State Highway 288 is a 58.87 mile long route originating in Freeport off the Gulf Coast and extending north to Downtown Houston. SH 288 connects Clute, Lake Jackson and Angleton in Brazoria County with the south Houston suburbs of Manvel and Pearland. Following the South Freeway into Space City, SH 288 represents a heavily traveled commuter route, with 188,782 vehicles per day recorded by TxDOT south of the merge with IH 69 in 2017.
The South Freeway opened to traffic south from the central business district to SH 6 in 1984. A seven mile section of the SH 288 freeway, from Angleton to Lake Jackson, opened on May 17, 1988. This portion of SH 288 cost $136 million and took 20 years to construct. The succeeding segment opened in Lake Jackson in March 1989.1
Texas State Highway 288 Guides
The Texas Legislature named SH 288 in Brazoria County the Nolan Ryan Expressway in 1992.2
SH 288 Toll Lanes Project
An $815 million project, Drive288 expands a 10.3 mile section of SH 288 (South Freeway) from the south Harris County line north to IH 69/U.S. 59 at Downtown Houston. Divided into six segments, work included adding two managed lanes in each direction and expanding or reconstructing interchanges with Beltway 8 and IH 610. Construction started in October 2016 and wraps up in September 2019.3
- "Expectations, hope run high as Texas 288 links Brazoria County cities with Houston." Houston Chronicle (TX), May 18, 1988.
- "Freeways' names a mystery to most." Houston Chronicle (TX), May 9, 1996.
- "TxDOT's $815M Drive288 Adds Toll Lanes, Interchanges in Harris County." Construction EquipmentGuide.com, November 6, 2018.
Connect with:
Interstate 69
Interstate 610
Page Updated 07-29-2019.