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New North Post Oak pedestrian bridge providing safe passage to Memorial Park and more now open

The North Post Oak Road Pedestrian Bridge creates safe passage for runners, cyclists, and pederstrians in the area.

Photo courtesy of METRO

Houston city officials and top METRO brass cut the ceremonial large blue ribbon to officially open the new North Post Oak Road Pedestrian Bridge on Tuesday, October 17, marking the completion of a project that started in February 2022.

But the opening of the new bridge, which is 600 feet long, 14 feet wide, and crosses over 17 lanes of the Katy Freeway traffic, also marks a new day for Inner Loop and Post Oak-area residents. "Before this bridge, there simply wasn't a safe and convenient option for pedestrians or cyclists to cross I-10 via Post Oak," METRO spokesperson Doug Delony tells CultureMap. "Driving was often the only choice."

That's putting it lightly, as residents are all to aware. Typically, walkers, runners, and cyclists traversing N. Post Oak and Post Oak Roads en route to Memorial Park or surrounding points had to negotiate limited sidewalk access and constant car traffic. But now, "this bridge completely separates you from Post Oak Road," adds Delony.

Specifically, METRO's new bridge runs parallel to Post Oak Road as it crosses over I-10 (aka the Katy Freeway) and sits just east of Silber Road and west of the 610 West Loop. "Essentially, this is Post Oak Road going over I-10," Delony summarizes.

North Post Oak Road Pedestrian Bridge map The bridge starts at METRO's Northwest Transit Center and crosses over 17 I-10 lanes.Map courtesy of METRO

Those who utilize the METRO Northwest Transit Center will find travel and use much easier; the bridge also creates a crucial link to N. Post Oak Road and surrounding neighborhoods, restaurants, and retail, as well as an easy artery to Memorial Park for walkers and bikers.

METRO announced plans for the North Post Oak Road Pedestrian Bridge in February 2020. Along the way, the agency solicited and received project input from residents, local businesses, and neighborhood stakeholders, all of whom METRO board chair Sanjay Ramabhadran credits for playing "integral roles" in its development.

For those who champion good urban planning, the new bridge is a strong step to a more walkable city. For others, it's a big win for access to Houston's crown jewel. "Oh yes," says Delony, "people are always looking to connect to Memorial Park."

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Texas shocks as 7th worst state to have a baby, new study finds

Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash

The best places to have a baby are in the Midwest and the Northeast, not the South, according to the report.

Texas might be a family friendly state, but it certainly isn't baby friendly, according to a new WalletHub study.

Texas earned a dismal rank as No. 45 in WalletHub's 2026 report "Best and Worst States to Have a Baby," which compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 31 "baby friendliness" metrics, such as affordability, health care accessibility, infant care costs, and others.

The top five best states to have a baby, in order, are: Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

Texas ranked 7th worst overall in the U.S. because of how expensive it is to have a child in the state, and because of its low prevalence of healthcare professionals for mothers and children relative to other states.

Across the four main categories in the report, Texas landed 47th nationally for its medical costs, 42nd in healthcare quality, and its baby- and family-friendliness both ranked 34th best in the country.

WalletHub says the average cost for a conventional delivery in the U.S. comes out to more than $15,700, and families with health insurance have an average out-of-pocket cost of about $2,600. The report doesn't break down state-by-state charges, but it ranked Texas 35th and 36th respectively in the national comparisons of states with the lowest costs for hospital cesarean and conventional deliveries.

The cost of childcare is another factor bringing down the state's overall performance, as WalletHub says Texas has the 23rd "best" annual cost of early childcare on average.

Here's how the report broke down the rest of Texas' ranking:

No. 27 – Parental leave policy score
No. 27 – Infant mortality rate
No. 28 – Rate of low-birth weight
No. 44 – Midwives and OB-GYNs per capita
No. 36 – Pediatricians and family medicine physicians per capita
No. 33 – Childcare centers per capita

According to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, expecting families should consider living in the states that "minimize costs while providing top-notch care for both newborns and their mothers."

"[The best states] also continue to be good environments for parents even long after the birth, with high-quality pediatric care, affordable and accessible child care, and a strong economic environment that makes providing for a child easier,” Lupo said.

Mississippi (No. 51), Alabama (No. 50), Florida (No. 49), New Mexico (No. 48), Nevada (No. 47), and South Carolina (No. 46) all join Texas at the bottom of the list as the worst states to have a baby.