HOUSTON—Federal authorities announced Tuesday they have lifted their hold of a more than $9 billion Houston area highway-widening project that has come under intense criticism from residents and activists who have argued the proposal would cause lasting economic and environmental damage to their communities.
The project to expand Interstate 45, which has been in the works for nearly two decades, had been delayed since March 2021, when the Federal Highway Administration began investigating civil rights and environmental justice concerns.
Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt announced his agency had reached an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation, commonly known as TxDOT, to settle the investigation….