Houston Freeways
Book Data
| Author | Erik Slotboom |
| Released | September 15, 2003 |
| Updates | Corrections and updates |
| Out-of-print | December 12, 2004 |
| eBook | released June 5, 2005 Free download |
| Pages | 416 (380 main text) |
| Quantity | 5000 printed |
| Size | 8.5 x 11" |
| Format | Hard cover, full color throughout |
| Illustrations |
526 total
215 historical 143 modern 62 maps and graphics 106 photo location maps |
| ISBN | 0-9741605-3-9 |
| Price |
List: $34.95
Actual sales price: $23 to $24 Used copies are normally available |
On September 30, 1948, a crowd of Houstonians gathered on a Gulf Freeway overpass to witness the dedication of Houston's first freeway. Houston's freeway journey began. Houston Freeways traces the history and influence of the freeway system with extensive photography, fascinating stories, remarkable people and time capsules from the past.
| Freeway and Highway Photos | Houston freeway photos, mostly construction in progress; also roadtrip photos from around Texas and the USA |
| Used Books on Amazon | Usually in the $50-100 price range. The ebook available on this page is free. |
| Analysis of North Houston Highway Improvement Project | My analysis of the iterations of the plan, last updated for the final plan for the EIS in 2019. |
| West Loop History Presentation | For the Bellaire Historical Society, September 10, 2015 |
| Five Year Retrospective | This report, posted on the fifth anniversary of the release of Houston Freeways in 2008, summarizes Houston's freeway accomplishments in the construction boom from 2003 to 2008 |
|
Links |
|
| DFWFreeways.com | Site for my second book, Dallas-Fort Worth Freeways, Texas-Sized Ambition, released in 2014 |
| SunPlots.com | My web site to plot the position of the sun, mainly for photography |
| TexasFreeway.com | The web site I launched in July 2000, managed by Ron Jackson between 2004 and 2020, and now managed by Tony Gilbert |
| TexasHighwayMan.com | Brian Purcell's excellent site covering San Antonio |
| South Belt History | |
|
Related Content |
|
| Sharpstown History | Frank Sharp's efforts to bring the original seven astronauts to Sharpstown in 1962, and the 1962 Parade of Homes. |
| Sharpstown High School Demolition | April and May 2018 |
Identify the location of these historical and aerial photos.
Each challenge has 15 photos
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| Pages | Low Res Size, MB |
High Res Size, MB |
Thumb- nails |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete book |
413 | 42 | 93 | |
| Cover and Introduction |
10 | 0.8 | 1.7 | View |
| Chapter 1 Building the System |
92 | 13 | 16 | View |
| Chapter 2 Freeway Metropolis |
64 | 4 | 9.4 | View |
| Chapter 3 Downtown Freeways |
26 | 5 | 14 | View |
| Chapter 4 The Spokes |
130 | 19 | 50 | View |
| Chapter 5 The Loops |
50 | 6.6 | 18 | View |
| Chapter 6 Freeway Mass Transit |
18 | 2.8 | 6.5 | View |
| Chapter 7 Bridges and Tunnels |
36 | 3.4 | 9.6 | View |
| Chapter 8 The Freeway Journey |
4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | View |
| Notes and Index |
27 | 2.4 | 3.9 | View |
| Freeway Excerpts | ||||
| Gulf Freeway Interstate 45 South |
23 | 3.1 | 8.3 | |
| Southwest Freeway US 59 South |
18 | 2.5 | 7.5 | |
| Katy Freeway Interstate 10 West |
12 | 1.8 | 4.2 | |
| The Loop Interstate 610 |
20 | 3.5 | 8.6 | |
| Sam Houston Tollway/Parkway Beltway 8 |
19 | 2.4 | 6.8 | |
| North Freeway Interstate 45 North |
9 | 1.5 | 3.9 | |
| South Freeway State Highway 288 |
10 | 1.8 | 4.2 | |
| Eastex Freeway US 59/Interstate 69 North |
9 | 1.7 | 4.0 | |
| LaPorte Freeway State Highway 225 |
11 | 1.5 | 3.8 |
Oscar 'Erik' Slotboom 2003 photo
I'm a native Houstonian, born and raised in Sharpstown near the Southwest Freeway and a 1985 graduate of Sharpstown High School. The history of the Southwest Freeway (US 59) and Sharpstown is the quintessential 1950s-1960s story of the rise of freeways and freeway suburbia, and is covered in detail in the "Spokes" chapter and the Southwest Freeway excerpt.
I grew up always wanting to know more about the history of Houston's freeways but there was no comprehensive history, only occasional news reports and project-specific documents from TxDOT. In the 1980s I came across L.A. Freeway, a 1981 book which documented the history of Los Angeles freeways, and I thought to myself, "Someone needs to write the freeway history book for Houston."
I received a BSME from Texas A&M in 1989 and an MSME from UT-Austin in 1990, and I worked in the energy industry at the Schlumberger Sugar Land campus in the 1990s until I switched to the technology industry in 1998. When the high-tech bust hit in 2001-2002 I was indefinitely unemployed and I realized that I was the person to write the book.
Houston Freeways, A Historical and Visual Journey was published in September 2003. Response to the book exceeded expectations, with all 5000 copies distributed by November 2004. Used book prices have always been well above the original retail price for the new book ($35).
The free download eBook was placed online in 2005 and in 2013 the book is still steadily viewed. In fact, interest in Houston Freeways remains much higher than my 2012 effort, Dallas-Fort Worth Freeways, Texas-Sized Ambition. Yes, Houston loves its freeways and I was glad to be able to document the history for everyone with interest in the subject, now and in the future.
Erik Slotboom, January 2013