be prepared to stop

Prepare for a major, 2-year closure at the 610 West Loop and Southwest Freeway

610 loop interchange Southwest Freeway Houston I-69

Well, this should be fun.

Photo courtesy of TxDOT

Drivers on Houston’s 610 West Loop are in for a big change — one that will last two years. The Texas Department of Transportation will close the I-69 Southwest Freeway southbound connector ramp to I-610 West Loop southbound beginning at 9 pm Friday, April 29.

This closure, which is part of the ongoing I-610 West Loop/ I-69 Southwest Freeway interchange project, is expected to last through late 2024, according to a TxDOT press release. Some 300,000 drivers on each roadway (approximately 600,000 total) will be affected each day, TxDOT estimates.

Affected motorists should check the multiple project websites and social media (see below for links) and their favorite navigation app before traveling.

For those who are (understandably) groaning, TxDOT spokesperson Danny Perez reminds that contractor Williams Brothers has completed highway projects sooner. “They’ve been able to take advantage of the incentives in the project,” Perez tells CultureMap. “And we’re not going to keep something closed unnecessarily.”

All this construction clearly means motorists will be forced to detour. TxDOT has provided these instructions for drivers:

Traffic will continue on the I-69 Southwest Freeway southbound mainlanes to the Fountain View Drive exit ramp.
U-turn at Fountain View Drive.
Continue onto the first entrance ramp onto the IH 69 northbound mainlanes.
Traffic will then take the I-69 northbound connector ramp to the I-610 southbound mainlanes.

The closures don’t end there. TxDOT warns that additional ramp closures will take place this coming weekend. More information can be found at the official 610 West Loop/ Southwest Freeway interchange project website: www.hou610at69.com.

Yet another closure will take place at 9 pm Friday, May 6. Here, work crews will close the Southwest Freeway southbound exit ramp to Chimney Rock for approximately two months, a press release notes.

Drivers should:

Take the Fountain View exit ramp.
U-turn at Fountain View onto IH-69 Northbound Frontage Road to reach Chimney Rock Road.

Not surprisingly, motorists are encouraged to seek alternative routes during this work. Police will be onsite to assist with traffic control.

While this work requires patience, there is a positive, Perez adds. These two projects will allow the Westheimer exit to open on 610, greatly increasing flow. The scheduled work also alleviates the need to close any mainlanes on 610 long-term, which would result in a true traffic nightmare.

As CultureMap previously reported, these closures are part of the continued work on the I-610 West Loop mainlane bridge over I-69 Southwest Freeway, as well as the reconstruction of the new I-69 Southwest Freeway southbound connector ramp to I-610 West Loop southbound.

The $259 million project aims to significantly enhance safety and improve mobility by widening the connector ramps to two lanes, increasing sight distances, and providing remedies to eliminate weaving, per TxDOT.

Those interested can find road closure information at www.houstontranstar.org and at www.HOU610at69.com. Twitter users can follow @HOU610at69 and @TxDOTHouston for the latest updates.

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let's all take the bus

Texas sees 5th highest surge in gas prices in the U.S. since 2025

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

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Houston residents who are feeling the sting at the gas pump aren't alone: Residents all around Texas are seeing soaring prices for regular and diesel fuel in 2026.

In fact, the Lone Star State has seen the fifth-highest percentage increase in gas prices in the country from April 2025 to April 2026, a just-released SmartAsset study has found. The current cost of a regular gallon of gas is 36.1 percent higher now than it was a year ago, and diesel is 60.9 percent more expensive.

The report, "Gas Prices Hit Records in 2026: State by State Breakdown," compared average gas prices from AAA from April 1, 2025 and April 1, 2026 and calculated the one-year change across all 50 states. The study looked at the price of a gallon of regular, premium, and diesel.

According to AAA, the cost of a regular gallon of gas in Texas at the start of April was $3.77, while premium is $4.62 per gallon. Diesel ticked over $5 a gallon — ouch — at $5.11.

Houston gas prices aren't much cheaper than the statewide average. A gallon of regular costs up to $3.76 at some Houston-area pumps, and diesel is $5.05 per gallon. AAA says the highest recorded average price for gas in the city was in June 2022, when a gallon of regular cost $4.68 and diesel cost $5.24.

Though Texas' gas prices are continuing to climb, it ranks 35th in the national ranking of states with the highest cost for regular gas as of April 2026. Texas' diesel prices are the 14th highest nationwide.

With the national average price for gas at $4.06, SmartAsset said the sudden surge in prices can be attributed to the United States' war on Iran, and "subsequent pressure on the Strait of Hormuz."

"Many states have experienced a 33 percent year-over-year increase in the cost of a gallon of regular gas – and in some places it’s even higher," the report's author wrote. "Commercial and public programs may be feeling similarly pinched, with diesel prices upwards of $6.00 per gallon in many states."

California currently has the highest average price for regular and diesel — $5.89 per gallon and $7.52 per gallon, respectively.

Arizona leads the nation with the highest one-year increase in gas prices. Regular gas in the Grand Canyon State is nearly 38 percent more expensive than it was last year, at $4.70 per gallon, and diesel is about 69 percent higher at $6.04 for a gallon.

The state with the cheapest gas prices in April is Oklahoma, where regular costs $3.27 per gallon, premium is $3.97, and diesel is $4.49.

gas prices texas smartasset