Why are Houston (TX) roads mostly paved with concrete/cement instead of asphalt?

i think its because of how how it gets here

The weather determines whether asphalt or concrete is used. Due to the lack of snow in Houston, concrete is used. Asphalt is a heat sink, that naturally makes the roads melt the ice. Concrete is more durable and lasts longer. As a result, even though the cost of concrete is higher, the life expectancy of the concrete is longer, reducing costs to the governing agency.

Cheers and good luck!

Asphalt Houston

Heavily traveled roads are concrete (highways, service roads etc).

County and state roads are usually asphalt.

Neighborhoods can be either, depending on the restrictions, building codes, and quality of the neighborhood.

The bottom line is that the initial cost of the road has to be cost effective with respect to the life expectancy of the road. Maintenance on a heavily traveled asphalt road can be expensive over it's life, whereas initial costs for a concrete road with little travel is expensive up front.

Add to these issues, the 100+ degree summers, freezing temps in the winter, and 45+ inches of rain per year and it makes it a tough call.

Houston is 4 to 6 feet above sea level. The Interstates in Harris Co. are especially expensive. They have to sink a 20ft floating roadbed. Just watch them build a highway down there -- massive re-bar work. Same way for the houses. They float an entire city block to make housing developments. But none of that appears to help, there are homes there that have had foundation repair work and there are homes that will need foundation repair work.

Maybe because it gets really hot, and the asphalt will break down much more quickly than concrete.

as someone who works with pavement at high temps asphalt melts and cement does not. plus cement can be taken out in sections and replaced where mostley asphlat has long pulls to recover the surface.

Durability.

With our extreme weather conditions, concrete lasts longer and is lower maintenance.

ashpalt won't hold up in houston's hot temperature. it just crumbles and breaks away. concrete is a thousand times more practical.