Houston Traffic: Section of I-10 To Be Closed This Weekend

HOUSTON, TX — Citing the need to complete the job before the Super Bowl hits town, the Texas Department of Transportation will shut down a portion of I-10 near downtown Houston to repair a bridge that was struck by a tractor trailer in December of last year.

Beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday night, the work will begin, closing a number of entrance ramps and exits, including North Shepherd/Durham, Silber, Washington Avenue/Westcott, Heights/Yale, and Studemont and Taylor. TxDOT urges drivers to detour at the 610 loop during the work.

“And so what the contractor is going to do is actually cut into the bridge deck, remove the steel beam, replace it with a new one, and then pour a new concrete deck,” TxDOT's Karen Othon told Houston Public Media. “And then the freeway will be closed at the North Shepherd/Durham exit and everyone will be forced off at the exit ... And anyone that wanted to continue on I-10, they’re going to be detoured to take a U-turn and go I-10 Westbound back to 610 to go around."

TxDOT said that large trucks traveling I-10 eastbound will not be permitted to detour through adjacent neighborhoods.

In addition, the Houston Avenue Bike Trail will be closed during the same period, for safety reasons, according to TxDOT. Cyclists using the trail to travel southbound on Houston Avenue will be detoured to the White Oak Bayou Trail.

The work is scheduled to resume during the weekend of January 20. Additional information is available at TxDOT and Houston TranStar.

— Image courtesy TexasFreeway.com