Good News on Completing the Katy Freeway 

Dear Friends:

I am very pleased to report that on Tuesday, October 28, we will celebrate the completion of the Katy Freeway reconstruction!

The official ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, and the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) will open the managed lanes to HOV users beginning 5 a.m. on Wednesday, October 29.

The early completion of this monumental venture is a testament to resourceful leadership, seamless cooperation between local, state and federal government and innovative funding. I am proud to be part of this model project, which brings much-needed mobility to the congested Katy Freeway and proves that letting Texans run Texas is always the best solution.

In a true team effort I worked together with TxDOT and the Harris County Commissioners' Court to develop a cost-effective plan to pay for these essential improvements. I secured the federal permit allowing I-10 to be the nation's first Interstate highway combined with locally operated toll lanes. Ensuring that local toll dollars paid the balance of the expansion meant not having to earmark one federal dollar for this plan, even though I sit on the Appropriations Committee. TxDOT officials, effective county leadership, and incentive-based contracting kept construction moving at a remarkable pace.