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| Farm to Market Road 1093 |
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| Length: | 50.48 mi (81.27 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1949 | ||||||||
| East end: |  Interstate 610 in Houston |
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| Major junctions: |
 Beltway 8
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| West end: | Image:Texas FM 3013.svg FM 3013 in Eagle Lake | ||||||||
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FM 1092
>Farm to Market Road 1093, Urban Road 1093, FM 1093, or Westheimer Road is a highway that runs through Harris, Fort Bend, Austin, Wharton, and Colorado counties in southeast Texas. In Houston, a portion of FM 1093 makes up "Westheimer Road", which continues inside the 610 Loop past the terminus of F.M. 1093. The official designation for FM 1093 from SH 99 to Loop 610 is Urban Road 1093, though this moniker is not stated on road signs or addresses, or even anywhere outside of the Texas Department of Transportation's official files. FM 1093 begins where Westheimer Road intersects Interstate 610 (the West Loop) in Houston. It runs for 50.5 miles in a mostly westerly direction, ending at FM 3013 in Eagle Lake, Colorado County. In Houston, 1093/Westheimer is a major thoroughfare through west Houston and outlying neighborhoods.
History
FM 1093 was designated in 1949, more than a decade before the Katy Freeway. As west Houston was sparsely populated at the time, the road served mainly as a transportation route for cargo in and out of Houston. In the 1960s, the west side went through major growth after the Katy Freeway was foreseen, and neighborhoods and businesses quickly developed. 1093, popularly known in the city as Westheimer, became a major thoroughfare for westside residents traveling into the Houston metro area. Throughout the 70s and early 80s, Westheimer became clogged with offices, restaurants and strip malls all along its route. Due to major traffic, the road's lane capacity expanded many times as popularity continued to grow.
Effects of Westpark Tollway
The Westpark Tollway, opened in 2005, was purposely designed to lessen Westheimer's traffic flow and serve as a thoroughfare for travelers from George Bush Park and Bellaire. Both the Westpark Tollway and 1093 run almost parallel to each other, changing the opposite's traffic flow. The tollway hasn't drastically diverted traffic on Westheimer and is only open to EZ Tag users. The tollway is designed to provide easier access to freeways such as Highway 59 and others which 1093 doesn't serve. Only traffic congestion is partially common on the tollway, but this is only temporary until the Katy Freeway expansion project is finished in 2009.
