HOUSTON – Drivers heading east on Interstate 10 near downtown Houston should prepare for a major closure this weekend.
Starting at 9 p.m. Friday, crews will shut down the eastbound mainlanes of Interstate 10 from Shepherd Drive to Houston Avenue for bridge repairs, according to Texas Department of Transportation officials.
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The closure will remain in place continuously through 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23.
The impacted stretch runs from Shepherd Drive/Durham Drive to Houston Avenue. All eastbound mainlanes in that area will be closed.
Detour details
Drivers will be detoured using the following route:
- Exit to the I-10 eastbound frontage road
- Turn left on Shepherd Drive
- Turn left onto the I-10 westbound frontage road
- Continue to the next westbound entrance ramp
- Take the I-10 westbound mainlanes to the 610 West Loop northbound
- Continue to the 610 North Loop eastbound
- Take I-45 southbound
- Reconnect with I-10 eastbound
Starting tonight 9pm through 5am Mon. Feb. 23, crews will close the eastbound mainlanes of I-10 from Shepherd Dr to Houston Ave for bridge repairs. Visit Houston TranStar for closure details & detours. pic.twitter.com/Y8nY7esiLn
— TxDOT- HOU District (@TxDOTHouston) February 20, 2026
Motorists are urged to allow extra travel time, especially during peak weekend traffic hours.
Officials are reminding drivers to slow down in work zones and watch for crews and signage.
Houston Avenue bridge strikes
Last year, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) released data showing that the bridge had been hit 72 times in 2025 alone, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and forcing repeated freeway closures that disrupt traffic and cost taxpayers.
Standing just 14 feet, 3 inches high, the bridge requires any taller truck to have a special permit to pass underneath. But TxDOT says many of the truckers responsible for these crashes were either hauling oversized loads without permits or ignoring designated routes to take shortcuts.
To help prevent strikes, TxDOT has installed three oversized-load detection systems that flash warnings to approaching drivers. Still, officials say not every trucker listens.
While the bridge remains structurally sound, it fails in one critical area, clearance. TxDOT engineers rated the bridge’s height a 2 out of 9, calling it “intolerable.”
TxDOT says that the Houston Avenue Bridge will eventually be demolished as part of the White Oak Bayou I-10 elevation project, scheduled to begin in early 2027.