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| Getting to Know the Bayou City |
— Toll Roads
Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) is a division of the Harris County Public Infrastructure Department and oversees three toll roads designed to increase mobility. The Harris County Toll Road system covers approximately 120 miles of roadway in the Houston/Harris County area. There are currently three major toll roads. For information about using the toll roads, other links and buying an EZ TAG, visit www.hctra.org.
Sam Houston Tollway
Beltway 8, the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is a beltway around the city of Houston, lying entirely within Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway, runs mostly along the frontage roads, only using the main lanes where they are free (mostly on the north side of Houston). The main lanes elsewhere are the Sam Houston Tollway, a toll road owned and operated by HC-TRA. East of Houston, the tollway crosses the Houston Ship Channel on the Jesse H. Jones Memorial Bridge, a toll bridge; this forms a gap in Beltway 8 between Interstate Highway 10 (Baytown-East Freeway) and State Highway 225 (La Porte Freeway).
Westpark Tollway
The Westpark Tollway spans a total of 19 miles from Katy to the Galleria District, through Harris and Fort Bend Counties. Harris County’s segment of the Westpark Tollway (14 miles) begins at I-610 on the east and extends to the county line near FM 1464. The Westpark offers an alternative east-west corridor for West Houston residents with access to U.S. 59 and the Galleria, the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) and The Grand Parkway. Drivers must have an EZ TAG to use the Westpark Tollway.
Hardy Toll Road
The Hardy Toll Road runs from Interstate 45, north of Houston just below the Harris County line, to Interstate 610, near central Houston. The road generally parallels Interstate 45. The portion from I-610 to Crosstimbers Road is known as Spur 548, although it displays no signage. The toll road runs 21 miles and costs $3.00 to drive its full length ($1.50 north of Beltway 8 and $1.50 south of Beltway 8). A four-mile connecting road to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport requires $1.00 toll. At each toll plaza, a 25-cent discount applies to electronic EZ TAG users. The road is named for nearby Hardy Street, which in some areas makes up the frontage roads for the toll road.
— Public Transportation
METRO opened for business in January 1979 and services the cities of Houston, Bellaire, Bunker Hill Village, El Lago, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village, Humble, Hunters Creek, Katy, Missouri City, Piney Point, Southside Place, Spring Valley, Taylor Lake Village and West University Place. Major portions of unincorporated Harris County also are included.
Bus Service
With a fleet of 1,230 buses, METRO operates an extensive network of bus routes and convenient Park & Ride facilities helping to ease rush-hour commutes. It’s also paving the way for a cleaner Houston with 443 transit diesel-hybrid buses currently in operation with plans to add 52 commuter buses as well as 48 additional transit buses and 10 Signature Service buses.
METRORail
2004 marked the introduction of the METRORail Red Line, a 7.5-mile light rail service running from the University of Houston-Downtown to south of Reliant Park along the streets of Main, Fannin and San Jacinto. There are 16 conveniently located stations with a total of 18 vehicles that provide access to many of the city’s major employment, cultural and entertainment, education and medical centers. Major METRORail destinations include downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, Hermann Park/Houston Zoo, Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park.
HOV Lanes
High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are open to buses, vanpools/carpools and motorcycles. The lanes, which are accessed via freeway or facility ramps, are reversible to accommodate commuters during peak periods of traffic flow. Users must observe the occupancy requirements, rules of the road and hours of operation. Freeways that utilize HOV lanes include the Northwest, Gulf, North, Eastex and Southwest freeways.
Park & Ride Lots
METRO operates 29 Park & Ride lots with about 33,300 available parking spaces. Direct nonstop service to downtown, the Texas Medical Center or other major employment centers in the METRO service area is available from all Park & Ride lots and local service. Park & Ride facilities also serve as staging areas for vanpools and carpools.
Transit Centers
Transit centers are sheltered waiting areas located where several bus routes and/or METRORail converge. METRO’s 20 transit centers serve as efficient “hubs” to allow bus and/or METRORail riders from various locations to assemble at a central point to take advantage of express trips or other route-to-route transfers.
— Rail System
AMTRAK provides passenger service on the Sunset Limited, which serves the Orlando-Houston-Los Angeles route. Service from New Orleans to Orlando was suspended after Hurricane Katrina, but the lines have been repaired.
— Houston Airport System
The Houston Airport System (HAS) is the fourth largest multiairport system in the nation in terms of passenger volume, the sixth largest in the world and the eighth largest international passenger gateway in the United States. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on the north side, William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) on the south side and Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center constitute one of the world’s most accessible airport systems. Detailed information on the Houston Airport System, including lists of passenger-carrying airlines and contact information on cargo airlines is available at www.fly2houston.com.
Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) is a division of the Harris County Public Infrastructure Department and oversees three toll roads designed to increase mobility. The Harris County Toll Road system covers approximately 120 miles of roadway in the Houston/Harris County area. There are currently three major toll roads. For information about using the toll roads, other links and buying an EZ TAG, visit www.hctra.org.
Sam Houston Tollway
Beltway 8, the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is a beltway around the city of Houston, lying entirely within Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway, runs mostly along the frontage roads, only using the main lanes where they are free (mostly on the north side of Houston). The main lanes elsewhere are the Sam Houston Tollway, a toll road owned and operated by HC-TRA. East of Houston, the tollway crosses the Houston Ship Channel on the Jesse H. Jones Memorial Bridge, a toll bridge; this forms a gap in Beltway 8 between Interstate Highway 10 (Baytown-East Freeway) and State Highway 225 (La Porte Freeway).
Westpark Tollway
The Westpark Tollway spans a total of 19 miles from Katy to the Galleria District, through Harris and Fort Bend Counties. Harris County’s segment of the Westpark Tollway (14 miles) begins at I-610 on the east and extends to the county line near FM 1464. The Westpark offers an alternative east-west corridor for West Houston residents with access to U.S. 59 and the Galleria, the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) and The Grand Parkway. Drivers must have an EZ TAG to use the Westpark Tollway.
Hardy Toll Road
The Hardy Toll Road runs from Interstate 45, north of Houston just below the Harris County line, to Interstate 610, near central Houston. The road generally parallels Interstate 45. The portion from I-610 to Crosstimbers Road is known as Spur 548, although it displays no signage. The toll road runs 21 miles and costs $3.00 to drive its full length ($1.50 north of Beltway 8 and $1.50 south of Beltway 8). A four-mile connecting road to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport requires $1.00 toll. At each toll plaza, a 25-cent discount applies to electronic EZ TAG users. The road is named for nearby Hardy Street, which in some areas makes up the frontage roads for the toll road.
— Public Transportation
METRO opened for business in January 1979 and services the cities of Houston, Bellaire, Bunker Hill Village, El Lago, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village, Humble, Hunters Creek, Katy, Missouri City, Piney Point, Southside Place, Spring Valley, Taylor Lake Village and West University Place. Major portions of unincorporated Harris County also are included.
Bus Service
With a fleet of 1,230 buses, METRO operates an extensive network of bus routes and convenient Park & Ride facilities helping to ease rush-hour commutes. It’s also paving the way for a cleaner Houston with 443 transit diesel-hybrid buses currently in operation with plans to add 52 commuter buses as well as 48 additional transit buses and 10 Signature Service buses.
METRORail
2004 marked the introduction of the METRORail Red Line, a 7.5-mile light rail service running from the University of Houston-Downtown to south of Reliant Park along the streets of Main, Fannin and San Jacinto. There are 16 conveniently located stations with a total of 18 vehicles that provide access to many of the city’s major employment, cultural and entertainment, education and medical centers. Major METRORail destinations include downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, Hermann Park/Houston Zoo, Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park.
HOV Lanes
High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are open to buses, vanpools/carpools and motorcycles. The lanes, which are accessed via freeway or facility ramps, are reversible to accommodate commuters during peak periods of traffic flow. Users must observe the occupancy requirements, rules of the road and hours of operation. Freeways that utilize HOV lanes include the Northwest, Gulf, North, Eastex and Southwest freeways.
Park & Ride Lots
METRO operates 29 Park & Ride lots with about 33,300 available parking spaces. Direct nonstop service to downtown, the Texas Medical Center or other major employment centers in the METRO service area is available from all Park & Ride lots and local service. Park & Ride facilities also serve as staging areas for vanpools and carpools.
Transit Centers
Transit centers are sheltered waiting areas located where several bus routes and/or METRORail converge. METRO’s 20 transit centers serve as efficient “hubs” to allow bus and/or METRORail riders from various locations to assemble at a central point to take advantage of express trips or other route-to-route transfers.
— Rail System
AMTRAK provides passenger service on the Sunset Limited, which serves the Orlando-Houston-Los Angeles route. Service from New Orleans to Orlando was suspended after Hurricane Katrina, but the lines have been repaired.
— Houston Airport System
The Houston Airport System (HAS) is the fourth largest multiairport system in the nation in terms of passenger volume, the sixth largest in the world and the eighth largest international passenger gateway in the United States. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on the north side, William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) on the south side and Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center constitute one of the world’s most accessible airport systems. Detailed information on the Houston Airport System, including lists of passenger-carrying airlines and contact information on cargo airlines is available at www.fly2houston.com.
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