Houston Tollway Construction: A brand new 53-mile stretch of the Grand Parkway will open in both directions

A combined 53-mile route is officially open in both directions from I-69 near New Caney to I-10 at Mont Belvieu and from Beach City to SH-146 in Baytown.

For motorists who want to avoid busy highways in the city area, the new sections offer a bypass. For Spring-to-Baytown commuters, this means faster access to growing suburban communities.

The new sections take the project past its 100 mile mark.

To celebrate the opening, tolls will be waived until Saturday, according to TxDOT.

According to our partners at the Houston Chronicle, highway officials estimate the construction cost at $1.3 billion. The roughly 38-mile trip north from I-10 through Chambers, Liberty and Montgomery counties — which glides through a small portion of Harris County — costs $8.51 for cars and small trucks, according to rates set by TxDOT approved tariffs. For an articulated lorry, the toll would be $42.55 one way.

The fees are adjusted annually, as with other TxDOT-controlled toll roads in the region.

With the newest route open, the focus now shifts to the more than 60 uncompleted miles of toll road from I-69 to I-45 in Dickinson. No new segments of the parkway have final environmental approval, meaning construction is years away.