Where the Streets Have New Names: 20 Houston Streets That Change Names

sydpolk

You forgot the most confusing:

If you start on Bissonet coming into the city, S. Braeswood splits out from it just past 69. S. Braeswood splits into N. Braeswood and S. Braeswood just past Bob White, and then becomes the feeder road for 610 East.

N. Braeswood then becomes S. Braeswood at the railroad tracks east of 610.

If you had kept going on Bissonet, Beechnut splits out of it. Then, at those same railroad tracks, it becomes N. Braeswood.

S. and N. Braeswood merge into S. Braeswood around Main, and then become S. McGregor at Holcomb, which ends at UH.

N. McGregor starts at Main (where Rice is) and lines the north side of the bayou opposite S. McGregor at UH.

My mother got so hopelessly lost in this mess when we first moved to Houston in 1974...

marmer

I know you gave the disclaimer that divided streets don't count, but the impact that the West Loop has on Braeswood can't be ignored. When driving west from Southside Place/Braeswood Place: Holcombe turns into Bellaire, as you mentioned, North Braeswood turns into Beechnut, and most confusing of all, South Braeswood turns into North Braeswood. A new South Braeswood springs off of the bottom corner of the West Loop feeder road. Then, past Hillcroft, North Braeswood combines with South Braeswood and continues with the South Braeswood name. At the other end of Braeswood in the Med Center, Braeswood turns into MacGregor.

MichaelTMyers

11th St. and Pecore. This may be a case like 20th and Cavalcade, in which they weren't originally the same street and were eventually expanded toward each other to meet at a not-perfectly-aligned point at the common cross street (in Pecore's case, Michaux).

Curious: the westbound Metro bus route #40 is called "Pecore" despite traveling on that street for only 3 blocks between Watson and Michaux.

Alex Botti

SH6 doesn't really change names, it just veers off of where it used to be mated with 1960 when it was created. SH6 went from the gulf to Sugar Land, and when they joined it up with the northern section, they ran it along the old 1960 (which started at Westpark) up to 290, and then SH6 veered northwest with 290 and 1960 kept going north. http://www.oscarmail.net/dfwfreeways/images/oldRoadMaps/1968_phillips_houston_merged_large.jpg

mollusk

For years Montrose Boulevard ended at Buffalo Bayou, and Studewood ended at White Oak Bayou. The connector that eventually got built to hook them together just borrowed both names, hence Studemont.

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah topcommenter

Weslayn- Stella Link

Valerie181

Cavalcade/W. Cavalcade -- E. 20th/W. 20th

currentlyvince

Just remembered this one while driving today: Harwin Drive -> Alief-Clodine Road

skquinn1

Clay/West 43rd changes names more times than listed. East of Shepherd, it becomes Crosstimbers/East Crosstimbers, then Weaver (briefly), then Ley Road, then Green River Drive for the last mile or so before unceremoniously petering out into some industrial property.

Doug LaBruyere

I own only one street and it has no name.

Daniel Rodríguez Daál

It's more confusing when the same street has two names.

gossamersixteen topcommenter

Forgot a couple like Kirby becomes Allen Parkway, or Shepherd becomes Veterans Memorial, and later Stuebner Airline. Oh and FM1960 is Cypress Creek Parkway or something nowadays.

Hanabi-chan topcommenter

How about Richey>Winkler>Monroe out in the the SE side? (Side note here, it drives me batshit crazy when traffic reporters say Richey St when they mean to refer to Richey Road. They are not one and the same and are on opposite sides of town. )

I used to work on Renwick, very near the intersection with Westpark. No matter how many times I gave directions to delivery drivers, the concept of Fountainview changes names to Renwick once you hit Westpark seemed to cause nothing but confusion.

b0004

"Soon, 6th Street will finally connect Shepherd with Yale Street -- something [some] folks in the Heights have wanted for years"

I (as a Heights folk) have neither wanted a 6th street connection nor a north side feeder road (TxDOT, the gift that keeps on giving - like herpes).

for historical reasons … White Oak changes to Quitman because it crosses the Little White Oak Bayou. Quitman does not change to Liberty, it is connected to it. The two both exist parallel to each other for several blocks on either side of the connection.

johnnybench topcommenter

Hirsch Rd -> Broyles St -> Altoona St -> Waco St. -> Hirsch Rd (redux?) -> N. York -> Scott St.

johnnybench topcommenter

Reveille/Telephone/and the N. Main of south Houston/Pearland.

rich5371

May not count since it may be officially going into Stafford, but we also have Wilcrest - Murphy aka FM 1092.

Alisa Gillman

I beg of you to hire a proofreader....smh

johnnybench topcommenter

Beechnut/North Braeswood/North MacGregor too.

Sylvia Lawler

There's also 20th/Cavalcade the weird N and S Braeswood switch.

currentlyvince

Bammel North Houston -> North Houston Rosslyn -> Bingle -> Voss -> Hillcroft (eventually feeding Fort Bend Tollway) is another good one.

Caz1

@mollusk That's the most insight I've read off this website in years. Thanks!

jeffbalke topcommenter

@gossamersixteen Yeah, I have the 1960 one on the list. Shepherd doesn't actually turn into Veterans. Shepherd merges with the freeway and you go left to get onto Veterans which, moving south, merges with the feeder road. All technicalities that don't make it any less confusing.

jeffbalke topcommenter

@Hanabi-chan I looked at Richey (which by the way is Richey Street off 45 S and Richey ROAD off 45 N - ack), but one person pointed out to me that Richey and Monroe aren't technically the same road. Again with the technicalities. Good idea for sure.

jeffbalke topcommenter

@b0004 When I lived over off Shepherd and 11th, I always wanted that thing to cut through and I hated not having a feeder road. To each his own.

jeffbalke topcommenter

@johnnybench Wow. Good one!

jeffbalke topcommenter

@johnnybench Another good one. I think that Telepone technically merges with the Beltway, but still good pull.

jeffbalke topcommenter

@rich5371 Good one. I did not have that mentioned to me or see it myself, but a good add. Thanks.

jeffbalke topcommenter

@johnnybench This was a tricky one I considered, but because Braeswood splits in half and connects to both Beechnut and Bissonnet, I decided against it. It is hella confusing though for sure.

jeffbalke topcommenter

@currentlyvince That's my very last one on page 4. :)

gossamersixteen topcommenter

Technically headed north on Shepherd there is a light before the freeway and the street veers slightly to the left but it easily could be taken for the same street. Let us not even try to tackle the logic behind TC Jester, that's truly a WTF were they thinking road.

Hanabi-chan topcommenter

You are probably correct, but to me they are one continuous street.

Here's another possible addition to the list: Texas>Harrisburg>Broadway.

(Edited to add: Doesn't Memorial Drive turn into Texas Ave after I-45?)

dyww

@jeffbalke @currentlyvince Love this post. Actually, Bingle does not become Voss, it merges with a little side street called Voss.

currentlyvince

@jeffbalke Whoa! I would swear that wasn't there the first time my browswer loaded the page! :) Then I'll just add that it's not unprecedented action to "fix" something like this. What was North MacGregor -> Cambridge Street -> Holt Street all got renamed to just Cambridge Street a few years ago.

jeffbalke topcommenter

@gossamersixteen Oh, agreed completely. The whole thing is totally bizarre. I drove Shepherd every day for like 20 years and I drive TC virtually every day now. I'm blessed I guess.

MichaelTMyers

@dyww @jeffbalke @currentlyvince True, Voss and Bingle run parallel to each other for a few blocks between I-10 and Westview. North of Westview Voss becomes Bracher St.

b0004

@jeffbalke there are costs associated to residences and (mostly) businesses that are on roads that change their name. (just something that is to be weighed before doing it)

not sure why my "comment as Twitter" account doesn't recognize my identity - @bshirley