Texas State Highway Spur 527

Spur 527 is an unsigned 0.863-mile (1.389 km) spur route in Midtown Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The roadway is a freeway spur that feeds traffic from the Southwest Freeway (Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59) into Downtown Houston.

State Highway Spur 527
Spur 527 highlighted in red
Route information
Length	0.863 mi[1] (1.389 km)
Existed	1976–present
Major junctions
South end	I-69 / US 59
North end	Elgin Street at Bagby Street and Brazos Street
Highway system
Highways in Texas Interstate U.S. State Toll Loops Spurs FM/RM Park Rec ← Spur 515 → Spur 529

History

On July 30, 1976, Spur 527 was designated as a spur of US 59 in Houston.[1] The freeway was the original routing of US 59 into downtown before being rerouted further east.[2] The freeway was built in the early 1960s as the overpasses at Richmond Avenue and Alabama Street had been completed by 1961.[3][4]

On July 1, 2019, the Brazos St exit was closed, forcing all traffic to exit at Louisiana St. Houston Public Works said the “bridge deck has deteriorated significantly and is being closed immediately to protect the community from falling debris.”[5] On February 26, 2020, Houston Public Works released a concept design for a park where the Brazos St Bridge now stands. Repairs to the bridge have stalled amid debate between stakeholders.[6] On January 27, 2021, the exit ramp reopened two weeks ahead of schedule following repairs.

Route description

Spur 527 branches off I-69/US 59 on the west side of Midtown and heads northeast, feeding traffic into downtown. It provides access to Richmond Avenue and Travis Street before curving towards the north as it passes over Alabama Street. As it continues north through Midtown, the spur provides access to Louisiana Street before coming to an end at Elgin Street. The northbound lanes continue onto Brazos Street past Elgin Street and Bagby Street becomes the southbound lanes of Spur 527 after crossing Elgin Street.[7]

Exit list

The entire route is in Houston, Harris County. All exits are unnumbered.

mi	km	Destinations	Notes
		I-69 / US 59 south – Victoria	I-69/US 59 exit 127B northbound; southbound exit and northbound entrance.
		Richmond Avenue	Southbound entrance and northbound exit
		Travis Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		Louisiana Street – Downtown	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		Brazos Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

References

1. Transportation Planning and Programming Division (n.d.). "State Highway Spur No. 527". Highway Designation Files. Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
2. Houston road map (Map). Humble Oil. 1965. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
3. "Richmond Avenue overpass". National Bridge Inventory. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
4. "Alabama Street overpass". National Bridge Inventory. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
5. Begley, Dug (2019-07-01). "Spur 527 exit to Brazos Street closing for repairs". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
6. Begley, Dug (2020-04-17). "Houston engineers designed a Spur 527 plan bicyclists loved. Commuters drove it into the ground". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
7. Google (2008-03-04). "overview map of Spur 527" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2008-03-04.