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Prepare for more Houston traffic with new closures announced for 288

Drivers on Highway 288 should get used to this view.

Houston drivers are already in an understandable uproar after the permanent closure of the I-45 Gulf Freeway southbound ramp to I-69/288. Now, local commuters will have to pump the brakes with the announcement of multiple closures on Highway 288.

Here are the construction closures —permanent and continuous — beginning Friday, January 25 on 288.

288 northbound direct connectors to IH 610, both eastbound and westbound, will be permanently closed on Friday, January 25.
Suggested detour: Drivers should exit at Yellowstone Boulevard, then U-turn at Yellowstone Boulevard. Merge onto SH 288 southbound to IH 610 eastbound or westbound.
The IH 610 entrance ramp, both eastbound and westbound, from Bellfort Avenue will be permanently closed on Friday, January 25 at 9 pm.
Suggested detour: Drivers should exit at Yellowstone Boulevard, then U-turn at Yellowstone Boulevard. Merge onto SH 288 southbound to IH 610 eastbound or westbound.
Two right lanes of SH 288 northbound will be continuously closed from Reed Road to Holly Hall Street, from Friday, January 25 at 9pm through Monday, January 28.

Finally, the SH 288 northbound entrance ramp from Bellfort avenue will be continuously closed from Friday, January 25, 2019 at 9pm to August 16.

Detour for SH 288 northbound Frontage Road traffic: Take the SH 288 northbound Frontage Road to Holmes Road, then U-turn at Holmes Road. Merge onto SH 288 southbound, then exit Reed Road. U-turn at Reed Road, then merge onto SH 288 northbound.
Detour for Bellfort Ave Westbound traffic: Turn left onto the SH 288 southbound Frontage Road, then merge onto SH 288 southbound. Exit Reed Road, then U-turn at Reed Road. Merge onto SH 288 northbound.
Detour Bellfort Ave Eastbound traffic: Turn right onto the SH 288 southbound Frontage Road, then merge onto SH 288 southbound. Exit Reed Road, then U-turn at Reed Road. Merge onto SH 288 northbound.
Detour for Holmes Rd traffic: Turn onto the SH 288 southbound Frontage Road, then merge onto SH 288 southbound. Exit Reed Road, then U-turn at Reed Road. Merge onto SH 288 northbound.

For more information on this closures, visit the Drive288 site.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”