Get ready for some of the highest ramps Houston has ever seen

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- With Houston's booming population and more and more traffic on the road, freeways are not just getting wider, they are getting taller.

This year, the 288 toll lanes are set to open, along with some of the highest ramps Houston has ever seen.

The project includes building a brand new interchange between SH-288 and the South Beltway, with enormous fly-overs that will connect those two thoroughfares. When it opens, the tallest ramp at that interchange will soar 92 feet into the air (the SH-288 southbound ramp to Sam Houston Tollway eastbound), putting it within just a few feet of the highest flyovers in Houston.

On the west side, the tallest ramp at I-10 and the Beltway is 103 feet tall, connecting the West Sam Houston Tollway northbound to I-10 Westbound.

At the enormous new interchange of US-290 and Beltway 8, the tallest ramp is 112 feet tall, connecting the US-290 westbound ramp to the West Sam Houston Tollway southbound.

The Harris County Toll Road Authority and TxDOT says these longer, higher ramps are actually safer because they allow drivers more time and space to change from one freeway to another, reducing the likelihood of crashes.

The 288 Toll project is set to open by summer of this year.

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