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.
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.