Being the fourth largest city in the United States, Houston has traffic issues. The city is very spread out and has a somewhat limited public transporatation system. The vast majority of Houston's residents commute by automobile, and only a small percentage carpool. This leads to rush hour congestion on most of the major freeways. Recent years have seen numerous freeway expansion projects, which have provided some temporary relief, but the construction never seems to keep pace with the city's expansion.
Most major freeways now have High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and there are several commuter rail lines approved for construction in the next few years. Metro has various Park and Ride areas around the city, and some commuters use these locations to pick up carpoolers so the drivers may use the HOV lanes.
Many of Houston's highways and freeways have alternatate names that can be confusing to newcomers. Here is a list of most major Houston roads, and their nicknames:
| Offical Name |
Nickname(s) |
| Interstate 10 (I-10) - East to Baytown & Beaumont |
(Baytown) East Freeway, The Beast, Beaumont Freeway |
| Interstate 10 (I-10) - West to San Antonio |
Katy Freeway |
| Interstate 45 (I-45) - North to Dallas |
North Freeway |
| Interstate 45 (I-45) - South to Galveston |
Gulf Freeway |
| US Highway 59 - North To Texarkana |
Eastex Freeway, (future: I-69/NAFTA SuperHighway) |
| US Highway 59 - South to Victoria |
Southwest Freeway, (future: I-69/NAFTA SuperHighway) |
| US Highway 290 - NW to Austin |
Northwest Freeway |
| SH 288 - South to Freeport |
South Freeway / Nolan Ryan Expressway (Brazoria Co.) |
| US Highway 90 East |
Crosby Parkway |
| SH 225 |
Pasadena Freeway, Texas Independence Hwy |
| SH 249 |
Tomball Expressway |
| Interstate 610 |
Loop 610, The Loop, West/South/North/East Loop |
| Beltway 8 |
Sam Houston Tollway/Parkway, West/South/North/East Belt |
| SH 99 (Katy to Sugar Land) |
The Grand Parkway |
| FM 521 |
Almeda Road |
| FM 1092 |
Murphy Road |