Galveston County to Get $2 billion in Infrastructure Projects

GALVESTON, TX — It's going to be a busy few years in the Bay Area. The Texas Department of Transportation is planning to pour about $2 billion in state funding into fixing the infrastructure in the Galveston-Clear Lake region.

The money will be spent on 31 projects that will widen existing roadways and expand public and transportation options. Over $ 1 billion will be spent on I-45 alone.

At the northernmost point of Galveston County, the freeway will metastasize into 10 lanes with three-lane frontage roads.

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I-45 will only maintain that large of a size for about eight-tenths of a mile — from Clear Creek, the border between Galveston and Houston counties, to around the Butler Road exit on I-45 South.

From the Butler Road exit to about West Deats Road, I-45 will grow to eight lanes with two-lane frontage roads. There are also plans to widen portions of the 2.5 mile stretch of I-45 on Galveston Island south of the Galveston Causeway.

Along with making I-45 large enough to serve as an alternate runway for Ellington, TxDOt plans to spend $1.2 million on a trolley-bus program and to construct a $333,000 multimodal terminal in downtown Kemah.

The terminal will allow riders to transition from park and ride commuter buses to the local trolley. The regional public transportation network will also be expanded with the construction of a park and ride location in Texas City.

There also plans to create a $440,000 on-street bicycle network, with 200 bicycle racks on Galveston Island alone.

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