Texas State Highway Beltway 8
Texas State Highway Beltway 8, also Sam Houston Parkway and Sam Houston Tollway, is a Texas state highway located in Houston. In transportation terms, Beltway 8 is defined as a beltway or orbital motorway. It is the second of three highway loops circling the city, with Interstate 610 being the inner loop and Texas State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) being the outer loop. The Grand Parkway is still under construction. Beltway 8 and Sam Houston Parkway is the name given to the frontage roads, while the Sam Houston Tollway is the name for the tollway that is located in the highway's median. Access to the Sam Houston Tollway is provided via Beltway 8 by means of entrance and exit ramps. As of 2005, Beltway 8 is complete while the Sam Houston Tollway is about 85 percent complete. The remaining portion is a small section of tollway between U.S. Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 59 northeast of Houston, which should be completed between 2007 and 2009.