A recent study found that the deadliest road in the country is none other than I-45.
Budget Direct, an Australian insurance company, recently conducted a study in order to find the world’s most dangerous roads. In the U.S., that happens to be the stretch of I-45 running through Houston.
According to the study, nearly 56.5 deaths occur on I-45 for every 100 miles of roadway. The road is one of few urban roadways on the list, which attributes its dangerousness to “a combination of busy, urban stretches and driver complacency.”
Another report from PMR Law discovered 73 fatalities on the road in 2019.
As noted by the Budget Direct study, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is presently planning for an expansion of I-45 to which Harris County has filed a lawsuit.
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) is a $7.5 billion project that involves rerouting parts of the road, creating express lanes, and realigning other sections. Proposed realignments are planned to pass through an area east of midtown.
The project is currently facing a lawsuit, in which Lina Hidalgo upholds that it will only create more congestion, displace communities, as well as contribute to worsening air quality of residents.