State Highway 288 Toll Lanes

Spanning 61 miles from Houston to the Gulf of Mexico, State Highway 288 (SH 288) accommodates an average of 190,000 daily commuters. Its significance extends beyond facilitating hurricane evacuation, freight, and commercial trucking, as the route plays a crucial role in connecting the surrounding communities and metropolitan areas along the highway.

SH 288 Toll Lanes

In a strategic move to ease the SH 288 congestion and foster the Greater Houston Area's growth, the SH 288 Toll Lanes project (Drive288.com) enhances the connectivity between downtown Houston, the Texas Medical Center and the expanding residential neighborhoods in Harris and Brazoria Counties, promoting a safer and more streamlined transportation experience.

Serving as the general engineering consultant (GEC) for the program, HNTB supported the public-private partnership (P3) project with the delivery of four new managed toll lanes extending a 10.3-mile stretch of SH 288, offering a dependable option for commuters.

Supporting Infrastructure Upgrades

To ensure success of the project, HNTB supported TxDOT with other infrastructure upgrades that provide easy access to the new toll lanes and improve overall mobility.

A portion of this supporting work centered on reconstruction of existing infrastructure.  The firm provided GEC services for the reconstruction of the I-610 Interchange, reconstruction of the general-purpose lanes, and two cross street bridges spanning over the highway.

The project also includes the addition of 10 direct connector ramps (DCs) — an innovative infrastructure solution that will allow motorists to move easily and safely from one highway to another without needing to exit. Eight DCs are located at the new Beltway 8 Interchange, and two, 1.3-mile DCs connect to the Texas Medical Center.

Having completed construction, HNTB is currently overseeing the operations and maintenance phase of the TxDOT project.