge with US-59 and send part of the freeway underground. The "super freeway was envisioned as I-45 running alongside I-10 on the north side of downtown.

Officially, now, the NHHIP project promises to "enhance safety, create additional roadway capacity to manage congestion, incentivize transit and promote ridesharing," per TxDOT.

Plans call for work on I-45 to Highway 59/I‑69 to Beltway 8 North, plus improvements along US 59/I‑69 between I‑45 and Spur 527, a boon to drivers heading to downtown destinations and surrounding areas. Divided into three segments, the project features Segment 1(Beltway 8 North to I-610); Segment 2 (I-610 to I-10); and Segment 3 (downtown Loop System, I-45, I-10, and US 59/I-69).

TxDOT's big highway plan

Here's a quick rundown of the NHHIP plans, per TxDOT:

Addition of four non-tolled managed lanes, two lanes in each direction, 24/7 operations for carpool and transit on I-45 from Beltway 8 North to downtown Houston with improvements continuing south along US 59/I-69 to Spur 527
Reconstruction of mainlanes and frontage roads
Rerouting of I-45 in the downtown area to be parallel with I-10 on the north side of downtown and parallel with US 59/I-69 on the east side of downtown
Access to the west side of downtown via downtown connectors which would provide access to and from various downtown streets
Both I-10 and US 59/I-69 within the proposed project area would be realigned to eliminate the current roadway curvature.
Addition of four I-10 express lanes between I-45 and US 59/I-69
Reconstruction of the interchange at I-45 and I-610N to improve sight distances on direct connectors and replace outdated left lane exits where drivers expect right lane exits
Connection of I-45 and I-610 frontage roads with new intersections in Segment 2 and add one frontage road lane in each direction in Segment 1
Addition of shoulders that are full width
Addition of bike/pedestrian features along frontage roads and affected cross streets
Addition of trails parallel to bayous within the right of way

(Segment) 3 to make ready

Notably, TxDOT is jumping ahead to the final portion, which centers on downtown. "Our focus presently is on Segment 3, which will be the area that we move forward with first," Raquelle Lewis, TxDOT's southeast Texas communications director, told CultureMap news partner ABC13.

Why the jump in segments? TxDOT notes that Segment 3 of the project is fully funded and ready for construction, with a timeline in place. "We are looking at getting started with the first project in Segment 3 in 2024, and so we probably have anywhere from seven to 10 years before we see the Segment 3 elements completed," Lewis added.

Segment 3, however, is the portion receiving the bulk of the backlash and controversy, with major scrutiny on potential demolition of public housing, businesses, and churches. In 2020, Air Alliance Houston filed public petitions questioning the project's affect on air quality in the neighboring communities.

Then, in 2021, the Federal Highway Administration paused the project for two years in response to numerous civil rights concerns. Last December, as ABC13 reported, Houston city leaders and Harris County finally agreed to embrace the project — but only after TxDOT addressed the numerous public health, safety, and housing complaints.

Time will tell if more complaints and challenges will arise; in the meantime, TxDOT is partnering on a series of public meetings to share construction details and timelines with the public. Those interested should visit TxDOT's website for more details.

closing the gaps

Texas no longer leads U.S. for racial progress, new report says

Photo by Jerry Kavan on Unsplash

WalletHub's report is released annually ahead of MLK Day.

Texas has been overtaken as the No. 1 state that has made the most racial progress, according to a new study.

The Lone Star State led the nation in 2025, but now ranks in third place behind Georgia (No. 1) and Mississippi (No. 2). It also ranked No. 5 nationally in the list of states with the most racial integration.

WalletHub's "States That Have Made the Most Racial Progress" study is released annually ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The report compares all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 relevant metrics divided into two main rankings: racial integration (which the study defines as "the current integration levels of white people and Black people") and racial progress (defined as "the levels of racial progress achieved over time").

The report's author clarifies that the study focuses only on the racial integration between Black people and white people "in light of racial tensions in recent years that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement."

"We released this report ahead of the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against Black people," the report says.

The study further divided each ranking into four main categories measuring the gaps between white people and Black people over time; spanning employment and wealth, education, social and civic engagement, and health. Texas performed the best in education and health, ranking No. 4 nationally in both categories, and it ranked in sixth place for its social and civic engagement. The state ranked 16th in the category for employment and wealth.

According to WalletHub, Texas has "done a lot" to reduce gaps in health outcomes for white and Black residents, such as reducing gaps in health insurance coverage, and reducing the share of Black Texans suffering from "poor health" and diabetes. It also notes that Texas "made the second-most progress when it comes to obesity," but it did not acknowledge the racial bias in body mass index (BMI) that has been increasingly flagged in recent years.

The report further praises Texas for reducing the gap in business ownership between white and Black Texans, and for its improvement in reducing discrimination in the parole system. WalletHub does not offer data behind the parole claim.

"It’s encouraging to look at the data and see that some states have made significant strides toward racial equality over the past few decades," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo regarding the overall report. "This change demonstrates that state-level policies and residents’ attitudes regarding equality have grown considerably better."

Though racial disparity gaps are closing between white and Black people, racial profiling and discrimination is still a major issue affecting Black people and other people of color across the country.

In 2023, a senate bill banned public Texas universities from having diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and programs, prompting warnings of discrimination against Black, Hispanic, and other marginalized students, including those with disabilities.

The top 10 states with the most racial progress in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Georgia
No. 2 – Mississippi
No. 3 – Texas
No. 4 – North Carolina
No. 5 – Maryland
No. 6 – Florida
No. 7 – New Jersey
No. 8 – Massachusetts
No. 9 – Louisiana
No. 10 – New Mexico

wallethub texas report mlk day