A portion of the road is a four-lane controlled-access highway that bypasses the central businesses of Webster.

It is one of only two Texas state highways with an official designation beginning with a letter; the other is SH OSR.

The freeway consists of two direct access ramps which are convenient for travelers coming to and from Houston.

Motorists coming from Galveston (I-45 northbound) have to encounter a traffic signal at Kobayashi Road before experiencing the uninterrupted flow of the freeway.

The freeway bypasses much of the congestion in inner-city Webster, giving easy access to Johnson Space Center.