Editing Interstate 45 (section)

===Gulf Freeway===
The stretch of I-45 connecting Galveston with Houston is known as the Gulf Freeway. It was the first [[freeway]] built in [[Texas]]—opened in stages beginning on October 1, 1948, up to a full completion to [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]] in 1952, as part of [[U.S. Route 75 in Texas|US&nbsp;75]]. At the north (Houston) end, it connects to the North Freeway via the short Pierce Elevated, completed in 1967.<ref name="txfwy">{{Cite web |url = http://www.texasfreeway.com/Houston/photos/45s/i45s.shtml |work = Texas Freeway |title = Interstate 45 South, the Gulf Freeway |access-date = September 25, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060920053229/http://texasfreeway.com/Houston/photos/45s/i45s.shtml |archive-date = September 20, 2006 |url-status = live }}{{sps|certain=yes|date=April 2020}}</ref> The section north of the curve near [[Texas State Highway 3|SH&nbsp;3]]/Monroe Road in southeastern Houston was built on the [[Right-of-way (property access)|right-of-way]] of the former [[Galveston–Houston Electric Railway]], which entered downtown on Pierce Street.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://members.iglou.com/baron/ghe-row.htm |work = Houston Streetcars |title = Galveston-Houston Interurban |access-date = October 4, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150608011913/http://members.iglou.com/baron/ghe-row.htm |archive-date = June 8, 2015 |url-status = dead }}{{sps|certain=yes|date=April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |author = [[Texas State Highway Department]] |url = http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4885 |title = General Highway Map: Harris County Texas |at= Supplementary Sheet 3 of 4 |year = 1936 |orig-year = revised to November 23, 1939 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070312054505/http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4885 |archive-date = March 12, 2007 }}</ref>

After several [[interchange (road)|interchange]]s, I-45 crosses the [[Galveston Causeway]] and passes [[Tiki Island, Texas|Tiki Island]]. Old US&nbsp;75 south of this junction was upgraded on the spot.<ref>{{cite map |author =Texas State Highway Department |url  = http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4865 |title = General Highway Map: Galveston County Texas |year = 1936 |orig-year = revised to November 23, 1939 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311193448/http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/aris/maps/maplookup.php3?mapnum=4865 |archive-date = March 11, 2007 }}</ref>

The Gulf Freeway generally parallels SH&nbsp;3 (old US&nbsp;75) about {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} to the west, bypassing [[La Marque, Texas|La Marque]], [[Dickinson, Texas|Dickinson]], and [[South Houston, Texas|South Houston]]. It includes interchanges with several other freeways: [[Farm to Market Road 1764|FM&nbsp;1764]] (Emmett F. Lowry Expressway), [[Texas State Highway NASA Road 1|State Highway NASA Road&nbsp;1]] (NASA Road&nbsp;1), and the [[Sam Houston Tollway]] (Beltway&nbsp;8), meeting the north end of SH&nbsp;3 in southeastern [[Houston]]. (This part of SH&nbsp;3—on Winkler Drive and Monroe Road—is not part of old US&nbsp;75.) A center [[reversible lane|reversible]] [[HOV lane]] begins just south of the Sam Houston Tollway.

[[Image:45intoI-10 2.jpg|thumb|250px|right|I-45 and [[Interstate 10 in Texas|I-10]]/[[U.S. Highway 90 (Texas)|US&nbsp;90]] next to [[Downtown Houston]]]]
In Houston, I-45 meets [[Interstate 610 (Texas)|I-610]] and [[Texas State Highway 35|SH&nbsp;35]] at a complicated [[interchange (road)|interchange]].<ref>{{google maps |url  = http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=29.697298,-95.288812&spn=0.004436,0.007231&t=k&om=1 |title = Satellite image of Gulf Freeway and Interstate 610 interchange |access-date = September 25, 2006 }}</ref> At the merge with [[Texas State Highway Spur 5|Spur&nbsp;5]], a short freeway spur to the [[University of Houston]], elevated [[collector–distributor roads]] (also part of Spur&nbsp;5) begin. The collector–distributor roads and the HOV lane end at Emancipation Avenue, the original end of the Gulf Freeway. Just past Emancipation Avenue is an interchange with [[Interstate 69 in Texas|I-69]]/[[U.S. Route 59 in Texas|US&nbsp;59]] (Eastex and Southwest freeways) and [[Texas State Highway 288|SH&nbsp;288]] (South Freeway), after which I-45 technically becomes the North Freeway as it runs along the northwest half of the block between Pierce Street and Gray Street as the Pierce Elevated.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 20, 2005 |title=Clearing up confusion of multiple highway names |work=Houston Chronicle |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/moveit/3474338.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311103505/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/moveit/3474338.html |archive-date=March 11, 2007}}</ref>

The reversible HOV lane begins in Downtown at the intersection of St. Joseph Parkway and Emancipation Avenue, with easy access inbound to St. Joseph Parkway and outbound from Pierce Street. It runs down the [[Median strip|median]] of the Gulf Freeway, mostly at the same level as the mainlanes. Ramps are provided for access to and from the following roads:
* [[Eastwood Transit Center]] (full access)
* I-610 north frontage road (full access)
* Monroe Road and Monroe Park & Ride (full access)
* Fuqua Park & Ride and South Point Park & Ride (full access)
* Frontage roads north of Dixie Farm Road ([[Farm to Market Road 1959|FM&nbsp;1959]]) (toward Downtown, with a [[ramp stub]] for continuation)