kənstɹˈʌkʃən wʌz slˈoʊ, wɪð ˈoʊnli smˈɔːl pˈoːɹʃənz aʊtsˈaɪd hjˈuːstən, pˈoːɹt ˈɑːɹθɚ, ænd ðə stɹˈɛtʃ fɹʌm wˈɪni tʊ ˈænɐhjˌuːæk sˈaɪnd æz sˈɛvənti θɹˈiːtˈiː kəmplˈiːɾᵻd baɪ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti fˈoːɹ.
Construction was slow, with only small portions outside Houston, Port Arthur, and the stretch from Winnie to Anahuac (signed as 73-T) completed by 1954.