Houston’s growth may have slowed, but development of the Grand Parkway has barely missed a beat, with 44 miles of the northeast segment the latest to move from the drawing board toward construction.

The Texas Transportation Commission on Tuesday chose Grand Parkway Infrastructure – a joint venture of road builders Ferrovial Agroman US, Granite Construction Co. and Webber, LLC – as the team to design and build the upcoming stretch from Interstate 69/U.S. 59 near New Caney to Interstate 10 east of Baytown.

The tollway extension is estimated to cost $1.25 billion.

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The project is overseen by the Texas Department of Transportation, though the Grand Parkway team will design and build the tollway. Initially planned as two toll lanes in each direction, TxDOT scaled back the plans, citing slower growth along the route. The project now includes a single lane in each direction, with sections where a second lane in each direction will allow for passing.

Officials have said the tollway will be expanded when warranted, based on traffic demand and financial forecasts of toll revenue.

When the upcoming segments are completed, the Grand Parkway will stretch from I-69 southwest of Sugar Land north through Cinco Ranch and Cypress, then curve east through unincorporated Harris County, through Spring, before swinging southeast through Harris, Montgomery, Liberty and Chambers counties.

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"Constructing this outer loop system provides motorists more direct travel options for the movement of goods, people and services to, through and around the region while keeping them from going into the core of the Houston area," said Quincy Allen, Houston district director for TxDOT, in a news release.

To drive the entire 44 miles after it opens – set for Spring 2022 – drivers will pay $10.17. Prices are based on where someone enters and exits the tollway and the tolling locations between those spots. The transportation commission also approved the rates on Tuesday.

Though many in Texas have complained of what former TxDOT director Joe Weber called “toll fatigue,” use of the existing portions of the Grand Parkway have soared. In January, the most recent month available, the parkway handled 10.1 million transactions. The system counts transactions as any time a vehicle passes a tolling point, so one trip could account for multiple transactions.

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While use has exceeded expectations, critics have said for decades that the tollway – ostensibly a third outer ring for the Houston area – has exacerbated sprawl in less developed parts of the region and encouraged automobile use.