on the west side of Houston]]
('''BW8'''), the '''Sam Houston Parkway''', along with the '''Sam Houston Tollway''', is a
Beltway around the city of
Houston, Texas ,
United States , lying entirely within
Harris County . Beltway 8, a
State Highway , runs mostly along the
Frontage Road s, only using the main lanes where they are free (mostly on the north side of Houston). The main lanes elsewhere are the Sam Houston Tollway, a
Toll Road owned and operated by the
Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA). East of Houston, the Tollway crosses the
Houston Ship Channel on the
Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge , a
Toll Bridge ; this forms a gap in Beltway 8 between
Interstate Highway 10 (
Baytown-East Freeway ) and
State Highway 225 (La Porte Freeway).
. June 5, 2006. Last accessed November 9, 2006.
Beltway 8 is the intermediate beltway in the Houston area. The inner beltway -
Interstate Highway 610 - lies completely within Houston (except for an approximate two mile stretch that runs through the City of Bellaire), and the outer beltway -
State Highway 99 (
Grand Parkway ) - is nowhere near complete.
Portions of the West Belt, as sections of the Beltway are called by their compass names, are in various stages of expansion due to high traffic volumes.
The Tollway's construction was piecemealed from the opening of the West Belt in the mid-1970s to the completion of the South Belt in the mid-1990s. The Jesse H. Jones Memorial Bridge, the Tollway's crossing of the
Houston Ship Channel , was constructed by the
Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) and was opened in the early 1980s.
Like other toll roads in the
Houston Area , the
Speed Limit is 65 mph on the freeway portions.
Despite recent speculation about the possibility of the Sam Houston Tollway being sold by HCTRA to a private firm, the Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to keep the tollway in the hands of HCTRA.
Harris County won't sell or lease toll roads / Financial adviser suggests imitating a private company will boost profits . Bill Murphy,
Houston Chronicle . June 21, 2006. Last accessed November 9, 2006.
Beltway 8 falls within the corridor designated for the extension of
Interstate 69 from
Indianapolis to
Laredo , and officials are considering possible routes that would include part of Beltway 8 for I-69.
As of September 3, 2007 the toll has increased by $0.25 system wide with some exceptions.
The longest free section of main lanes is on the north side of Houston, stretching from Ella Boulevard east to the current end of the (North Freeway).
Three shorter free sections also exist:
These all exist in order to allow federal funding to have been used to build the freeway-to-freeway interchanges at the Baytown-East, Gulf and Southwest Freeways.
The
Frontage Road s are generally continuous, and allow for slower free travel along the tolled segments. Only one break exists in the frontage roads; there are also several locations where one must turn to stay on them:
The lane count is for mainlanes only, unless otherwise noted. Starting at U.S. Highway 290, and moving in a clockwise direction, mainlane counts are as follows:
- 3 lanes each way between U.S. Highway 290 and State Highway 249 (work started in late 2006 to add a fourth lane in the clockwise direction)
- 4 lanes each way between State Highway 249 and Interstate 45
- 3 lanes each way between Interstate 45 and J.F.K Boulevard
- 4 lanes each way between J.F.K Boulevard and U.S. Highway 59 (Eastex Freeway)
- 2 Feeder lanes each way between U.S. Highway 59 and Tidwell Road
- 3 feeder lanes each way between Tidwell Road and U.S. Highway 90
- 2 lanes each way between U.S. Highway 90 and Wallisville Road
- 3 lanes each way between Wallisville Road and Interstate 10
- 2 lanes each way between Interstate 10 and State Highway 3 (Galveston Road)
- 3 lanes each way between State Highway 3 (Galveston Road) and Beamer Road
- 2 lanes each way between Beamer Road and U.S. Highway 59 (Southwest Freeway)
- 4 lanes each way between U.S. Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 290 (portions between Highway 59 and Westpark Tollway are, as of 2006, undergoing reconstruction and widening)
Clockwise reads down and counterclockwise reads up.
