Controversial I-45 Expansion Plan Gets Green Light From TxDOT

The Texas Department of Transportation voted on Tuesday to move ahead with its controversial plan to expand Interstate 45 in Houston.

The $7 billion I-45 overhaul known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project would reroute part of the freeway through downtown Houston and add more lanes to reduce traffic congestion.

The project has been in the works for years. Citizen advocacy groups and local leaders like Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo have protested and sought to stop the project because they say the cost is too high for Houston's minority communities.

"Since day one I've supported this investment only if it takes into account the needs of the community it's going to impact," Hidalgo said on Tuesday.

A TxDOT environmental impact statement said that more than 1,000 homes, 300 businesses, five churches, and two schools in mostly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods will have to be cleared to make way for the interstate, Community Impact Newspaper reported.

TxDOT's Tuesday vote means the project will remain as part of the state's transportation plan for the next decade, KTRK reported.

Earlier this year, I-45 was identified as the deadliest roadway in the U.S. because it has 56.5 fatal crashes for every 100 miles for road.