June 2005 Update: The US 59/IH-10

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Downtown Freeways 123
124 Houston FreewaysAiming for the downtown crossing: This view shows the terminus of the EastFreeway (IH 10) at US 59 in May 1961. Right-of-way clearance for IH 10 on the northside of downtown had not yet begun. A substantial number of structures were in thepath of the freeway in the mostly industrial area. The westward extension of IH 10was completed on May 17, 1972. (Photo: TxDOT)tablished, leaving the corridor at risk for development.By October 1958, the building lines were reestablishedand TxDOT began protective right-of-way acquisition.But lack of funds limited the land acquisition to onlya half-block wide strip along Pierce Avenue. The halfblockstrip was estimated to cost $8 million and had afinal cost of $11 million. A full block strip was estimatedat $20 million. After adjusting for inflation in the overallU.S. economy to equivalent values in 2003 dollars, $11million translates to about $56 million and $20 milliontranslates to about $102 million—a large but not dauntingcost. However, as a percentage of budgets at the time, $20million for a full block along Pierce Avenue would havebeen a huge expenditure. The total TxDOT budget for allof Texas in 1957 totaled $242 million. In relative terms,the cost of a full block along Pierce in 1957 corresponds toabout $430 million in TxDOT’s 2003 budget of $5.2 billion.There was discussion of acquiring the full block, butlimited financial resources ruled it out; getting the moneyto buy the half-block strip would be difficult enough. Butthe half-block strip was wide enough for a freeway withonly six lanes. The consequences of the 1956 decision toacquire only half a block were being felt in 2003, whenTxDOT officials were studying ways to provide relief tothe now critically congested Pierce Elevated. 8Controversy over the Pierce Elevated persisted until1959, when a landowner was still fighting to have thebuilding lines revoked. By that time, local authoritieswere not willing to entertain any ideas that would changethe alignment of the freeway. TxDOT Houston UrbanProject Office head A. C. Kyser stated that changing theroute was out of the question, and the Houston Chamberof Commerce rallied its support behind the Pierce Elevated.By July 1960 all challenges to the Pierce Elevatedhad been dismissed, and approximately half the neededright-of-way had been acquired through protective rightof-waypurchases. 9
Page 4 and 5: Downtown Freeways 119The double dec
Page 6 and 7: Construction begins: This 1954 phot
Page 10: Downtown Freeways 125Building the F
Page 13 and 14: 128 Houston FreewaysHouston’s fre
Page 15 and 16: 130 Houston FreewaysOn the eve of f
Page 17 and 18: IH 10 north of downtown: This secti
Page 19 and 20: 134 Houston FreewaysOne freeway com
Page 21: 136 Houston FreewaysUS 59 construct
Page 24 and 25: US 59 gets its downtown connections

June 2005 Update: The US 59/IH-10

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