Historic Loop 610 Photos and the growth around Houston, TX.

I want to start off this post with a caption from a classic Negativland song, "Escape From Noise". This is the song that goes through my mind when I sit in the construction zone underneath the interchange of the I-610 Loop /I-10 Katy Freeway during rush hour as I head west on my way to work:

ROCK MUSIC BLARES
DOORS SLAM
PEOPLE YELL
CHILDREN SCREAM
SIRENS WHINE
TRUCKS RUMBLE AND ROAR
AND ROCK MUSIC BLARES
BLARES
BLARES
BLARES
IS THERE ANY ESCAPE ... FROM NOISE?
IS THERE ANY ESCAPE FROM NOISE?
IS THERE ANY ESCAPE FROM NOISE?
IS THERE ANY ESCAPE FROM NOISE?

With that said, I found it interesting to come across some Houston history while "surfing" the internet.

The Galleria Area of Houston is home to numerous tall buildings, thousands of apartments, townhomes and condos as well as a huge shopping mall. Urban sprawl and the growth of this area over the last 50 years never ceases to amaze me.



The above picture was taken in 1965 and shows what is now the intersection of Interstate 610 (the Loop 610) and San Felipe. I-610 was under construction then. Let's just say this place looks a little different today.

If you want to see more on the history of this freeway, which incidentally supplies part of the name on the subtitle to the blog you're currently reading, then check out this interesting pdf file on Houston Freeways.com

I've been thinking about taking some pictures of my own to document more of the construction going on all around where I live. It's quite fascinating. Interstate 10 and 610 are undergoing a complete transformation just 2 or 3 miles from my house. I pass through that area daily on my way to work (yes, I have a job now fellow Bobb Report devotees), and I must say, the erection of an expanse of new highway overpasses and freshly laid concrete is a marvel to witness. (I just said erection, hehehehe).

Do I mind all this construction? In a word, no. It's unbelievably necessary as Houston has grown into the 4th largest city in the country. Should there have been a rail line put in back in the 50s and 60s when all these highways were more or less just a dream in some politician's head? Well, that could be debated too with no real definitive answer.

Simply put, it is what it is. Houstonians love their cars and their ability to come and go as they please. We aren't laid out like New York or Chicago, so getting around this place requires a major widening of the already extensive network of freeways. It just sucks in the interim, as I spend a lot of time sitting on a system designed for a smaller populace while the work is not yet done.

If you're travelling through Houston from California to Florida, or vice versa on I-10, plan to sit on the Katy Freeway west of Houston for what will seem like an eternity, especially if you come through here during rush hour. And while you're there, remember that you're passing through a city that needed this expansion 20 years ago when Harris County was well on it's way to 4 million people.