be prepared to stop

Prepare for another major weekend closure at 610 West Loop and Southwest Freeway

610 loop interchange Southwest Freeway Houston I-69

Expect some headaches here this weekend.

Photo courtesy of TxDOT

While the weekend weather may encourage many locals to hit the freeway, some new highway closures may discourage them from hitting one freeway in particular: the 610 Loop.

The Texas Department of Transportation announced five weekend closures at the 610 Loop at the I-69/Southwest Freeway near the Galleria starting 9 pm Friday, September 9. Most of the closures run through 5 am Monday, September 12.

This work is part of the long-running reconstruction of the Southwest Freeway at 610 West Loop interchange. Drivers can follow the work at the dedicated TxDOT website and on Twitter.

Meanwhile, here are the closures that motorists can look forward to (groan) this weekend and the recommended detours by TxDOT.

610 West Loop southbound to I-69 Southwest southbound connector ramp
This total closure runs from 9 pm Friday, September 9 to 5 am Monday, September 12.

Drivers should continue on 610 southbound. Take the Fournace Place /Bissonnet Street exit onto the 610 southbound frontage road. Make a U-turn at Bissonnet Street onto the 610 northbound frontage road.

Take the next entrance ramp onto 610 northbound main lanes, then take the connector to the I-69 southbound main lanes.

610 West Loop southbound at I-69 Southwest
One outside lane (right) will be closed from 9 pm Friday, September 9 to 5 am Monday, September 12.

610 West Loop southbound entrance ramp from San Felipe Street
This ramp closure runs 9 pm Friday, September 9 to 8 am Saturday, September 10.

Drivers should continue on the 610 southbound frontage road and take the next entrance ramp onto 610 southbound main lanes.

610 West Loop southbound exit ramp to Richmond Avenue
This ramp closure also runs 9 pm Friday, September 9 to 8 am Saturday, September 10. Drivers are advised to take the Westheimer Road exit.

Richmond Avenue eastbound and westbound at 610 West Loop frontage road
This total closure runs from 9 pm Friday, September 9 to 5 am Monday, September 12.

Those headed eastbound should take the 610 southbound frontage road. Turn left (east) onto Westpark Drive, then turn left (north) onto 610 northbound frontage road, then continue to Richmond Avenue.

Westbound drivers should take the 610 northbound frontage road, turn left (west) onto Westheimer Road, then turn left (south) onto Post Oak Boulevard. Continue to Richmond Avenue.

As CultureMap has previously reported, the goal of the $159 million I-610 West Loop/ I-69 Southwest Freeway Interchange project is 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.

traffic transportation

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.”

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Prepare for another major weekend closure at 610 West Loop and Southwest Freeway

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Thanks, Queen Bey

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