The threat of Hurricane Rita turned major highways around Houston into parking lots last week. Thousands of cars crawled along the highway, trying to get out of town.
Now residents are returning home, but this time the trip is going much more smoothly.
The phased return called for people in the north and west of Houston to come back first. No way to judge how many others returned, too. But the numbers caused a traffic jam in Conroe, north of the city.
Police there blocked off exits to keep traffic moving. Officials said the massive delays during the evacuation were caused in part by construction on Interstate 45.
That same construction caused some minor backups for people coming home. But, for the most part, traffic hummed along smoothly.
To keep it that way, city officials said they needed gas stations to start opening - and they did. Fuel trucks showed up and drivers lined up waiting for gas to start flowing.
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Return from Rita
CNN's John Zarella takes a ride along Houston’s highways.
 
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Residents living south of Interstate 10 and inside of 610 began returning home on Monday. The Texas Department of Transportation reports traffic south on I-45 to Houston and Galveston is flowing.
I-10 east of Houston is open, but exits into Beaumont and portions of southeast Texas are still closed.
Travel is still restricted on roadways south of U.S. 190 and east of State Highway 146.
Supplies are being replenished and fuel availability is increasing in the area.
TxDOT crews are still working to remove all the trash from rest stops and roadways.
Evacuation plans to be examined
Gov. Rick Perry and Houston officials are setting up a task force to examine the Gulf Coast exodus that preceded Hurricane Rita.
Perry called last week's massive evacuation from the Houston area a success, despite hours-long traffic jams and a scarcity of fuel.
Also, Perry is asking President Bush to reimburse Texas for expenses related to Rita at the same 100 percent level that's expected for its assistance with Hurricane Katrina.
Perry said evacuating large urban areas is a complex effort, but officials can learn from this experience and do better next time.
The governor is working with Houston Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels.
Members will seek input from experts on traffic flow and on the logistics of delivering fuel to motorists.
Helping evacuees get home
Rita evacuees stranded in Austin without transportation are now getting a ride home.
Austin city officials began busing evacuees to Houston from area shelters on Monday.
"So, we have buses rolling out every 15 to 20 minutes now pulling out of the centers. We hope by this evening that we will be consolidated down to a single shelter site, probably Burger. Delco would serve as a backup site, if needed, if we have too many people but we believe we will be consolidated to one site, Burger, by the end of tonight," Austin City Manager Toby Futrell said Monday.
City leaders are expecting to house anywhere from 200 to 400 evacuees at the the Toney Burger Center.
