be prepared to stop
Prepare for major weekend downtown closure on I-45 near The Heights
Drivers headed downtown or needing highway access to The Heights will face a headache this weekend.
Lanes on IH-45 North, northbound from Franklin Street to Hogan/Crockett Street will be closed from 9 pm Friday, July 30 to 5 am Sunday, August 1, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced.
Traffic will be forced to IH-10 eastbound or westbound. Message boards are in place to alert drivers.
TxDOT will perform bridge maintenance work, including removing an old electrical conduit and illumination light. The closure is necessary for the safety of the workers and the traveling public, the agency notes in a press release.
“We are asking that drivers avoid the area as much as possible,” TxDOT spokesperson Emily Black tells CultureMap, “as we expect to see increased congestion in the area.”
Black says the closures are for maintenance and to ensure bridges are meeting all safety standards. Crews, she adds, will also be painting on the bridge to ensure the bridge joints and elements are sealed and will not rust. That means there may also be some stretches of time where the area will be closed, but no active work is underway. “That is because we are literally waiting for paint to dry,” says Black. (Fun!)
“We know closures and the congestion they can cause are frustrating to drivers,” Black adds, “and we will work as quickly as safely possible to get this area back open.”
Road closure information will be posted at www.houstontranstar.org. Drivers can also check Twitter @TxDOTHouston.
