Interstate 45
Encyclopedia : I : IN : INT : Interstate 45
Interstate 45 (abbreviated I-45) is an intrastate interstate highway located entirely within the state of Texas, United States. Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway. Its southern end is in Galveston, Texas (where the mile count begins) at the intersection of State Highway 87 and Spur 342; its northern end is in Dallas, Texas at Interstate 30. (Interstate 345, an unmarked interstate, seamlessly carries traffic from the I-45 terminus at I-30 to US 75's southern terminus at Spur 366.[link]) Between downtown Houston and the southern terminus in Galveston, I-45 is known as the Gulf Freeway; north of downtown Houston, it is known as the North Freeway.
Unlike most of the other interstates ending in "5", it is not a border-to-border highway.
Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.Intersections with other interstates
- Interstate 610 (twice) in Houston, Texas
- Interstate 10 in Houston, Texas
- Interstate 20 in Dallas, Texas
- Interstate 30 in Dallas, Texas
- Interstate 345 in Dallas, Texas[link]
Spur Routes
- Unmarked Interstate 345 in Dallas, Texas. I-345 is less than one mile (1.6 km) long and connects the end of I-45 to the end of US 75 along the east side of downtown Dallas. It is signed northbound as US 75 and southbound as I-45.[link]
| [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ] Auxiliary routes of Interstate 45
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Notes
- I-45 is not only an intrastate Interstate, but is also the shortest major Interstate (ending in 0 or 5). I-45 is also the longest intrastate Interstate not to touch any state or national borders (Interstate 87 in New York is longer but reaches the Canadian border).
- Interstate 45 gained notoriety during Hurricane Rita in 2005. Thousands of Houston area evacuees jammed the roadway trying to leave. As a result, the freeway became a parking lot. Gas stations ran dry and hundreds of people's cars simply ran empty, their occupants having to spend the night along the shoulder. Four-hour drives suddenly became 24-hour drives. Even though the Texas Department of Transportation started contraflow lane reversal at FM 1488, it didn't alleviate the traffic jam deep into the city, as that starting point was even north of The Woodlands, which is close to Conroe, the northern terminus of the greater Houston area.
See also
External links
- [Interstate 45] at Larry's Phat Page
References
- 2005 Rand McNally "The Road Atlas 2005" - newest feature- interstate mileage by state
| Main Interstate Highways |
| ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 29 |
| 30 | 35 | 37 | 39 | 40 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 49 | 55 | 57 | 59 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 68 |
| 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 (W) | 76 (E) | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | ||
| 82 | 83 | 84 (W) | 84 (E) | 85 | 86 (W) | 86 (E) | 87 | 88 (W) | 88 (E) | ||||||
| 89 | 90 | 91 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 99 | (238) | H-1 | H-2 | H-3 | |||
| Unsigned | A-1 | A-2 | A-3 | A-4 | PRI-1 | PRI-2 | PRI-3 | ||||||||
| Lists | Main - Auxiliary - Suffixed - Business - Proposed - Unsigned Gaps - Intrastate - Interstate standards - Replaced | ||||||||||||||
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