HOUSTON -- There will be numerous road closures on the Katy Freeway starting Friday night, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Starting at 10 p.m., the Katy Freeway eastbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until April 2008. The westbound ramp to Beltway 8 northbound will be closed until August 2008.

Brandon Turet, who commutes to work in Sugar Land from Katy using the Beltway, was upset when he learned the news of more closures.

"It's a pain in the morning, especially when they have closures. It takes me an extra 30 minutes to get home," he said

"This weekend we're going to close the fifth and sixth of the eight direct connectors being rebuilt and reconstructed on I-10 at the Beltway 8 interchange," Public Information Officer of the Katy Freeway Program, Raquelle Lewis, said. "There may be closures that are happening over weekends and at night that impact both I-10 as well as Beltway 8 traffic."

While that demolition is under way, there will be another closure.

Katy Freeway eastbound and westbound ramps to Beltway 8 southbound will shut down overnight Friday and will reopen Saturday at 5 a.m.

"I think it's an inconvenience, especially because I live in this area," Katy resident Taryn Odom said.

"It becomes a real hassle, especially if you have to go through two school zones over there, churches, and it becomes really backed up," Turet said.

Fortunately, drivers won't have to deal with delays much longer. The Katy Freeway Reconstruction Program is expected to be completed this year.

"We're expecting our contractors to deliver these improvements within 2008," Lewis said.

"If it improves the roads, I'm all for it. I just wish it could take a little sooner and not this long," Turet said.

"It will be an inconvenience, but it's Houston. We learn how to deal with the situation that we live in," Odom said.

For more information on the Katy Freeway Reconstruction Program, visit www.katyfreeway.org or 281-589-5924.

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