Update on Memorial Drive construction and traffic backups

HOUSTON – Commuters on Memorial Drive near City Centre have been finding themselves in the midst of a traffic snarl for the past year.

Bumper to bumper traffic on Memorial Drive is not only impacting commuters, but folks who live in the middle of all the work are certainly feeling the traffic woes.

Eddie Papin lives on Memorial Drive, just east of the West Beltway and says, “Getting out of the driveway, that stop light gets so jammed up that it backs up all the way in front of our house.”

What’s happening?

• According to the Texas Department of Transportation’s website, Memorial Drive is undergoing major reconstruction work east of the West Beltway to Tallwood Road. This 24 month-long project started in 2020, so folks should see work wrap up by December.
• When it’s all done, improvements should include:
  • Widening of Memorial Drive to two 12-foot wide travel lanes in each direction with a raised median
  • Upgrading the existing traffic signals
  • And improving drainage by upgrading the storm sewer system