Sorry, Houston drivers. TxDOT is going to make your weekend a little worse by closing part of one of the city's busiest interchanges.

Beginning at 9 pm on Friday, June 14, the connector ramp from the northbound 610 West Loop to the southbound Southwest Freeway will be closed until 5 am on Monday, June 17. In addition, TxDOT is closing the entrance ramps to northbound 610 at Bellaire Blvd. and Bissonnet St. as well as the exit ramp to Westpark Dr. and Richmond Ave.

In other words, it's going to take a lot longer than usual to get from places like Meyerland and Bellaire to Southwest Houston and Fort Bend County.

Two right lanes of northbound 610 will also be closed beginning at Bellaire Blvd. Similarly, two northbound lanes of the Southwest Freeway will be closed from the West Loop until Newcastle Dr.

This weekend's work is designed to facilitate the reopening of the connector ramp from northbound 610 to the northbound Southwest Freeway. It has been closed since March.

As a detour, drivers are advised to exit Westheimer Rd. and make a U-turn to enter both the north and southbound Southwest Freeway by a connector ramp. Off-duty police officer will be directing traffic, but it's likely people will encounter significant delays.

As CultureMap has regularly reported, the I-69/I-610 interchange project is a $259 million endeavor aimed at significantly enhancing safety and improving mobility by widening the connector ramps to two lanes, increasing sight distances, and providing remedies to eliminate weaving.

Before departing this weekend, drivers can get updates at the Houston TranStar website and at the I-610 W. Loop/I-69 SW Freeway Interchange website. Follow the HOU 610 at 69 X page (formerly Twitter) for updates and more information.