A national nonprofit organization advocating for the removal of freeways across the country has named the Interstate 45 expansion in Houston on its 2025 list of "freeways without futures."
The latest report from Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) included nine U.S. freeways where the infrastructure is "nearing the end of its functional life." The report also highlights local efforts and campaigns offering an alternative solution that reconnects and prioritizes local communities while addressing environmental and ecological damage.
Currently in the initial stages of construction, the I-45 expansion project, dubbed the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), aims at reconstructing I-45N between downtown and the north Sam Houston Tollway, as well as segments of connecting freeways. Promised improvement areas include I-45 from Beltway 8 to I-10 and I-45 through downtown along I-10 and US 59/I-69. Portions of I-10 and US 59/I-69 will be improved as well, per TxDOT. Most notably, the project will remove the Pierce Elevated in downtown Houston and reroute I-45 to run parallel to I-10 and Highway 59, resulting in the demolition of existing properties between the freeway and St Emmanuel St.
The CNU report states that the construction of I-45 in the 1950s and 1960s brought significant changes to the local communities around it. Highway construction led to the demolition of many homes and local businesses, thus displacing area residents and dividing their neighborhoods.
The report also mentioned significant environmental consequences, like air and noise pollution, that have plagued the areas surrounding the freeway.
"For decades, residents in areas like Near Northside, Fifth Ward, and Independence Heights have faced elevated levels of air pollution from vehicle emissions, contributing to higher rates of asthma and respiratory illnesses," the report said.
Additionally, the report claims that worsening stormwater runoff from the concrete infrastructure has also led to significant flooding issues due to a lack of natural drainage.
"Increased concrete and impermeable surfaces prevent natural drainage, leading to localized flooding, which threatens homes and public health — especially for those who lack resources for flood mitigation," the report said.
CNU claims further expansion of Houston's highway system could eventually lead to the loss of the city's bayous, while also diminishing the remaining flood-absorbing land. Other repercussions like air pollution and heat island effects may also worsen, the report argues, and these ramifications would most likely harm the predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods near the freeway.
A grassroots campaign against Houston's highway expansion
CNU referenced a key alternative to Houston's highway expansion, Stop TxDOT I-45, which has garnered a small but vocal group of local activists who want to see the city re-envision its highway infrastructure.
The campaign demands that the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) stop expanding I-45 and instead seek "solutions that prioritize people, protect [the] environment, and build true resilience." Namely, it proposes the redirection of NHHIP funds toward "people-centered investments" to improve and transform public transit access, while also restoring green spaces and thus creating healthier neighborhoods throughout Houston.
"This campaign calls for a renewed commitment to community-led planning that preserves Houston’s natural landscape and supports its most vulnerable residents," CNU said.Photo courtesy of Congress for the New Urbanism
Environmentally conscious Houstonians aren't the only fans of these measures: The report says Stop TxDOT I-45 may have also had an influence on late former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner, although he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TxDOT that allowed the project to proceed.
"During his time as Mayor of Houston, the late Congressman Sylvester Turner proposed Vision C — an alternative to NHHIP that embraced equitable public transit and environmental sustainability," the report said. "But TxDOT never took the proposal seriously, and today there is no political will to pursue it."
Other freeways without futures
The only other Texas highway included in CNU's 2025 report is I-35 in Austin, which has been included in every "Freeways without Futures" report over the last several years, as far back as 2019.
Other U.S. freeways mentioned in the report include:
- NY State Routes 33 and 198 in Buffalo, New York
- Interstate I-980 in Oakland, California
- Interstate 45 Expansion in Houston, Texas
- Interstate 175 in Saint Petersburg, Florida
- IL 137/Amstutz Expressway/Bobby Thompson Expressway in Waukegan and North Chicago, Illinois
- DuSable Lake Shore Drive (US 41) in Chicago, Illinois
- US-101 in San Mateo County, California
- US-35 in Dayton, Ohio
