New report deems Houston's I-45 expansion a "freeway without a future"

Houston Highways

Is the I-45 expansion a "freeway without a future"? Getty Images

A national nonprofit organization advocating for the removal of freeways across the country has named the Interstate 45 expansion in Houston on its 2025 list of "freeways without futures."

The latest report from Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) included nine U.S. freeways where the infrastructure is "nearing the end of its functional life." The report also highlights local efforts and campaigns offering an alternative solution that reconnects and prioritizes local communities while addressing environmental and ecological damage.

Currently in the initial stages of construction, the I-45 expansion project, dubbed the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), aims at reconstructing I-45N between downtown and the north Sam Houston Tollway, as well as segments of connecting freeways.

Promised improvement areas include I-45 from Beltway 8 to I-10 and I-45 through downtown along I-10 and US 59/I-69. Portions of I-10 and US 59/I-69 will be improved as well, per TxDOT. Most notably, the project will remove the Pierce Elevated portion in downtown Houston and reroute I-45 to run parallel to I-10 and Highway 59, resulting in the demolition of existing properties between the freeway and St Emmanuel St.

The CNU report states that the construction of I-45 in the 1950s and 1960s brought significant changes to the local communities around it. Highway construction led to the demolition of many homes and local businesses, thus displacing area residents and dividing their neighborhoods.

The report also mentioned significant environmental consequences, like air and noise pollution, that have plagued the areas surrounding the freeway.

"For decades, residents in areas like Near Northside, Fifth Ward, and Independence Heights have faced elevated levels of air pollution from vehicle emissions, contributing to higher rates of asthma and respiratory illnesses," the report said.

Additionally, the report claims that worsening stormwater runoff from the concrete infrastructure has also led to significant flooding issues due to a lack of natural drainage.

"Increased concrete and impermeable surfaces prevent natural drainage, leading to localized flooding, which threatens homes and public health — especially for those who lack resources for flood mitigation," the report said.

CNU claims further expansion of Houston's highway system could eventually lead to the loss of the city's bayous, while also diminishing the remaining flood-absorbing land. Other repercussions like air pollution and heat island effects may also worsen, the report argues, and these ramifications would most likely harm the predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods near the freeway.

A grassroots campaign against Houston's highway expansion

CNU referenced a key alternative to Houston's highway expansion, Stop TxDOT I-45, which has garnered a small but vocal group of local activists who want to see the city re-envision its highway infrastructure.

The campaign demands that the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) stop expanding I-45 and instead seek "solutions that prioritize people, protect [the] environment, and build true resilience." Namely, it proposes the redirection of NHHIP funds toward "people-centered investments" to improve and transform public transit access, while also restoring green spaces and thus creating healthier neighborhoods throughout Houston.

Environmentally conscious Houstonians aren't the only fans of these measures: The report says Stop TxDOT I-45 may have also had an influence on late former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, although he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TxDOT that allowed the project to proceed.

"During his time as Mayor of Houston, the late Congressman Sylvester Turner proposed Vision C — an alternative to NHHIP that embraced equitable public transit and environmental sustainability," the report said. "But TxDOT never took the proposal seriously, and today there is no political will to pursue it."

Other "freeways without futures":

The only other Texas highway included in CNU's 2025 report is I-35 in Austin, which has been included in every "Freeways without Futures" report as far back as 2019.

Other U.S. freeways mentioned in the report include:

  • NY State Routes 33 and 198 in Buffalo, New York
  • Interstate I-980 in Oakland, California
  • Interstate 175 in Saint Petersburg, Florida
  • IL 137/Amstutz Expressway/Bobby Thompson Expressway in Waukegan and North Chicago, Illinois
  • DuSable Lake Shore Drive (US 41) in Chicago, Illinois
  • US-101 in San Mateo County, California
  • US-35 in Dayton, Ohio
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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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Houston researchers report promising first in-human trial for implantable cancer therapy

cancer breakthrough

When it comes to cancer remedies, the treatment can be as challenging for the body as its cause. But what if immunotherapy could be localized? That’s precisely what a Houston team may soon make a reality.

Rice University researchers, in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center, recently published their findings from the first in-human trial of an implantable cancer-fighting treatment in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. The paper details testing of AVB-001, encapsulated cells engineered to release interleukin-2 (IL-2)—a naturally occurring signaling protein that boosts immunity—in the peritoneal cavities of 14 patients. The goal is to avoid the toxicity usually experienced with less targeted treatments, as well as find a solution to IL-2s’ abbreviated half-lives.

“Traditional IL-2 therapy has shown potent antitumor activity, but its clinical use has been limited by severe side effects and delivery challenges,” Omid Veiseh, director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, professor of bioengineering at Rice and a senior author on the study, said in a press release. “This platform allows us to localize and sustain cytokine exposure directly where tumors reside while minimizing systemic toxicity.”

Serous ovarian carcinoma is especially well-suited to the use of AVB-001 because it tends to spread throughout the abdomen. After a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure, patients implanted with the cells were noted to tolerate the treatment well. Half of the enrolled patients’ cancer was stabilized, with several among them reporting extended signs of benefit. No maximum tolerated dose was reached and there were no life-threatening events tied to the study.

If that sounds like less-than-earth-shaking results, this is only the beginning. The capsules were implanted for about one week because IL-2 activity drops off after that. The researchers now know that further testing should include either higher levels, repeated doses, or a combination thereof, in order to create stronger advances.

The team has already made early headway on this next step. Preclinical studies in nonhuman primates were not only tolerated well, but without added toxicity, the apes had consistent pharmacological effects.

“This is a foundational step,” Veiseh explained. “We now have evidence that the platform is safe, biologically active and potentially scalable. The next phase is optimizing dosing and exploring combination therapies to unlock its full clinical potential.”

The combination would also include a checkpoint inhibitor, which might improve AVB-001’s tumor-fighting power. “What is exciting is that we are not just delivering a drug, we are programming a microenvironment,” added Dr. Amir Jazaeri, professor of gynecologic oncology at MD Anderson, member of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad’s clinical advisory board and a senior author on the study. “This opens the door to combination strategies that could amplify immune responses in ways that have not been feasible before.”

5 must-read innovation headlines: Pharma giant considers Houston hub + more

Trending news

Editor's note: With May coming to a close, it's time to look back at the biggest innovation headlines for the second half of the month. Major moves were made in May, with NuScale Power entering the market, Persona AI inking a deal with Under Armour, and a pharma giant considering Houston for its next manufacturing hub. Here are the most-read InnovationMap stories published May 15-29, 2026:

1. Pharma giant considers Houston for $1 billion manufacturing campus

Another pharmaceutical giant is considering Houston’s Generation Park for a manufacturing hub. According to a recent filing with the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation (JETI) program, Bristol Myers Squibb Co. is considering the northeast Houston management district for a new $1 billion multi-modal pharmaceutical manufacturing campus.

2. Modular nuclear reactor co. NuScale Power moves into Houston market

The nuclear energy renaissance continues in Texas with an announcement by NuScale Power. The Oregon-based provider of proprietary and innovative advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology announced in April it would be opening office space in Houston’s CityCentre.

3. Persona AI teams with Under Armour to protect next-gen robots

Houston-based Persona AI has cemented a partnership with sportswear manufacturer Under Armour to provide materials to protect future robots operating in dangerous conditions. Through the partnership, Persona AI and Under Armour will launch a research initiative to explore whether advanced performance textiles can improve the durability and resilience of humanoid robots operating in harsh industrial environments.

4. Houston quantum energy chip startup emerges from stealth with $12M round

Houston-based Casimir has emerged from stealth with a $12 million seed round to commercialize its quantum energy chip. The round was led by Austin-based Scout Ventures. Lavrock Ventures, Cottonwood Technology, Capital Factory, American Deep Tech, and Tim Draper of Draper Associates also participated in the round. The oversubscribed round exceeded the company’s original $8 million target.

5. Global summit spotlights Houston's growing role in brain health, innovation

The Center for Houston’s Future and UTMB are bringing the Texas Brain Economy Summit back to Houston this summer to continue to position the region as a global leader in brain health. The summit, held June 9-10 at the Texas Medical Center's Helix Park, will bring together more than 500 executives, researchers, policymakers and innovators from around the world to discuss the global brain economy.

Houston startup raises $6M to scale home-based healthcare platform

fresh funding

As healthcare systems race to expand care beyond hospitals and into the home, investors are placing bigger bets on the infrastructure needed to make that shift possible.

This month, Rosarium Health announced it has raised $6 million in seed funding led by Kalos Ventures, with participation from ResilienceVC, Rock Health Capital, Symphonic Capital, Black Tech Nations Ventures and others.

The investment will help the Houston-based startup continue to build its platform, which features a national network of 800-plus clinicians and 3,000-plus contractors to coordinate home accessibility upgrades and modifications for seniors and people living with disabilities.

For founder and CEO Cameron Carter, the company’s mission grew out of firsthand caregiving experiences.

“From my own personal caregiving experiences, I realized that the benefits exist on paper, but not in reality,” Carter said in a news release. “Families are being left to figure out the paperwork and installations all on their own, which shouldn’t be how this works.”

While Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans have expanded coverage for home-based services and accessibility modifications, the logistics behind delivering those services often remain fragmented.

Rosarium’s platform coordinates the entire process, from clinical assessments and referrals to contractor management, documentation, reimbursement and installation.

“A clinician can document that a home isn’t safe and a plan can approve a benefit, but there’s no one that’s responsible for making sure the work actually gets done,” Carter says. “We built the missing piece.”

The company was founded in 2021 as Rose Health and was a 2023 participant in the Texas Medical Center’s Accelerator for HealthTech program. It has scaled quickly, building a network of more than 800 clinicians and 3,000 contractors across 34 states.

Rosarium is currently in-network for 1.2 million Medicare and Medicaid lives, with projected coverage expected to reach nearly 4 million by the end of the year, according to the release.

“We’re excited to back Cameron because he and the team at Rosarium are building the infrastructure healthcare needs right now to make the home a safe and comfortable place of care,” Kate Ballinger, investor at Kalos Ventures, added in the release.

As part of the recent investment, Ballinger will join Rosarium’s board of directors.

With eyes on the future, Rosarium plans to grow its partnerships with Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans, including CalViva and Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley, strengthening its presence in California while expanding access to underserved communities.

Additionally, Carter predicts that home-based healthcare will be part of a broader transformation happening across the industry.

“There’s a growing recognition that health outcomes are shaped by what happens in the home,” he said in the release. “The future of healthcare isn’t just treating people after something goes wrong. It’s creating environments that help prevent those problems in the first place.”

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