Take my Houston Freeway Quiz
You know, it's almost amazing the sh*t I think up driving around.  The motto of Texas is "friendly," but the Houston highway system is anything but that.  Congestion, crazy drivers and a byzantine naming structure all add up to make getting around H-town a challenge.  Whether visitor or resident, take this quiz and see if you have what it takes to easily navigate around Houston.  Answers are at the bottom....

Match the name of the freeway with it's official number:

1) I-10 west
a Katy
b Baytown East
c Western Freeway
d Dekaty Freeway

2) Southwest
a 59
b 45
c 290
d 225

3) Pierce Elevated
a 59
b 45
c 290
d 225

4 The South Freeway
a 8
b 290
c 225
9 288

5) The Gulf Freeway
a 45
b 290
c 225
9 523

6) The Sam Houston
a 8
b Hardy
c 45N
9 1960W

7) The Nolan Ryan is also known as
a 288
b 10E
c Nasa Rd 1
9 1960

8) The Senator Lloyd Bensten is the same as
a) Baytown East
b) EasTex
c) Southwest
d) Northwest

9) What is "the Beast?"
a I-10 East
b 290 & 610 interchange
c 225 EAst
9 59 & 610 interchange

10) You are on a freeway headed past the Uptown Park shopping center and the Williams (Transco) tower, both of which are on your left.  Where exactly are you and what is your direction?
a 610 West Loop North, Northbound
b 610 West Loop South, Northbound
c 610 West Loop North, Southbound
d 610 West Loop South, Southbound

11) BONUS
You are headed inbound on 290 and want to go to an address on the West Loop.  The sign gives you two choices:
a South
b East

You have two seconds to change lanes and decide.  Go.  HONK!  MOVE IT DUMB A*S!  AHHHHH!!!!

So how did you do?  Wanna just give it up and ride a horse?  Scroll down and see the correct answers!







Quiz Answers -- and Commentary (of course)

1) A.  The I-10W freeway is the Katy Freeway, connecting Houston to Katy.  As if you care.

2) A. 59 South is the Southwest Freeway.  Which goes Southwest, and west...and a bit northeast right by downtown.  That's OK, different is good.

3) B. The Pierce Elevated is I-45 as it runs through downtown Houston.  It's sorta like the West Side Highway in NYC.  I once worked with a lady who called it The Pierce Elevator.  That's OK because she was a nut job who believed in witchcraft.  I won't go any further on this in case the old gal is online and reading this.  I don't want her to curse me.

4) D. The South freeway is 288 since it goes South.  Lord knows why we can't name the other freeways after a direction but instead we must honor Famous Dead Guys.

5) A. 45 South is the Gulf Freeway.  Duh!

6) A.  Beltway 8 is the Sam Houston.  Another famous Famous Dead Guy.

7) A. Nolan Ryan is the the 288.  I don't know if he lived off it or had to pick up trash on it after a DUI, but it's named after him.  He's not dead yet, so that's gotta be a plus for him.

8) C.  The 59 Southwest Freeway is named after Senator Llyod Bensten.  The only reason I know this is that I'm often in a traffic jam in stopped traffic looking at the sign.  I think he's dead and if not, I really want to tell him to add more freaking lanes to his road.

9) A. The Beast is the Baytown East Freeway aka I-10 East.  I know there's a Budweiser brewery out there, plus a place to get porkchops that my buddy Fred swears is the best in the land.  New Orleans is out that way I hear but I refuse to do the drive again after I got evak-i-ated from NOLA during a hurricane.

10) Brace yourself.  The answer is B: West Loop South, North bound.  The Loop itself is divided into four segments (North, South, West, East), and is then bisected into a total of eight segments (West Loop North, West Loop South, etc).  The West Loop South is south of the bayou (near the I-10 interchange).  If you are in the Galleria Area, you must then be on the south part of the West Loop.  To put these buildings on your left, you must be headed north, therefore you are now on the West Loop South, North Bound.  And you wonder why we shoot at each other on the freeway.


11) A. South.  Even though you are going to the WEST Loop, you are headed south to get there.  Even if it's the West Loop North, you must go South.  Now you see why I drink.

Scoring:
1-3 You are either a tourist or are new to town (less than 10 years)
4-8 Nice, but you still must get lost.  A lot.
9-10 You really should work for Yellow Cab.  
11+ You are as crazy as I am.  Congratulations!