TRAFFIC UPDATE: I-69 Southwest Freeway northbound mainlanes at I-610 West Loop reopened; Southbound lanes remain closed

What a treat!

On Sunday, officials from the Texas Department of Transportation announced the mainlanes of 59 headed northbound have been reopened after a weekend closure.

The temporary closure impacted IH-69 Southwest Freeway’s northbound main lanes at IH-610 West Loop.

Last week we had the Southwest Freeway southbound connector ramp to the West Loop southbound main lanes shut down (and it will remain closed for the next two years by the way.)

For this weekend, the Texas Department of Transportation is working on the actual demolition of that connector ramp so it can be reconstructed, which is why they needed to close the Southwest Freeway.

This is what you can expect this weekend:

• For the next 3 weekends, 59 main lanes at 610 will shut down.
  • IH 69 Southwest Freeway southbound main lanes at IH 610 West Loop: Total closure continuously, from 9 p.m. Friday, May 6 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 9.
    • DETOUR: Traffic to take connector to IH 610 West Loop northbound main lanes, take Westheimer Road exit onto IH 610 North Loop northbound frontage road, U-turn at Westheimer Road onto IH 610 West Loop southbound frontage road, then take next entrance ramp onto IH 69 southbound main lanes.
• IH 69 Southwest Freeway northbound main lanes at IH 610 West Loop were reopened Sunday following a temporary weekend closure.
  • The same closures listed above will be needed for the following weekends: May 13-16 and May 20-23.
• Also, starting Friday, May 6 at 9 p.m., crews will close the I-69 Southwest Freeway southbound exit ramp to Chimney Rock Road for about two months. Traffic will take the Fountain View exit ramp, U-turn at Fountain View onto IH 69 northbound feeder, to reach Chimney Rock Road.
• The 59 southbound connector ramp to the West Loop southbound main lanes is already closed and will remain shut down for the next two years. This is going to impact folks that are driving towards Sugar Land and trying to access the Meyerland or Bellaire area.

In addition, they’ll be chipping away at this work during the week with nightly closures Monday - Friday. (9 p.m. - 5 a.m.) The Monday - Friday closures start May 23 and will last until Friday May 27 (as of right now, it’s just one week of this).

The I-610/59 interchange is one of the most heavily congested, ranking as the number one most congested interchange in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. For the past several years, the improvements designed for this project have aimed to change that. TxDOT is still on track to finish the entire project by 2024.

It’s A LOT. I know. But we’ve been through this before Houston, and we made it out alive. Hang in there and pack the patience!

Drive safely my friends :)

Anavid Reyes

KPRC 2 traffic expert

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Construction closures

The West Loop northbound frontage road from Westpark Dive to Richmond Avenue. This will be a total closure happening continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, May 6, to 5 a.m., Monday, May 9.

Five big projects

• The Gulf Freeway Expansion
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• The West Loop-Southwest Freeway Interchange Rebuild
• The SH 288 expansion
• The North Houston Highway Improvement Project

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