be prepared to stop

Prepare for more traffic headaches with major 610 West Loop and Southwest Freeway weekend closures

610 loop interchange Southwest Freeway Houston I-69

The 610 West Loop at I-69 interchange will close this weekend.

Photo courtesy of TxDOT

Closing two of the most congested freeways in the state of Texas — at the same time — almost seems a cruel joke. But that’s just what’s in store for Houston drivers starting on Friday, January 31.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will close all mainlanes of the I-610 West Loop at I-69 Southwest Freeway in both directions for multiple weekends starting the weekend of January 31 to hang bridge beams and other related work for a new connector ramp.

The closures will start Friday, January 31 at 9 pm and last until Monday, February 3 at 5 am. Crews will close all I-610 West Loop northbound and southbound mainlanes at I-69 Southwest Freeway, according to TxDOT.

Crews will again close the I-610 West Loop mainlanes at I-69 Southwest Freeway in both directions on the weekends of February 7 through February 10, February 14 through February 17, and February 21 through February 24. Crews will continue work on the I-610 West Loop northbound connector ramp to I-69 Southwest Freeway southbound as part of the I-610/I-69 interchange project.

Considering that nearly 300,000 drivers utilize the area on a given day (according to TxDOT 2018 estimates), the closure might seem like a traffic nightmare. But TxDOT spokesperson Danny Perez tells CultureMap that it is necessary for safety: “Thus far we've done a lot of the surrounding work without affecting the mainlanes. To build up the connector ramp, we have to close for the safety of the traveling public.”

Perez adds the contractors must be able to work safely without traffic flowing underneath: a simple dropped tool or piece of equipment could be catastrophic.

Detours
TxDOT recommends that drivers seek alternate routes during the closures. Motorists traveling northbound on I-610 West Loop northbound will detour to I-610 frontage road to re-enter the mainlanes of I-610 northbound.
Motorists traveling southbound on I-610 West Loop will detour to I-69 southbound, exit at Chimney Rock, U-turn at Chimney Rock to reach the I-69 northbound mainlanes, and take the direct connector from I-69 northbound to I-610 southbound.

As previously reported, the I-610/ I-69 interchange is a major connection point of two of the most congested highways in the state of Texas. The $259 million project will significantly enhance safety and improve mobility by widening the connector ramps to two lanes, increasing sight distances, and providing remedies to eliminate weaving.

The project has incentives and disincentives to encourage the contractor to complete various phases sooner than anticipated. “If the contractor finishes work early, we can open early,” Perez adds, offering a glimmer of hope.

Perez suggests drivers utilize TxDOT's official project website, Houston TranStar, and Twitter page, @HOU610at69 to stay up-to-date on detours and information.

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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.”