Editing Interstate 45 (section)

==Route description==
In addition to the official [[control cities]] of [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], [[Houston]], and [[Dallas]],<ref>{{cite book |author = [[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] |title = List of Control Cities for Use in Guide Signs on Interstate Highways |date = 2001 |location = Washington, DC |publisher  = American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials }}</ref> I-45 serves a number of other communities, including [[La Marque, Texas|La Marque]], [[League City, Texas|League City]], [[Spring, Texas|Spring]], [[The Woodlands, Texas|The Woodlands]], [[Conroe, Texas|Conroe]], [[Willis, Texas|Willis]], [[Huntsville, Texas|Huntsville]], [[Madisonville, Texas|Madisonville]], [[Centerville, Texas|Centerville]], [[Buffalo, Texas|Buffalo]], [[Fairfield, Texas|Fairfield]], [[Corsicana, Texas|Corsicana]], and [[Ennis, Texas|Ennis]].

[[U.S. Route 190 in Texas|US&nbsp;190]] joins I-45 for {{convert|26|mi|km}} from Huntsville to Madisonville. [[U.S. Route 287 in Texas|US&nbsp;287]] joins I-45 for {{convert|18|mi|km}} from Corsicana to Ennis. US&nbsp;287 signs are only posted (with I-45) from the northern end of [[Business Interstate 45-F|Business I-45-F]] (Bus. I-45-F) in Corsicana to the [[Ellis County, Texas|Ellis County]] line.

[[Image:I-45 & Louetta Rita Evacuation.jpg|thumb|[[Hurricane Rita]] evacuation from the Louetta Road (exit&nbsp;68) overpass (2005)]]
I-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 [[Texas Department of Transportation|TxDOT]] started [[contraflow lane reversal]] at [[Farm to Market Road 1488]] (FM&nbsp;1488), it did not 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 [[Greater Houston]].

At just {{convert|284.91|mi|km}}, I-45 is the shortest of the primary Interstates (ending in 0 or 5) and the only primary Interstate to be entirely inside of one state.

===Gulf Freeway===
The stretch of I-45 connecting Galveston with Houston is known as the Gulf Freeway. It was the first [[freeway]] built in [[Texas]]—opened in stages beginning on October 1, 1948, up to a full completion to [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]] in 1952, as part of [[U.S. Route 75 in Texas|US&nbsp;75]]. At the north (Houston) end, it connects to the North Freeway via the short Pierce Elevated, completed in 1967.<ref name="txfwy">{{Cite web |url = http://www.texasfreeway.com/Houston/photos/45s/i45s.shtml |work = Texas Freeway |title = Interstate 45 South, the Gulf Freeway |access-date = September 25, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060920053229/http://texasfreeway.com/Houston/photos/45s/i45s.shtml |archive-date = September 20, 2006 |url-status = live }}{{sps|certain=yes|date=April 2020}}</ref> The section north of the curve near [[Texas State Highway 3|SH&nbsp;3]]/Monroe Road in southeastern Houston was built on the [[Right-of-way (property access)|right-of-way]] of the former [[Galveston–Houston Electric Railway]], which entered downtown on Pierce Street.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://members.iglou.com/baron/ghe-row.htm |work = Houston Streetcars |title = Galveston-Houston Interurban |access-date = October 4, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150608011913/http://members.iglou.com/baron/ghe-row.htm |archive-date = June 8, 2015 |url-status = dead }}{{sps|certain=yes|date=April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |author = [[Texas State Highway Department]] |url = http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4885 |title = General Highway Map: Harris County Texas |at= Supplementary Sheet 3 of 4 |year = 1936 |orig-year = revised to November 23, 1939 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070312054505/http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4885 |archive-date = March 12, 2007 }}</ref>

After several [[interchange (road)|interchange]]s, I-45 crosses the [[Galveston Causeway]] and passes [[Tiki Island, Texas|Tiki Island]]. Old US&nbsp;75 south of this junction was upgraded on the spot.<ref>{{cite map |author =Texas State Highway Department |url  = http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4865 |title = General Highway Map: Galveston County Texas |year = 1936 |orig-year = revised to November 23, 1939 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311193448/http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4865 |archive-date = March 11, 2007 }}</ref>

The Gulf Freeway generally parallels SH&nbsp;3 (old US&nbsp;75) about {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} to the west, bypassing [[La Marque, Texas|La Marque]], [[Dickinson, Texas|Dickinson]], and [[South Houston, Texas|South Houston]]. It includes interchanges with several other freeways: [[Farm to Market Road 1764|FM&nbsp;1764]] (Emmett F. Lowry Expressway), [[Texas State Highway NASA Road 1|State Highway NASA Road&nbsp;1]] (NASA Road&nbsp;1), and the [[Sam Houston Tollway]] (Beltway&nbsp;8), meeting the north end of SH&nbsp;3 in southeastern [[Houston]]. (This part of SH&nbsp;3—on Winkler Drive and Monroe Road—is not part of old US&nbsp;75.) A center [[reversible lane|reversible]] [[HOV lane]] begins just south of the Sam Houston Tollway.

[[Image:45intoI-10 2.jpg|thumb|250px|right|I-45 and [[Interstate 10 in Texas|I-10]]/[[U.S. Highway 90 (Texas)|US&nbsp;90]] next to [[Downtown Houston]]]]
In Houston, I-45 meets [[Interstate 610 (Texas)|I-610]] and [[Texas State Highway 35|SH&nbsp;35]] at a complicated [[interchange (road)|interchange]].<ref>{{google maps |url  = http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=29.697298,-95.288812&spn=0.004436,0.007231&t=k&om=1 |title = Satellite image of Gulf Freeway and Interstate 610 interchange |access-date = September 25, 2006 }}</ref> At the merge with [[Texas State Highway Spur 5|Spur&nbsp;5]], a short freeway spur to the [[University of Houston]], elevated [[collector–distributor roads]] (also part of Spur&nbsp;5) begin. The collector–distributor roads and the HOV lane end at Emancipation Avenue, the original end of the Gulf Freeway. Just past Emancipation Avenue is an interchange with [[Interstate 69 in Texas|I-69]]/[[U.S. Route 59 in Texas|US&nbsp;59]] (Eastex and Southwest freeways) and [[Texas State Highway 288|SH&nbsp;288]] (South Freeway), after which I-45 technically becomes the North Freeway as it runs along the northwest half of the block between Pierce Street and Gray Street as the Pierce Elevated.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 20, 2005 |title=Clearing up confusion of multiple highway names |work=Houston Chronicle |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/moveit/3474338.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311103505/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/moveit/3474338.html |archive-date=March 11, 2007}}</ref>

The reversible HOV lane begins in Downtown at the intersection of St. Joseph Parkway and Emancipation Avenue, with easy access inbound to St. Joseph Parkway and outbound from Pierce Street. It runs down the [[Median strip|median]] of the Gulf Freeway, mostly at the same level as the mainlanes. Ramps are provided for access to and from the following roads:
* [[Eastwood Transit Center]] (full access)
* I-610 north frontage road (full access)
* Monroe Road and Monroe Park & Ride (full access)
* Fuqua Park & Ride and South Point Park & Ride (full access)
* Frontage roads north of Dixie Farm Road ([[Farm to Market Road 1959|FM&nbsp;1959]]) (toward Downtown, with a [[ramp stub]] for continuation)

===North Freeway===
The I-45 North Freeway HOV begins in downtown Houston near the [[University of Houston–Downtown]], with easy access inbound on Milam Street and outbound on Travis Street. Ramps and entrances are provided for access from the following roads. All are fully accessible.
* [[Interstate 10 in Texas|I-10]]/[[U.S. Route 90 in Texas|US&nbsp;90]] westbound exit and entrance only
* Quitman Street
* Airline Drive (to Crosstimbers Road)
* North Shepherd (to North Shepherd Park & Ride)
* [[Farm to Market Road 525|FM&nbsp;525]] (Aldine-Bender Road)
* Kuykendahl Park & Ride
* [[Farm to Market Road 1960|FM&nbsp;1960]] (to Spring Park & Ride) 
The HOV ends approximately {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} north of the FM&nbsp;1960 (Cypress Creek Parkway) exit and becomes a diamond white line at grade separated HOV north to just before exit&nbsp;84 [[Texas State Highway Loop 336|Loop&nbsp;336]] on the south side of [[Conroe, Texas|Conroe]]. This provides constant HOV access with one lane on the northbound side and one lane on the southbound side with periodic dotted lines for access at major exits.

===Julius Schepps Freeway===
The stretch of I-45 along the [[Julius Schepps]] Freeway in Dallas, from the [[Trinity River (Texas)|Trinity River]] to Downtown Dallas up to and including [[Interstate 345|I-345]], is elevated above the surrounding areas for most of its length. As such, when ice storms hit the Dallas area (usually on average one to two times per year), the freeway is shut down, and traffic is diverted to [[Texas State Highway 310|SH&nbsp;310]] and [[U.S. Route 175|US&nbsp;175]], which parallel I-45.