HOUSTON – If your commute takes you along the Southwest Freeway, your drive is about to get smoother and even a little better looking.
There are two projects underway on the freeway, which is one of Houston’s busiest highways.
A paving project is aiming to fill in potholes and make your drive safer. At the same time, a beautification project is targeting an area of the freeway near downtown Houston to spruce up the freeway before tourists flock to H-Town for the 2025 FIFA World Cup.
Paving The Way To A Better Commute
The Texas Department of Transportation launched a comprehensive $44.8 million overhaul of Interstate 69 from the 610 interchange to Beltway 8.
The infrastructure project, which began in April, includes milling and repaving all ten-plus lanes of the freeway.
Crews have already completed milling work on half the main lanes and the entire HOV lane, with asphalt laying operations currently underway.
TxDOT crews work on a beautification project along the Southwest Freeway near Houston’s Montrose neighborhood on August 22, 2025. (Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
“If they’re going to fix it the right way, the proper way, then I like that,” said Joshua Hoskins, a Southwest Houston resident.
TxDOT’s renovation includes substantial safety improvements.
Traditional guardrails will be replaced with modern barriers equipped with crash cushions. The project also encompasses upgrades to the HOV lane barriers and extensive bridge repairs at Fountain View, Chimney Rock, and Rice locations.
Bridge repairs, focusing on beams, joints, and bearing pads, are scheduled for completion by Thanksgiving 2026, according to a TxDOT spokesperson.
Construction crews maintain a specific schedule to reduce disruption to commuters, operating Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with occasional weekend work.
TxDOT has implemented safety measures, including tapered edges between concrete and asphalt sections during the milling process, but transitions near bridges and overpasses could still be extra bumpy.
Beautification Efforts Target World Cup Preparations
Beyond infrastructure improvements, TxDOT launched a parallel beautification initiative near the Montrose bridges.
The project includes careful management of existing fig ivy, removal of invasive plants and cleaning and painting of walls and barriers.
TxDOT crews work on a beautification project along the Southwest Freeway near Houston’s Montrose neighborhood on August 22, 2025. (Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
“That’s crazy doing just the walls and not the road down there,” Hoskins said, criticizing the beautification project.
TxDOT officials clarified that the fig ivy plant base will remain intact, with only vine tendrils being pruned from walls.
The agency plans to supplement areas affected by the 2021 winter storm with new fig ivy plantings.
The paving project is scheduled for completion by late summer 2026. TxDOT did not specify when the beautification project will be wrapped up.
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Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.