53 Miles of Future Longest Highway Loop in U.S. Open in Texas

Me Photo Headshot
Updated Jun 6, 2022
SH/Grand Parkway section opens Houston Texas
A new 52.8-mile section has been completed and opened for the SH 99/Grand Parkway project, which is planned to eventually become a 184-mile tolled highway loop around the Houston area.
Texas Department of Transportation

Another 53 miles of a planned 184-mile highway loop around the Greater Houston area have opened.

The latest segments of State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, opened May 19. The 52.8-mile section is part of what will eventually become the longest highway loop in the U.S., according to the Texas Department of Transportation. It will encircle Greater Houston and pass through seven counties.

Construction of the latest section was performed by a joint venture called Grand Parkway Infrastructure made up of Ferrovial Agroman, Webber LLC and Granite Construction Inc. Construction began in 2018 on the $855 million design-build contract.

The new segments include 37.5 miles of toll roads through Montgomery, Harris, Liberty and Chambers counties. The latest Grand Parkway corridor stretches from the I-69/U.S. 59 North interchange in New Caney to I-10 East near Mont Belvieu. It also competes a section at Baytown.

map SH99/Grand Parkway toll loop around HoustonThe light green lines represent the newest section of the Grand Parkway, which opened May 19. The brown lines are proposed sections.Texas Department of TransportationPlans for a highway loop around Houston date back to the early 1960s. The first segment of the Grand Parkway opened in August 1994. Before the most recent project, the last section opened in March 2016

The latest project involved reconstructing 84 bridges. The parkway now has 123 miles of open four-lane, controlled-access toll roads.

Segments left to be completed but which have received environmental approval are a 26-mile four-lane toll road from SH 288 near Rosharon to U.S. 59 South in Sugar Land, and a 28-mile four-lane toll road from I-45 south in League City to SH 288 near Rosharon.

A section through Galveston County from SH 146 near San Leon to I-45 South in League City is also part of the vision for the loop, however, it “is currently not considered a viable project,” according to TxDOT.