New stretch of Grand Parkway opens: 'Now I can go around Houston to get to the north'

Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia dreads having to go anywhere north of Houston.

It usually means navigating the seemingly endless bustling traffic on Interstate 10 (I-10) West into the city. That is, until Wednesday (May 18) when he and a cadre of local and state officials helped cut the ribbon to a new, 53-mile stretch of State Highway (SH) 99, or the Grand Parkway that connects the Eastex Freeway in New Caney to Highway 146 in Baytown, according to Houston CBS affiliate KHOU. 

"Nothing against Houston," Sylvia told KHOU. "But I hate going through Houston. Now I can go around Houston to get to the north."

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the new northeast segments of the Grand Parkway has been open to all vehicular traffic since Thursday (May 19).

To celebrate the milestone, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) lifted tolls through Saturday (May 21), according to the station.

"We are pleased to announce that the Grand Parkway Segments H&I is now fully open in both directions!" TxDOT's Twitter account for the project, which has now reached its 100th mile, said in a tweet.

The station reported that tolls for cars and small trucks will cost $8.51 while semi-tractor trailer operators will pay $42.55, with TxDOT slated to adjust the rates every year.

According to KTRK, the state will now look to extend the Grand Parkway from Interstate 69 (I-69) to the Gulf Freeway in Dickinson in Galveston County, but the go-ahead to build the stretch is dependent on final environmental approval.

KHOU reported that the newly opened section, which spans four counties, costs approximately $1.3 billion.

"It actually went through about two or three different generations of district engineers and project managers throughout this project,” TxDOT Houston District Engineer Eliza Paul told the station.

The new roads will lead to a housing and economic boom, Sylvia said, KHOU reported.

"It’s going to grow these small cities and Liberty County and the rest of the counties it comes into contact with," the county judge said, per the station.