HOUSTON, Texas -- The $7 billion overhaul of I-45 through much of downtown Houston and the Northside cleared a hurdle for approval Feb. 4, marking a new phase for the contentious project. The North Houston Highway Improvement Project proposes, among other things, rerouting I-45 away from Midtown and through the East End while expanding it through much of the Northside. On Feb. 4, the Texas Department of Transportation [TxDOT] issued a record of decision, signaling one of the final hurdles before construction can begin. The decision signals that the project has completed its federally required environmental impact studies, and it allows for more advanced design work to get underway. The timeline for the design phase and eventual construction has not been finalized, but previous estimates have suggested that the record of decision marks the last major hurdle before the design-build phase can begin, starting with the downtown portion of the project.