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Instagram posts
Instagram posts
stated on July 18, 2023 in an Instagram post:

Photo shows a highway in Houston.

False

That’s a lot of traffic, but it’s on a freeway in Beijing, not Houston

If your time is short

  • This photo was taken in Beijing.
See the sources for this fact-check

A photo of dozens of cars in dozens of lanes of traffic could cause Texas commuters nightmares. But fear not — the image doesn’t show a Houston freeway, as a recent Instagram post says. 

“Houston, Texas holds the record for the world’s widest highway,” text over the image says. 

The July 18 post’s caption says: “The Katy Freeway in Houston, Texas holds the title for the world’s widest highway, boasting a remarkable 26 lanes!” 

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Count the lanes in the image and it becomes clear that there are more than 26 there. That’s because this photo was taken in China. It shows the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, which boasted 50 lanes when that picture was snapped — not 26.

The Katy Freeway in Houston is big, and in 2016 we fact-checked a claim that it was the widest freeway in the world. Our conclusion: Katy Freeway, a Houston portion of Interstate 10, has 13 lanes at its widest (not counting frontage roads). There’s a wider freeway in Canada, and, of course, the pictured behemoth Beijing. 

We rate claims this photo shows a Houston freeway False.

 
Our Sources

That’s a lot of traffic, but it’s on a freeway in Beijing, not Houston

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on January 7, 2026 a press briefing

stated on January 14, 2026 a statement

Social Media
stated on February 14, 2026 social media posts



stated on January 20, 2026 an op-ed


Donald Trump
stated on February 3, 2026 remarks in the Oval Office


Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 social media posts





Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on stated on November 17, 2025 in remarks at George Washington University:

Donald Trump
stated on February 2, 2026 an interview with Dan Bongino