HOUSTON — The Grand Parkway is about to be a lot closer to living up to its name.
On Wednesday, it will get one step closer to being complete when the Texas Department of Transportation holds a grand opening of the latest section of the Houston area's biggest loop: Highway 99.
The Grand Parkway is a project that's six decades in the making. It was first unveiled as a concept in the early 1960s.
It's divided into 11 segments and when it's completed, it will go through seven different counties in the Greater Houston area.
It will stretch 184 miles, which is more than the 610 Loop and Beltway 8 combined. It will be the biggest loop road in America.
The newest segment stretches from the Eastex Freeway in New Caney down to Baytown where it meets Highway 146.
The rest of the proposed loop would start at the Southwest Freeway in Fort Bend County and would go east through Brazoria County and end at Highway 146 in Galveston County.
There's a ribbon-cutting scheduled for Wednesday and the newest section will be open to drivers on Thursday, May 19, 2022. Tolls will go into effect at midnight Saturday.