INTERSTATE 10 IN TEXAS


'Interstate 10 in Texas', (abbreviated 'I-10' or 'IH-10'), the major east-west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States, runs east from El Paso, Texas, near the border with New Mexico, through San Antonio and Houston to the border with Louisiana near Orange, Texas.
At just under 879 miles (1,410 km), the length of Interstate 10 crossing Texas, maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation, is the longest continuous untolled freeway under a single authority in North America, a title formerly held by Ontario's Highway 401. Mile marker 880 (and the corresponding exit number) near Orange are the highest numbered mile marker and exit on the interstate highway system, or for that matter, on any freeway in North America.
Texas alone contains more than a third of the interstate's entire length. El Paso is 785 miles (1,260 km) from the western terminus of Interstate 10 in Santa Monica, California, making it closer to Los Angeles than it is to Orange, 857 miles (1,370 km) away. Likewise, Orange on the Texas-Louisiana border is only 789 miles (1,270 km) from the eastern terminus of Interstate 10 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Contents
History
West Texas
San Antonio area
Houston area
Route description
West Texas
San Antonio area
Houston area
Exit list
Auxiliary routes
References
External links

History


West Texas

Interstate 10 replaced and currently runs concurrent with U.S. Highway 85 from the New Mexico border up until the two diverge at mile marker 13. The two highways parallel each other for several miles until Highway 85 continues to head south to the border with Mexico and I-10 turns east towards El Paso. Prior to the interstate system, Highway 85 ran concurrent with U.S. Highway 80 from the New Mexico border until the two diverged west of El Paso. I-10 replaced Highway 80 through El Paso and to the southeast and east to the present day junction of I-10 and Interstate 20. Highway 80 along this route has been completely removed from the highway system in favor of I-10. [2]
At the junction with I-20, I-10 replaced U.S. Highway 290 eastward to the present day junction of I-10 and Highway 290 southeast of Junction. This section of Highway 290 was deleted from the highway system.[3] From this point to near Comfort, I-10 replaced State Highway 27. State Highway 27 still exists along this stretch, mostly paralleling I-10 to the south. From Comfort southeast to San Antonio, I-10 directly replaced U.S. Highway 87.
San Antonio area

I-10 generally follows the alignment of U.S. 87 on the northwest side of San Antonio into downtown. A new alignment was built to the south of downtown for the freeway since it was impossible to upgrade the surface streets in downtown that U.S. 87 and U.S. 90 followed prior to the interstate highway system. Southeast of downtown, I-10 curves back to the northeast to connect with the pre-interstate alignment of U.S. 90.
Construction of portions of I-10 were well underway and completed prior to the commissioning of the highway in 1959. The section from Culebra Road to Woodlawn Road opened as the first freeway in San Antonio in 1949, but was signed as U.S. 87. Expansion and construction continued in the 1950s, but the bulk of the construction occurred in the 1960s after the interstate was commissioned. The current alignment was completed by 1968.
Rapid growth in San Antonio has resulted in the original highway becoming quickly inadequate, resulting in the highway being in perpetual construction and expansion. In the 1980s the portion just northwest of downtown was reconstructed to add a double deck feature to expand the freeway to five lanes in each direction. In 1990, the interstate had only two lanes in each direction from Loop 1604 to where the double deck freeway begins near downtown. Construction is currently underway to expand the freeway to five lanes in each direction from just outside the I-410 loop all the way into downtown. The I-10 and I-410 interchange is also being reconstucted into a four-level stack interchange.[4]
Houston area

As part of the construction of Interstate 10 in the 1960s, the Katy Freeway was named for the connection to Katy from Houston. Because West Houston was empty farmland, the freeway was made small and simple for its drivers. Not counting the side lanes, it was only 6-8 lanes wide, which compared to many other freeways in Houston, was tiny. Despite the small size of the freeway at the time, population growth in the area had caused considerable traffic congestion. By 2001, the AADT was 238,000 vehicles just west of the West Loop.[5]
It wasn't until 2000 that the Katy Freeway had to upgrade. It had become inadequate due to the increased traffic and West Houston's bustling communities. In 2002, the old railway had been demolished and the area was cleared for the freeway's renovation.
In 2004, construction began on the freeway. Planned to be at least 16 lanes wide, the new stretch would have to hold up to 200,000 people per day. Two highway intersections would have to be built (Beltway 8 and I-610), toll booths would be a new addition, including major landscaping as part of Houston's Highway Beautification Project.
''(See 'Houston Highway Construction' for more Katy Freeway information)''
The first completed sections, from just west of Highway 6 to the Fort Bend/Harris county line, opened in late June 2006[6]. As of September 2006, most of the freeway between Beltway 8 and State Highway 6 has been laid, while the stretch to Washington Avenue inside I-610 will be completed later. The majority of the freeway will be completed by 2008, with total completion by 2009.

Route description



★ 'El Paso'
★ Socorro
★ Horizon City
★ 'Van Horn'
★ Fort Stockton
★ Junction
★ Kerrville
★ Comfort
★ Boerne
★ Fair Oaks Ranch
★ Balcones Heights
★ 'San Antonio'
★ Seguin
★ Luling
★ Columbus
★ Sealy
★ Brookshire
★ Katy
★ 'Houston'
★ Mont Belvieu
★ Winnie
★ 'Beaumont'
★ Vidor
★ Orange[7]

West Texas

I-10 enters Texas northwest of El Paso near Anthony and travels southward, concurrent with U.S. Highway 85 and U.S. Highway 180. The U.S. 85 splits off west of El Paso with U.S. 85 heading south to the border with Mexico and I-10/U.S. 180 turning to the east towards downtown El Paso. I-10 and U.S. 180 diverge east of downtown as U.S. 180 heads off to the northeast and I-10 to the southeast. I-10 is called Gateway Boulevard in El Paso based on designations for the frontage roads. On the eastern side of the city, I-10 turns to the southeast and begins to parallel the Rio Grande and Mexican border for approximately 60 miles.
Texas State Rep. Pete Gallego unveiling a new 80 mph speed limit sign on Interstate 10 near Fort Stockton, Texas.

I-10 leaves the Rio Grande with a primarily eastward heading. Just east of Kent, the western terminus of Interstate 20 intersects with I-10. I-20 heads northeast towards the Dallas-Fort Worth area and I-10 continues to head east. US Highway 67 runs concurrently with I-10 for a stretch and the La Entrada al Pacifico trade corridor is a part of this stretch of I-10. Near Junction, I-10 begins a more southeastwardly course as it heads toward the San Antonio metropolitan area. Near Comfort, I-10 and U.S. Highway 87 begin a concurrency that carries on into San Antonio.
Due to I-10 traversing one of the more rural parts of the United States, it has several unique features that differentiate it from other interstate highways. Due to the relatively light traffic on the stretch from Kerr County to El Paso County, the speed limit is 80 mph (130 km/h), the highest in the nation. I-10 is one of the very few interstates that have at-grade intersections (roads that intersect it at a 90 degree angle, as opposed to an overpass or underpass with on and off ramps). These are private access roads (mostly from large ranches) which occur over a limited stretch in western Texas.
San Antonio area

I-10 is the busiest freeway in San Antonio with nearly 200,000 vehicles on an average day.[8] On the northwest side, I-10 is known as the McDermott Freeway, named after Robert F. McDermott, former dean of the United States Air Force Academy as well as CEO of the USAA financial services corporation. The highway enters the city concurrent with U.S. 87 from the north and travels more in a north-south direction into downtown, rather than the east-west designation found on the interstate highway signs. The northern section from State Highway Loop 1604 to downtown serves one of the fastest growing areas of the city. A majority of the region's suburban office space is located along the corridor as are the headquarters for USAA, gasoline refiner and retailer Valero, South Texas Medical Center, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and the Shops at La Cantera. I-10 intersects Interstate 410 for the first time near Balcones Heights, a suburban city within San Antonio. The construction is nearing completion of a five-level interchange to accommodate the growing northwest side. Heavy commercial development dominates the landscape between I-410 and Loop 1604. Inside I-410, the route is lined with light industrial and residential areas.
As I-10 heads south into downtown, it splits into an upper level with two lanes in each direction and a lower level with three lanes in each direction. It was necessary to design the freeway this way in order to accommodate the amount of traffic heading into downtown and to fit into the narrow corridor that was surrounded by existing infrastructure. I-10 meets Interstate 35 on the northwest side of downtown and it runs concurrent with I-35 South to form the west side of the downtown loop. The I-35 exit numbers are carried through during the concurrency. I-10 and I-35 end their concurrency at a four-level interchange on the southwest side of downtown with the junction of U.S. Highway 90 from the west. I-35 continues to the south and I-10 and U.S. 90 run concurrent to the east to form the south side of the downtown loop. This section of I-10 is known as the Jose Lopez Freeway, named after the Medal of Honor recipient. A four-level interchange with Interstate 37 occurs approximately 2 miles (3 km) east of the I-35 interchange. I-10 heads east away from downtown through mainly residential neighborhoods on the eastside of San Antonio. I-10's concurrency with U.S 87 ends just east of downtown when U.S. 87 heads south towards Victoria. I-10 provides access to the AT&T Center, home of the San Antonio Spurs, and to the Freeman Coliseum. Leaving San Antonio, I-10 again passes the loops I-410 and Loop 1604. I-10 is known as the 90th Infantry Division Memorial Highway on this stretch east of San Antonio. I-10 and U.S. 90 continue their concurrency until they diverge in Seguin. They continue from there on to Houston nearly paralleling each other with short stints of concurrency along the route.
Houston area

I-45 and I-10 near Downtown Houston.

In Houston, from the western suburb of Katy to downtown, I-10 is known as the Katy Freeway. This section is currently being widened to as much as 26 lanes (12 main lanes, 8 lanes of access roads, and 4-6 mid-freeway HOT/HOV lanes, not counting access road turning lanes)[9] and will be one of the widest freeways in the world.
Between I-610 and I-45 west of downtown, the interstate contains at least 5 lanes in each direction. This section has traditionally been the widest section of I-10 in the Houston area and the only one with a significant portion below grade. As I-10 travels through downtown, it interchanges with Interstate 45 and U.S. Highway 59, the future corridor of Interstate 69 through Texas. Both interchanges feature left exits causing several lane shifts for through traffic. I-10 provides access to Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.
The section east of downtown Houston is officially known as the "East Freeway," although it is widely known by locals as the "Baytown East Freeway" due to a marketing push by Baytown, the easternmost principal city of the Greater Houston Area.
In Beaumont, it is designated Eastex Freeway between both splits with U.S. Highway 69. Eastex is not to be confused with the designation for U.S. Highway 59 in Houston.

Exit list


CountyLocation#DestinationsNotes
/
/
continues into New Mexico
El PasoEl Paso0
1Rest areaEastbound exit and entrance with frontage road access
2Westway, Vinton
6
8
SH 178 (Artcraft Road); Paseo del Norte
9Redd Road
11
12Resler DriveWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
13
End
/
concurrency
16Executive Center Blvd
18ASchuster Avenue – University of Texas El Paso
18BPorforio Diaz Street; Franklin Avenue
19 (Mesa Street) - Downtown, Convention CenterSigned as exits 19A (SH 20) and 19B (Downtown) westbound
20Dallas Street; Cotton Street
21Piedras Street
22A
22B
US 54 (Patriot Freeway) - Alamogordo, NM, Fort Bliss, Juarez, Mexico (I-110 south)
23ARaynolds Street
23B – Carlsbad
End
/
concurrency
24Trowbridge Drive; Geronimo DriveSigned as exits 24A (Trowbridge Drive) and 24B (Geronimo Drive) eastbound
25Airway Boulevard – El Paso Airport
26Hawkins Boulevard
27Hunter Drive; Viscount BoulevardEastbound exit and westbound entrance
28A
FM 2316 (McRae Boulevard); Sumac Drive; Viscount Boulevard
28BYarbrough Drive; Sumac Drive
29Lomaland DriveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
30Lee Trevino Drive; Lomaland Drive
32
34
35Eastlake Boulevard
37 - Horizon City, Socorro
42
Fabens49
55Tornillo
Hudspeth68Acala Road
72
78
81
85Esperanza Road
87
95Frontage RoadEastbound only
99Alsca Road
Sierra Blanca105
106
107
108
129Allamore, Hot Wells
Culberson133Frontage RoadWestbound only
Van Horn138
140A
140B
146Wild Horse Road
153Michigan Flat
159Plateau
166Boracho Station
173Hurds Draw Road
Kent176
Jeff Davis181Cherry Creek Road
184Spring Hills
Reeves186exit 187 westbound
188Griffin Road
192
206
209
212
214Eastbound only
222Hoefs Road
Pecos229Hovey Road
235Mandel Road
241Kennedy Road
246Fireston Road
248, Big Bend National Park
Begin
/
concurrency
253
Fort Stockton256
257
259B
259A
261
Begin
/
/
concurrency
264Wamock Road
272University Road
273
End
/
/
concurrency
277
285McKenzie Road
288Ligon Road
294
298
307
314Frontage Road
320Frontage Road
325
Crockett328River Road
337Live Oak Road
343
350
361
Ozona363
365
368
372Taylor Box Road
Sutton381exit 388 westbound
392 – Caverns of Sonora Road
Sonora399Eastbound only
400
404
412
420
429
Kimble437 – Rooseveltexit 438 westbound
442
445eastbound only
451
Junction456
Begin
/
concurrency
457
460westbound only
462
End
/
concurrency
465
472
477
Kerr484Midway Road
488
490
492
501
505
Kerrville508
520
KendallComfort523
Begin
/
concurrency
524
Business U.S. Highway 87 – Comfort
527
533
Boerne537Ranger Creek Road
539Johns Road
540
542
Business U.S. Highway 87 – Boerne		eastbound only
543Boerne Stage Road, Cascade Caverns Road, Scenic Loop Road
Bexar546Fair Oaks Parkway; Tarpon Drive
550 (Ralph Fair Road); Boerne Stage Road
551Boerne Stage Road – Leon SpringsWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
San Antonio554Camp Bullis Road
555La Cantery Parkway – Fiesta Texas
556A
556BFrontage Road
557 – University of Texas at San Antonio
558De Zavala Road
559Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
559Woodstone DriveWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
560AHuebner RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
560BFrontage RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
560Ramsgate Drive; Huebner RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
561Wurzbach Road
562Medical Drive; Callaghan RoadWestbound exit is part of exit 561
564Signed as exits 564A (I-410 west) and 564B (I-410 east) westbound
565ACrossroads Boulevard - Balcones HeightsNo eastbound exit
565BFirst Park Ten BoulevardWestbound exit and entrance
565CVance Jackson Road; West AvenueSigned as exit 565B eastbound
566AWest AvenueWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
566BFresno DriveSigned as exit 566A eastbound
567AHildebrand Avenue; Fulton AvenueSigned as exit 566B eastbound
567BSigned as exit 567 eastbound
568ACincinnati Avenuewestbound exit and eastbound entrance
568B; Bandera RoadSigned as exit 568 eastbound
569AColorado StreetSigned as exit 569 westbound; no eastbound entrance
569BFrio Street – DowntownEastbound exit and entrance
569CSanta Rosa Street – DowntownEastbound exit and westbound entrance
570
Begin
/
/
concurrency
155BFrio Street; Durango Boulevard – Downtown
155A
154BSouth Laredo Street; Cevallos Street
154A
153US 90 joins eastbound and leaves westbound
Begin
/
/
concurrency
572I-35 joins westbound and leaves eastbound
End
/
concurrency
573
574
575Pine Street; Hackberry Street
576New Braunfels Avenue; Gevers Street
577US 87 joins westbound and splits eastbound
End
/
concurrency
578Pecan Valley Drive, M.L. King Drive
579Houston Street; Commerce Street
580
581
582Ackerman Road – Kirby
583Foster Road
585
587
589Graytown Road; Pfeil Road
591
593
Guadalupe595Zuehl Road
597Santa Clara Road
599
600Schwab Road
601
Seguin603eastbound exit and westbound entrance
End
/
concurrency
604
605
607
609
Business State Highway 123 (Austin Street)
610
612
617
620
625Darst Field Road
628
Caldwell632
Gonzales637
642
649
653
FayetteFlatonia661
668
Schulenburg674
677
ColoradoWeimar682
689
693
Columbus695
696
State Highway 71 , Business State Highway 71 – Columbus, El Campo
698
Begin
/
concurrency
699
704
709
Austin713Beckendorff Road
Sealy716Pyka Road
718Joins westbound, leaves eastbound
End
/
concurrency
720
721Joins eastbound, leaves westbound
Begin
/
concurrency
San Felipe723
725Mlcak RoadWestbound only
WallerBrookshire728Brazos River TurnaroundWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
729Peach Ridge Road, Donigan Road (US 90 east)East end of US 90 overlap; signed as exit 730 westbound
731
732
734Jordan Road, Woods Road
735Woods Lane
737Pederson Road
Fort BendKaty739Frontage Road
740ASigned as exit 740 eastbound
740BPin Oak RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Harris741West end of US 90 overlap
742Katy-Fort Bend County RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
Houston743AFrontage RoadSigned as exit 743B westbound
743BSigned as exit 743A westbound
745Mason Road
746Westgreen Boulevard
747AFry Road
747BGreenhouse Road
748Barker-Cypress Road
750Park Ten Boulevard
751
753AEldridge Parkway
753BDairy Ashford Road
754Kirkwood Road
755Wilcrest Drive
756AEastbound exit is via exit 755
756BSam Houston TollwaySigned as exit 756 eastbound
757Gessner Road
758Bunker Hill Road
759ABlalock Road, Echo LaneSigned as exit 759 eastbound
759BCampbell RoadEastbound exit is via exit 759
760Bingle Road, Voss Road
761AWirt Road, Chimney Rock RoadSigned as exit 761 eastbound
761BAntoine Drive, Silber RoadEastbound exit is via exit 761A
762Silber Road, Katy Road, North Post Oak Road
763
764Washington Avenue, Westcott Street
765AT.C. Jester BoulevardEastbound exit is via exit 764
765BNorth Durham Drive, Shepherd Drive, Patterson StreetSigned as exit 765 eastbound
766AYale Street, Heights Boulevard, Patterson StreetSigned as exit 766 westbound
766BStudemont DriveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
767Taylor Street
768Signed as exits 768A (north) and 768B (south)
769ASmith Street – DowntownEastbound exit and westbound entrance
769BSan Jacinto Street, Main StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
769CMcKee Street, Hardy StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
770, Downtown, ClevelandSigned as exits 770A (south) and 770C (north)
770BJensen Drive, Meadow Street, Gregg Street
771AWaco Street
771BLockwood Drive
772Kress Street, Lathrop Street
773A

West end of US 90 Alt. overlap
773BMcCarty Drive (US 90 Alt. east)East end of US 90 Alt. overlap
774Gellhorn DriveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
775AEast end of US 90 overlap
776AMercury Drive
776BJohn Ralston Road, Holland Avenue
778Signed as exits 778A (FM 526) and 778B (Normandy Street) eastbound
779AWestmont StreetWestbound exit only
779BMarket Street Road, Uvalde RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
780Uvalde Road, Freeport Street, Market Street Road
781AEastbound exit and westbound entrance
781BSigned as exit 781A westbound
781BMarket StreetWestbound exit only
782Dell Dale AvenueNo westbound entrance
783Sheldon Road
784Cedar Lane, Bayou Drive
785Magnolia Avenue
786Monmouth Drive
787
788Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
789Thompson Road
790Ellis School RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
790Wade RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
791John Martin Road, Wade Road
792Garth Road
793North Main Street
795Sjolander Road
796Frontage RoadSigned as exit 796B westbound
Chambers797
800
803
806Frontage RoadEastbound only
807Wallisville
810
811Turtle Bayou TurnaroundEastbound only
812AFrontage RoadWestbound only
812exit 813 westbound
813exit 812 eastbound
817
819Jenkins Road
822
Winnie827
828
829
Jefferson833Hamshire Road
838
843Smith Road
Beaumont845
846Brooks RoadEastbound only
848Walden Road
849
Begin
/
/
/
concurrency
850Washington Boulevard
851
852ALaurel AvenueWestbound only
852BCalder Avenue, Harrison Avenue, Gladys Avenue
853A
End
/
/
/
concurrency
853B11th Street
853C7th StreetEastbound only
854 – Babe Zaharias Museum, Fairgrounds
855A – Downtown, Civic Center, Port of Beaumont
Begin
/
concurrency
855BPine Street, Magnolia Avene
Orange856Old HighwayEastbound only
Rose City857ARose City West
857BThe Workman TurnaroundWestbound only
858ARose City EastEastbound only
858BAsher Turnaround
859Bonner Turnaround; DeWitt RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
Vidor860ANorth Dewitt RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
860BWest VidorWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
861A
861BLamar StreetWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
861CDenver StreetEastbound exit and westbound entrance
861DEastbound left exit; no eastbound entrance
862ARailroad AvenueEastbound exit and westbound entrance
862BOld HighwayWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
862CTimberlane DriveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
864
865Doty RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
867Frontage Road
869
870
Orange873
874A

US 90 Bus. east – Orange		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
874BWomack RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
875
876Frontage Road - Adams Bayou
877
878

US 90 Bus. west – Orange
879Texas Travel Information CenterWestbound exit and entrance; eastbound access via exit 880
880Sabine River TurnaroundEastbound exit and westbound entrance; highest exit number in North America
/
continues into Louisiana

Auxiliary routes


Interstate 10 has three auxiliary routes in Texas. One is an unsigned spur in El Paso, the other two are loops of the cities of San Antonio and Houston.
- Interstate 110 is an unsigned 0.92 mile (1.5 km) spur route in El Paso extending from Interstate 10 south to State Highway Loop 375 at the Rio Grande. The route is signed as U.S. Route 54. Interstate 110 provides access from Interstate 10 to the Bridge of the Americas, which spans the Rio Grande to connect with Avenida Abraham Lincoln in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.[10]
- Interstate 410 is a 49.5 mile (79.2 km) loop around the city of San Antonio. It serves as the inner of two loops around the city. It is identified as Connally Loop in memory of former Texas governor John B. Connally.[11]
- Interstate 610 is a 38.0 mile (61.1 km) loop around the city of Houston. Like I-410, it serves as the inner of two loops around the city.
[12]

References


1. Highway Designation File - Interstate Highway 10 Texas Department of Transportation
2. Texas Department of Transportation, Highway Designation File - U.S. Highway 80
3. Texas Department of Transportation, Highway Designation File - U.S. Highway 290
4. History of the San Antonio Area Freeway System
5. 24 Hour Saturation Counts. H-GAC Transportation Department. Last accessed September 20, 2006.
6. Governor Perry and Rep. Culberson Join TxDOT for Katy Frwy Ribbon Cutting. Katy Freeway Public Information Office. June 26, 2006. Last accessed September 20, 2006.
7. http://users.adelphia.net/~pwolf/controlcities.html American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials control cities.
8. Texas Department of Transportation, [ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/sat/traffic/sanantonio-b_2004.pdf 2004 San Antonio District Traffic Map]
9. Texas Department of Transportation, Schematic Layout: IH 10 Katy Frwy, IH 10 at Bunker Hill Road
10. Texas Department of Transportation, Highway Designation File - Interstate Highway 110
11. Texas Department of Transportation, Highway Designation File - Interstate Highway 410
12. Texas Department of Transportation, Highway Designation File - Interstate Highway 610

External links



★ Katy Freeway In West Houston

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