Interstate 610 (Texas)

Interstate 610
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap I-610 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-10
Maintained by TxDOT
Length	37.972 mi[1] (61.110 km)
Existed	1959[1]–present
Major junctions
Beltway around Houston
	I-10 / US 90 I-69 / US 59 I-45 US 290 SH 288 / SH 288 Toll SH 225
Location
Counties	Harris
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Highways in Texas Interstate US State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec ← SH 550 → I-635

Interstate 610 (I-610) is a freeway that forms a 38-mile-long (61 km) loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas. Interstate 610, colloquially known as The Loop, Loop 610, The Inner Loop, or just 610, traditionally marks the border between the inner city of Houston ("inside the Loop") and its surrounding areas. It is the innermost of the three Houston beltways, the other two being Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) and State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway), of which various segments are under construction or planning. In Houston the area inside the 610 Loop is the urban core. Jeff Balke of the Houston Press wrote that the freeway "is as much a social and philosophical divide as a physical one".^[2]

Route description[]

Major segments of Interstate 610 are known as the North Loop, the South Loop, the East Loop, and the West Loop. The North Loop runs from U.S. Highway 290 to U.S. Highway 90. The East Loop runs from Highway 90 to State Highway 225. The West Loop runs from Highway 290 to the South Post Oak Road spur, and the South Loop runs from South Post Oak Road to Highway 225. Sometimes, a direction name is added as a suffix to denote a more specific part of a portion of the loop and this does not denote the direction of traffic flow.^[3] For example:

• North Loop West Freeway^[4] refers to the portion of the North Loop between Highway 290 and Interstate 45. North Loop East^[5] refers to the portion between Interstate 45 and Highway 90.
• East Loop North Freeway^[6] refers to the portion of the East Loop between Highway 90 and Interstate 10. East Loop South refers to the portion between Interstate 10 and State Highway 225.
• South Loop East Freeway^[7] refers to the portion of the South Loop between State Highway 225 and State Highway 288. South Loop West^[8] refers to the portion between State Highway 288 and the South Post Oak Road spur.
• West Loop South Freeway^[9] refers to the portion of the West Loop between the South Post Oak Road spur and Buffalo Bayou (which is just south of Interstate 10/U.S. Highway 90). West Loop North^[10] refers to the portion between Buffalo Bayou and Highway 290.

Lane configurations[]

I-610 seen from Park Towers South (North Post Oak and I-610) in Houston; view toward south and toward the interchange with I-69/US 59

I-610 "West Loop South" just south from I-10 west

Starting at U.S. Highway 290, moving in a clockwise direction, mainlane counts are as follows:^[11]

• 4 lanes each way between U.S. Highway 290 and Interstate 45
• 6 lanes each way between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59
• 4 lanes each way between Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 and Interstate 10
• 5 lanes each way between Interstate 10 and State Highway 225
• 4 lanes each way between State Highway 225 and State Highway 288
• 5 lanes each way between State Highway 288 and South Post Oak Road spur
• 5 lanes northbound, 4 lanes southbound between South Post Oak Road spur and Bissonnet exit
• 5 lanes northbound, 5 lanes southbound between Bissonnet exit and Bellaire Boulevard exit
• 4 lanes northbound, 5 lanes southbound between Bellaire Boulevard exit and Woodway Drive
• 5 lanes each way Woodway Drive and Interstate 10/U.S. Highway 90
• 6 lanes each way between Interstate 10/U.S. Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 290

History[]

I-610 eastbound at US 290 in Houston, a few years before reconstruction. (2006)

I-610 "West Loop South" just south from I-10 west. View toward North from Park Towers South

The concept of building a bypass highway around Houston was first proposed in 1931, but plans did not begin to formalize until 1941. The loop was initially proposed to transport troops and materials around the city. On May 3, Harris County voters approved a bond to build the "Defense Loop". It was officially designated as Loop 137 in 1942, and the North Loop was approved by the Texas Transportation Commission. World War II delayed construction of the Loop until the 1950s.

In July 1953, the city of Houston asked the Texas Transportation Commission to include 2 new sections of Loop 137 (the West Loop and the South Loop) as part of the state's highway system. It was initially rejected, but in October 1954, the North Loop was upgraded to a freeway, and the West and South Loops were approved as freeways.

When the Interstate Highway system was authorized in 1956, the then C-shaped Loop 137 (now designated Interstate 610) was adopted into the plan. The East Loop would not be approved until 1960. That segment was finished in 1973 with the opening of the Sidney Sherman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel.

Construction on the North Loop began in 1950. Construction was sporadic throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It was completed in 1976 with the interchange that connects Loop 610 to Interstate 10 east of Houston.

In the early 1990s, TxDOT proposed a widening project for the West Loop, which at the time was the busiest freeway in Houston. One of the proposals was for a dual-dual freeway with a total of 24 lanes in some places, which would have made it the widest freeway in the world. Amid vocal opposition and little apparent support, the plans for expansion were cancelled.^[12]

In the late 1990s, the need to repave and reconstruct portions of the West Loop became evident. The reconstruction project was approved, but only as a "no-capacity-added" project; only safety and structural improvements could be made.^[12][13] However, some Houston residents have noted that merging lanes and exit ramps are particularly long and in effect, serve as additional lanes.^[14]

As of 2014, the segment of the West Loop from the Katy Freeway to the Southwest Freeway is ranked by TxDOT as the most congested roadway in the state, based on annual hours of delay per mile.^[15]

Parts of I-610 flooded during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.^[16]

Exit list[]

The entire highway is in Harris County.

Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Houston	0.73	1.17	1A	FM 521 (Almeda Road)	Eastbound (counterclockwise) exit only
	1.34	2.16	1B	Fannin Street
	1.89	3.04	1C	Kirby Drive
	2.81	4.52	2	US 90 Alt. (South Main Street) / Buffalo Speedway
	3.57	5.75	3	Stella Link Road
	4.62– 4.78	7.44– 7.69	4A	South Braeswood Boulevard / North Braeswood Boulevard / Beechnut Street
			4B	South Post Oak Road / West Bellfort Avenue	Signed direction switches between east–west and north–south; left exit westbound
	5.28	8.50	5A	Beechnut Street	No direct northbound (clockwise) exit (signed at exit 4A)
Bellaire	5.92	9.53	5B	Evergreen Street	No direct southbound (counterclockwise) exit (signed at exit 6)
	6.42	10.33	6	Bellaire Boulevard / Bissonnet Street / Fournace Place / Evergreen Drive
	6.83– 7.17	10.99– 11.54	7	Bissonnet Street / Fournace Place	No direct northbound (clockwise) exit (signed at exit 6); no southbound entrance (closed until April 2021)
Houston	7.84	12.62	7	Westpark Drive / Richmond Avenue	Northbound (clockwise) exit and southbound (counterclockwise) entrance
	8.02	12.91	8A	I-69 / US 59 – Victoria, Downtown Houston	I-69/US 59 exit 123; stack interchange; no access from 69 to 610 northbound.
	8.24– 8.48	13.26– 13.65	8B	Hidalgo Street / Richmond Avenue / Westpark Drive	Southbound (counterclockwise) exit and northbound (clockwise) entrance; no access to Hidalgo from southbound frontage road
	8.87	14.27	8C	FM 1093 (Westheimer Road)
	9.32– 9.79	15.00– 15.76	9	San Felipe Road / Post Oak Boulevard	Signed as exits 9A (San Felipe Road) and 9B (Post Oak Boulevard) southbound (counterclockwise)
	10.62– 11.12	17.09– 17.90	10	Woodway Drive / Memorial Drive	Two identical exits southbound (counterclockwise): 10B before the merge from I-10 and 10A after
	11.65	18.75	11	I-10 / US 90 – San Antonio, Downtown Houston	I-10 exit 763
	11.92	19.18	12	Katy Road	Southbound exit only
	12.68– 13.15	20.41– 21.16	12A	West 18th Street / Hempstead Road / Minimax Drive	northbound (clockwise) exit and southbound (counterclockwise) entrance
	13.28	21.37	13A	US 290 west – Austin	Redesigned tri-stack interchange
	13.84– 13.94	22.27– 22.43	13B	West T.C. Jester Boulevard / East T.C. Jester Boulevard
	14.64	23.56	14	Ella Boulevard	Access to Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital
	15.69– 15.78	25.25– 25.40	15	Spur 261 (North Shepherd Drive) / North Durham Drive	Access to Northwest Health Center
	16.44– 16.91	26.46– 27.21	16	Yale Street / North Main Street	Signed as exits 16A (Yale Street) and 16B (North Main Street) eastbound (clockwise)
	17.46	28.10	17A	Airline Drive	Eastbound (clockwise) exit and westbound (counterclockwise) entrance
	17.88	28.78	17	I-45 – Dallas, Downtown Houston, IAH Airport	Signed as exits 17B (north) and 17C (south); left exits to 45 north eastbound & 45 south westbound; I-45 exit 51
	18.22– 18.74	29.32– 30.16	18	Irvington Boulevard / Fulton Street
	19.28– 19.91	31.03– 32.04	19A	Hardy Street / Jensen Drive	Eastbound (clockwise) exit and westbound (counterclockwise) entrance
	19.21– 19.37	30.92– 31.17	19B	Hardy Toll Road north (Spur 548)
	20.31	32.69	20	I-69 / US 59 – Cleveland, Downtown Houston	I-69/US 59 exit 134 northbound, 135A-B southbound; signed as exits 20A (north) & 20B (south) westbound (counterclockwise)
	20.77	33.43	20C	Hirsch Road	no direct eastbound (clockwise) exit (signed at exit 21)
	21.45	34.52	21	Lockwood Drive / Hirsch Road	Access to Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital
	22.05– 22.40	35.49– 36.05	22	Homestead Road / Kelley Street
	23.09	37.16	23A	Kirkpatrick Boulevard
	23.49– 23.75	37.80– 38.22	23B	North Wayside Drive / Liberty Road
	24.44– 24.86	39.33– 40.01	24	US 90 Bus. east (McCarty Drive / US 90 Alt. west) / Wallisville Road	Signed as exits 24A (US 90 Bus.) and 24B (Wallisville Road) northbound (counterclockwise)
	25.40	40.88	25	Gellhorn Drive	Southbound (clockwise) exit and northbound (counterclockwise) entrance
	26.03	41.89	26A	I-10 (US 90) – Beaumont, Liberty, Downtown Houston	I-10 exit 775A; no access from I-610 south (clockwise) to US 90 east or US 90 west to I-610 north (counterclockwise)
	26.46	42.58	26B	Market Street	Northbound (counterclockwise) exit and southbound (clockwise) entrance
	27.21	43.79	27	Turning Basin Drive	No northbound (counterclockwise) exit
	28.62	46.06	28	Clinton Drive
	28.96	46.61	29	Port of Houston Main Entrance
	30.00	48.28	30A	Manchester Street / 92nd Street	Southbound (clockwise) exit and northbound (counterclockwise) entrance
	30.62	49.28	30B-C	SH 225 – Pasadena, La Porte	Signed as exits 30B (east) and 30C (west)
	30.88	49.70	30D	Lawndale Avenue / Broadway Boulevard North	No direct southbound (clockwise) exit (signed at exit 30C)
	31.43	50.58	31	Broadway Boulevard South
	32.19– 32.38	51.80– 52.11	32	I-45 / SH 35 south – Galveston, Alvin, Downtown Houston, Hobby Airport	Signed as exits 32A (I-45 south) and 32B (I-45 north / SH 35 south); I-45 exit 40
	32.77– 32.91	52.74– 52.96	33	Woodridge Drive / Telephone Road
	34.08– 34.29	54.85– 55.18	34A	South Wayside Drive / Long Drive
	34.95– 35.53	56.25– 57.18	35	Crestmont Street / M.L. King Boulevard / Mykawa Road
	36.05– 36.13	58.02– 58.15	36A	Calais Road / Holmes Road / Cullen Boulevard / M.L. King Boulevard
	36.49	58.72	36B	FM 865 (Cullen Boulevard)	no direct westbound (clockwise) exit (signed at exit 36A)
	37.14	59.77	37	Scott Street
	38.00 0.00	61.16 0.00	38A	SH 288 / SH 288 Toll – Lake Jackson, Freeport, Downtown Houston, IAH Airport	Signed as exits 38A (north) and 38C (south) eastbound (counterclockwise)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

See also[]

• I-610 Ship Channel Bridge

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Interstate 610 (Texas) (category)

Route map:

• 3-Digit Interstates profile for I-610