IH-45 Widening in Walker County

The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDoT) has proposed a construction project that would widen two segments of Interstate Highway 45 in the city limits of Huntsville in Walker County. The first of these two segments, Segment 2A, is 4.4 miles long and would run from 0.3 miles north of SH 19 to 0.9 miles north of SH 30. The proposed project would include widening IH-45 from four lanes to six lanes, reconstructing and realigning the main lanes and ramps of the highway, and improving existing frontage roads, crossroads, interchanges, drainage structures, and bridges. The project would also add collector-distributor roads to IH-45, which connect the main highway to frontage roads. The road widening project and its improvements would require 11.5 additional acres of right-of-way, displacing four commercial structures.

The second segment of the proposed project, Segment 2B, is 4.7 miles long, and would run from SH 30 to 0.7 miles south of FM 1696. The project would also widen IH-45 from four to six lanes, and includes the same improvements as Segment 2A, with the exception of adding in collector-distributor roads. This segment of the project would also relocate the interchanges of SH 75 to near San Jacinto Street (west of I-45) and Moffett Springs Road (east of I-45). TXDoT has not stated how many additional acres of right-of-way this segment would require. On August, 9th TXDoT held a public hearing in the Walker County Storm Shelter in Huntsville, Texas to gather public input on the proposed road widening project. Construction on Segment 2A is estimated to begin in the fall of 2021, while construction on Segment 2B is estimated to begin in the fall of 2023.