A long-planned makeover of Houston’s I-69 corridor is moving forward faster than expected as the city prepares to welcome visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Texas Department of Transportation has accelerated a beautification project near Hazard Street that includes repainting walls, removing graffiti and invasive plants, and replanting fig ivy along the freeway. Officials say the upgrades will give a fresh look to one of Houston’s most traveled corridors.
The work is part of the broader North Houston Highway Improvement Project, a multibillion-dollar effort to modernize I-69 and its connections to downtown. Major construction is already underway on Segment 3B, which stretches from Texas 288 to I-45.
A $121 million drainage system along St. Emanuel Street, now under construction, will help funnel storm runoff into Buffalo Bayou. Once complete, TxDOT will begin a $695 million rebuild of about 1.5 miles of I-69. The plan calls for three signature arch bridges at Elgin, Tuam and McGowen streets to reconnect neighborhoods split by the freeway.
Other changes include widening lanes to as many as 12 in each direction, adding express lanes for transit and high-occupancy vehicles, and lowering sections of the freeway. TxDOT also plans to install “caps” over depressed portions of I-69, creating space for parks and plazas near the George R. Brown Convention Center, Midtown and the Museum District.
Supporters say the upgrades will not only improve traffic flow but also help stitch together neighborhoods long divided by highway construction. The improvements are also designed with flood control and green space in mind, addressing issues that have grown increasingly urgent in Houston.
TxDOT officials have said the beautification near Hazard Street should be completed before the World Cup, while the larger reconstruction effort is expected to continue for several years.