Houston Energy Corridor

The Energy Corridor is a busy business area in Houston, Texas. It is found on the west side of the city, between Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway. This district stretches along a 7-mile (11 km) part of Interstate 10 (the Katy Freeway), from Kirkwood Road to Barker Cypress Road, and goes south along Eldridge Parkway to Briar Forest Drive. Some parts of this area are also in the Memorial part of Houston. It is located north of another important business area called Westchase and east of Greater Katy.

Many big companies that work with energy have their main offices in the Energy Corridor. Some of these companies are BP America, Citgo, ConocoPhillips, Nouryon, and Shell USA. There are also other types of companies there, like Sysco and Gulf States Toyota Distributors, which have their main offices in this area. The Energy Corridor has more than 26 million square feet (2,400,000 m²) of office space and can provide jobs for over 105,000 people.

Around the Energy Corridor, there are over 26,000 acres (41 mi²; 110 km²) of green space and parks. These include George Bush Park and Bear Creek Pioneers Park. The parks are near Barker Reservoir and Addicks Reservoir. These reservoirs help control flooding in the area along Buffalo Bayou.

History

Energy companies started moving to west Houston in the 1970s because they wanted space for big office buildings close to new homes.

In 2001, Texas made a special area called the Energy Corridor Management District to help improve roads, plant trees, and keep the area safe and nice. Even though there was slower growth during a tough time for oil prices, new hospitals were built, including ones for Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

In 2017, heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey caused big floods in the area, especially near Eldridge Parkway.

Economy

Historically, the Energy Corridor has been one of Houston's strongest office markets.

The district is the second-largest employment center in the region with more than 94,000 employees and over 300 companies.

The Energy Corridor is home to the national or international headquarters of the following companies:

• Becks Prime

• BP America at Westlake Park

• ConocoPhillips

• Citgo

• Equinor

• Foster Wheeler

• Gulf States Toyota

• McDermott International

• PCL Construction

• SBM Offshore USA

• Sysco

• Technip USA

• Wood Group

• WorleyParsons

• Kiewit Corporation

• Enbridge Energy US [Relocated US corporate office in July 2022]

Shell Oil Company, the fifth-largest employer in the Energy Corridor, operates a large campus in the district. Dow Chemical Company and Sonangol USA have offices in the area.

Transportation

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas helps people get around the area with buses. Line 75, once called the Energy Corridor Connector, runs on weekdays. People from Downtown Houston and Midtown Houston can take buses 228 Addicks or 229 Kingsland/Addicks to connect to Line 75. This line also links up with buses on Westheimer Road and Memorial Drive. In January 2011, the line was renamed 75 Eldridge Crosstown, and its endpoint was moved to Mission Bend Park and Ride. This makes it easier to visit the Westchase district and the New Chinatown area.

Two smaller airports serve the Energy Corridor: West Houston Airport near Addicks Reservoir, and Houston Executive Airport in unincorporated Waller County. The latter was created to help workers from companies in the Energy Corridor travel more easily. Most workers in the district live in northern Fort Bend County, western Harris County, and southern Waller County.

Education

Public schools

The Energy Corridor has different school districts covering its areas. In the south, students go to schools in the Houston Independent School District. In the west, students attend schools in the Katy Independent School District. And in the east, students are part of the Spring Branch Independent School District.

Private schools

There is a private school called The Village School near the Energy Corridor. In 2016, the British International School of Houston opened in Greater Katy to serve families living there.

Public libraries

The Houston Public Library runs the Kendall Neighborhood Library on Eldridge Parkway. This library was damaged during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, but it was repaired and reopened later.

Parks and recreation

The Energy Corridor has a lovely park called Terry Hershey Park. It is a long, green space that runs along Buffalo Bayou from Beltway 8 to Barker Reservoir. There are special spots to start walking trails at the corners of Eldridge and Enclave and near Mayde Creek under Interstate 10. These trails connect to another big park called George Bush Park farther to the southwest.

At the south end of the Energy Corridor, along Eldridge Parkway, there is a smaller neighborhood park named Ray Miller Park. In 2015, a fun children's cricket club called Energy Corridor Cricket was started there.