Freeways, Feeders & Toll Roads
BROKE DOWN ON A HOUSTON FREEWAY OR TOLL ROAD?Who Clears Each Road, Where You Can Stop, And The Feeder Exit Where We Meet You
17 roads, from the Katy Freeway to the Grand Parkway, with the one thing each of them has in common: stopping on the mainlanes is rarely the plan, and the feeder is where the fix happens. Stranded now? Call (346) 820-0931 and tell the dispatcher which road and which direction.
Why We Meet You On The Feeder, Not On The Mainlane Shoulder
Freeway mainlanes inside Houston are cleared under the city's SafeClear program and patrolled by the Motorist Assistance Program (MAP), and a second vehicle stopping on a mainlane shoulder is often unsafe or not permitted. Houston's great advantage is that almost every freeway has a frontage road, the feeder, running right alongside it with an exit every half mile or so. So for most freeway calls we meet you on the feeder at the next exit the dispatcher names, a few hundred feet from where you stopped, where a truck can pull in behind you safely.
What that means for you: get off the road at the next exit if the car will move, hazards on, and call. If it will not move, call us anyway and we will tell you who clears that road and where we can take over, before you wait. Jump starts, lockouts and tire changes happen at the meeting point; it is usually a few hundred feet from where you stopped.
Every Freeway, Toll Road And City Drive We Cover, And Where The Call Is Handled
Katy Freeway (I-10 West)
Runs: From downtown west past Memorial Park, the 610 West Loop, Memorial City, the Energy Corridor and Beltway 8, out through the Grand Parkway to Katy and Cinco Ranch.
Stopping: Up to 26 lanes wide with managed lanes in the middle; a car stopped in a mainlane is in real danger and SafeClear clears it fast.
Where we usually meet you: The feeder at the next exit: Gessner, Bunker Hill, Kirkwood, Eldridge, Fry Road or Mason Road.
Area pages: West Houston · Central Houston
East Freeway (I-10 East)
Runs: From downtown east over the 610 East Loop through Jacinto City, Channelview and Beltway 8 to Baytown and the Fred Hartman approach.
Stopping: Narrow shoulders on the refinery stretch past the 610 interchange; heavy truck traffic around the Port.
Where we usually meet you: Wayside Drive, Mercury Drive, Federal Road, Sheldon Road or the Beltway 8 feeder.
Area pages: Central Houston · Southeast Houston
Gulf Freeway (I-45 South)
Runs: From downtown southeast past the University of Houston, Hobby Airport and Beltway 8 through Clear Lake, Webster and League City toward Galveston.
Stopping: Long construction zones between the 610 South Loop and NASA Parkway; shoulders come and go.
Where we usually meet you: Broadway, Woodridge, Edgebrook, Fuqua, El Dorado, Bay Area Boulevard or NASA Parkway on the feeder.
Area pages: Central Houston · Southeast Houston
North Freeway (I-45 North)
Runs: From downtown and the Pierce Elevated north past the 610 North Loop, Greenspoint and Beltway 8 through Spring and The Woodlands to Conroe.
Stopping: The Greenspoint and Beltway stretch is constant stop-and-go; HOV lane in the middle, no stopping there.
Where we usually meet you: Tidwell, Aldine Bender, Greens Road, FM 1960, Rayford/Sawdust or Woodlands Parkway on the feeder.
Area pages: Central Houston · North Houston
Southwest Freeway (I-69 / US-59 South)
Runs: From downtown southwest through Montrose, Upper Kirby, past the 610 West Loop, Sharpstown and Beltway 8 to Stafford, Sugar Land, Richmond and Rosenberg.
Stopping: Depressed below grade through Montrose and Upper Kirby with no shoulder to speak of; the Sharpstown stretch is elevated.
Where we usually meet you: Shepherd, Kirby, Hillcroft, Bellaire Boulevard, Bissonnet, Wilcrest, West Airport or Kirkwood on the feeder.
Area pages: Central Houston · Southwest Houston
Eastex Freeway (I-69 / US-59 North)
Runs: From downtown northeast past the 610 North Loop, Aldine and Beltway 8 to Humble, Kingwood and the airport exit.
Stopping: Elevated through the Northside with minimal shoulder; feeder exits are frequent.
Where we usually meet you: Cavalcade, Tidwell, Little York, Aldine Mail Route, Will Clayton Parkway or FM 1960 on the feeder.
Area pages: Central Houston · North Houston
The 610 Loop (I-610 · West, North, East & South Loop)
Runs: The 38-mile ring around the central city: the West Loop past the Galleria, the North Loop past Northline, the East Loop over the Ship Channel, the South Loop past NRG Stadium.
Stopping: The West Loop at the Galleria is one of the busiest stretches of freeway in Texas; the Ship Channel bridge has no shoulder.
Where we usually meet you: Westheimer, San Felipe, Post Oak, Ella, Airline, Wayside, Broadway or Kirby on the feeder.
Area pages: Central Houston · West Houston · Southwest Houston · Southeast Houston
Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway · Sam Houston Parkway)
Runs: The 88-mile outer ring: tolled mainlanes with free frontage roads for most of the loop, from Memorial and the Energy Corridor around through Greenspoint, the airport, Pasadena and Hobby.
Stopping: Toll mainlanes are patrolled by HCTRA; stopping there is a last resort.
Where we usually meet you: The Sam Houston Parkway feeder at the next exit; HCTRA incident response will often move you to the feeder first.
Area pages: West Houston · North Houston · Northwest Houston · Southwest Houston · Southeast Houston
Northwest Freeway (US-290)
Runs: From the 610 North Loop at Oak Forest northwest past Northwest Crossing, Jersey Village, Beltway 8, Cypress and Bridgeland to the Grand Parkway.
Stopping: Rebuilt wide with full shoulders, but speeds are high and the Beltway interchange is tight.
Where we usually meet you: 34th Street, Pinemont, Fairbanks North Houston, Jones Road, Huffmeister or Barker Cypress on the feeder.
Area pages: Northwest Houston · Central Houston
South Freeway (SH-288)
Runs: From the Medical Center and the 610 South Loop south past Beltway 8 to Pearland and Manvel, with toll lanes in the middle.
Stopping: Toll lanes in the median are fenced off; the mainlanes have shoulders but Pearland traffic moves fast.
Where we usually meet you: Holcombe, Reed Road, Almeda Genoa, Broadway in Pearland or Shadow Creek Parkway on the feeder.
Area pages: Central Houston · Southwest Houston · Southeast Houston
La Porte Freeway (SH-225)
Runs: From the 610 East Loop through Pasadena and Deer Park to La Porte along the refineries.
Stopping: Heavy tanker traffic; the refinery stretch has limited shoulder and few places to pull in.
Where we usually meet you: Richey, Shaver, Red Bluff, Center Street or Battleground Road on the feeder.
Area pages: Southeast Houston
Tomball Parkway (SH-249)
Runs: From the 290 interchange northwest past Willowbrook, Vintage Park, Champions and Beltway 8 through Klein to Tomball.
Stopping: Tolled north of Spring Cypress; the Willowbrook stretch is mall traffic all day.
Where we usually meet you: FM 1960, Louetta, Spring Cypress, Northpointe or Holderrieth on the feeder.
Area pages: Northwest Houston
Westpark Tollway
Runs: From the 610 West Loop west along the old rail line past the Galleria, Westchase and Beltway 8 to the Grand Parkway in Fort Bend.
Stopping: Elevated for much of the inner stretch with no feeder and no shoulder; HCTRA clears disabled cars.
Where we usually meet you: The first exit ramp to Westpark Drive, Richmond or Westheimer, or the Fort Bend Parkway junction.
Area pages: West Houston · Southwest Houston
Hardy Toll Road
Runs: From the 610 North Loop north between I-45 and I-69 past the airport connector to Spring and I-45 at the Montgomery County line.
Stopping: Fenced toll road with full shoulders but few exits; HCTRA incident response patrols it.
Where we usually meet you: Crosstimbers, Little York, Aldine Bender, Rankin or FM 1960 at the exit ramp.
Area pages: North Houston · Central Houston
Grand Parkway (SH-99)
Runs: The outermost ring, 180 miles of it, from Sugar Land through Katy, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, Humble and Kingwood toward Baytown and League City.
Stopping: Rural stretches with wide shoulders but long distances between exits.
Where we usually meet you: The next cross street: Westheimer Parkway, FM 529, Mueschke, Kuykendahl, FM 1314 or West Lake Houston Parkway.
Area pages: West Houston · North Houston · Northwest Houston · Southwest Houston · Southeast Houston
SH-146
Runs: From Baytown over the Fred Hartman Bridge through La Porte, Seabrook and Kemah to League City and Texas City.
Stopping: Bridge approaches are no-stopping zones; the Kemah stretch is weekend beach traffic.
Where we usually meet you: Spencer Highway, Fairmont Parkway, NASA Parkway or FM 518.
Area pages: Southeast Houston
Allen Parkway & Memorial Drive
Runs: The two bayou drives from downtown west past Buffalo Bayou Park, Memorial Park and on to Memorial City and the Energy Corridor.
Stopping: City streets, not freeways: pull-offs exist at the park lots, but the curves under the 610 interchange have none.
Where we usually meet you: The park lots on Allen Parkway, or Shepherd, Westcott, Chimney Rock or Gessner on Memorial Drive.
Area pages: Central Houston · West Houston
Also see the bridges, tunnels and Ship Channel crossings, straight answers to common questions, and every area we serve.