Only those Houstonians over seventy would remember what the Gulf Freeway was like back in 1964. For that matter, most native Houstonians would not know or remember what any of the freeways were like that year. The Gulf Freeway was not much of a freeway back then. The freeway had two southbound lanes and two northbound lanes at ground level with only a few overpasses along the way to Galveston. When construction began for the NASA Center, the Texas Highway Department realized that the old freeway lanes could not carry the increase in the number of cars that would be traveling in that area. Two new feeder lanes were constructed along each side to carry the traffic while the old freeway could be torn out and the new sections with more lanes could be put in place.
I started working at NASA in June 1964 and most of the “freeway” between where the Almeda Mall is today, and FM 528 Road (NASA Parkway) was routed to the feeder roads. There were only a few places where traffic could cross over to the other side and very few places to turn to go over to Texas 3 (Galveston Rd). There were no businesses along the freeway, only pastures with barbed wire fences out close to the new feeder roads.
My brother-in-law, Ted, and I were both working at NASA and riding to work together when our schedules allowed because it was almost a 100-mile round trip each day. It was a sweltering day in August 1964, we had both gotten off work around 4:00 p.m. and started our trip home. Back then, FM 528 was the only way out from NASA and not very many businesses were on that road between NASA and the Gulf Freeway. Webster was a tiny spot with a name and not much else. The trip started just like most others, hot with hot wind blowing into my new car that did not have A/C.
We made it to the freeway and headed north toward Houston thinking we would be home in an hour or so. A few minutes later, the cars in front of us were slowing down and then stopped. We thought the cars would begin moving in a few minutes, but after sitting in one place for more than 30 minutes, we knew it was something major. We quickly realized we had no other option but to wait it out. To our left was a huge area of dirt and other construction materials for the new freeway lanes and to our right was a barbed wire fence about three feet from the curb of the feeder. Some of the people in other cars walked a way down the road to see if they tell what the problem was, but they said the cars were stopped as far as they could see ahead. My new car had Naugahyde bucket seats with 4-speed transmission, but no A/C. There was no internet, PCs, cellphones, or a way to contact anyone.
It was about 90 minutes before the cars began to move forward, but it was another 30 minutes before we passed the location that caused the shutdown. A Coca-Cola Truck had lost its load of Coke bottles and glass had covered the feeder road. Several cars had driven into it and had cut all their tires. There was no way to get help to that point without the police closing the road ahead and then the service vehicles driving the wrong way to that point. Then they had to turn around on a narrow road to load the disabled vehicles.
When we finally passed the Gulf Gate mall area there was a sign in front of a bank that showed the temperature as well as the time. I remember seeing 103 on the sign, but at least we had wind blowing in the windows on our clothes that were soaked with sweat from “melting on the Gulf Freeway”.
We were both too hot and tired to explain everything to Eva and Joyce about our trip home.
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