
Connects US 59 in New Caney to I-10 in Baytown
Construction of the Grand Parkway/SH 99 – a major traffic artery for the Greater Houston Area – will wrap up next week with the opening of the final segments of the project, which will connect US 59 in New Caney to I10 in Baytown. The official date to open is Thursday, May 19.
Motorists traveling on the Grand Parkway can enjoy a two-day grace period before tolls begin at midnight on Saturday, May 21.
In Liberty County, the Grand Parkway can be accessed along US 90 and FM 1960 west of Dayton, and in the Colony Ridge communities south of Plum Grove.
The segments from New Caney, through Dayton, and to Baytown represent 52.8 miles of the 184-mile Grand Parkway loop that traverses seven counties in the Greater Houston Area. The Grand Parkway is the third circumferential highway around the Houston metro area – the others being the 610 Loop and Beltway 8.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the Grand Parkway is the longest highway loop in the entire United States. The first section – Segment D in Fort Bend County – opened in 1994.
While the tollway is expected to spur residential and commercial growth along its path, its purpose is to provide yet another means of traveling around Houston metro area. The Texas Department of Transportation spent $855 million on the Grand Parkway construction.
TxDOT also has other important traffic mobility projects for Liberty County wrapping up in May. Traffic signals have been installed on FM 2025 at the overpass of US 59 in Cleveland. These will be functional and operational by the end of the month.
Motorists on FM 787 will be relieved to know that TxDOT plans to have both lanes of travel open on the Trinity River Bridge near Romayor at the end of the month.
“The bridge structure work is complete and crews are currently working on pavement to the east of the bridge,” said Sarah Dupre, a TxDOT spokesperson.
FM 787 at the river bridge has been down to one lane since May 2019 due to major erosion on the eastern approach of the bridge. The erosion was caused by major hurricanes and floods, and due to the Trinity River slowly changing its course.
The Trinity River bridge on FM 787 was built in 1976 and lengthened in 2003. Some repairs were made in 2018, but subsequent storm events pushed the river to flood stage, resulting in even more damage.