I-45 expansion project to break ground on Wednesday

HOUSTON ( KIAH ) — The Texas Department of Transportation will break ground on the controversial I-45 expansion project on Wednesday.

This first phase includes drainage and infrastructure construction east of downtown Houston. Work on the main lanes is expected to begin in January 2025.

The project has faced a lot of opposition from community members, because more than a thousand homes and roughly 300 businesses will be displaced.

TxDOT is spending $13 billion on the project.

It will reroute I-45 in downtown and add additional lanes from I-69 to the North Beltway.

TxDOT hopes to finish construction in 2042.

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