HOUSTON — We are less than a year away now from the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to Houston, which means hundreds of thousands of fans pouring into the city.

The Texas Department of Transportation is turning up the pressure on one of its projects to beautify a major Houston freeway. TxDOT is sprucing up the gateways into downtown starting along I-69 near Hazard Street. Crews are removing drought and freeze-damaged vines, repainting walls to cover up graffiti, and replanting greenery to welcome the world to Houston.

“We're going to paint the walls a light tan with some accent colors, and then we'll also fill in the gaps with new vines where we're missing them so they can all grow up over time,” said TxDOT landscape architect Ethan Beeson.

It's part of a project that began more than 25

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