After years of delays, today was finally the day for the groundbreaking ceremony for the start of construction on the massive I-45 improvement project.
"We're kicking off a huge project today, and it's going to have so much meaning for the city of Houston as we go forward" said J. Bruce Bugg, who is with the TX Dot Commission, "This is going to be the largest project that TX Dot has going in the entire state of Texas."
The largest project, with the highest price tag, now at $13 billion.
It was supposed to begin in 2021, but that's when local Democrat leaders opposed the project, calling it a case of 'environmental justice'. In the end, the only people who lost were taxpayers.
"At the time, it would have been a $9 billion dollar project" Bugg said to the crowd, "Unfortunately, it cost the taxpayers of the state of Texas for the interim period from March of 2021 to today, an additional $4 billion dollars."
That's why TX Dot officials were more than happy to be working now with Mayor John Whitmire.
"It's a great day to be a Houstonian" Mayor Whitmire said from the podium, "We have a great city, great people, and we understand the importance of mobility which we're improving today."
Improvements that are long overdue.
"It's going to create massive congestion relief for the entire greater Houston area" said Terri Hall, with Texas Turf, "This has been in a log-jam for awhile tied up with a lot of different legal issues, but now drivers can finally look forward to the day when this opens."
And if you're wondering, the project is expected to be completed in 2042.