01:14 PM CST on Friday, January 14, 2005

From 11 News Staff Reports

AP

If your weekend itinerary takes you on the Southwest Freeway near downtown, the Texas Department of Transportation has a suggestion for you: change those plans.

The freeway will be closed in both directions starting at 9 p.m. Friday. That means you won't be able to use the old elevated section of Hwy. 59 between Shepherd and Hwy. 288.

Also, Spur 527 is being rebuilt so drivers will still have to navigate around that closure.

This is part of a complete overhaul of that stretch of freeway. Crews will take down the elevated structure and begin construction of the second half of the new depressed section.

This closure will remain in effect until early Sunday morning, although TXDOT claims that if the weather is good, they could be finished sooner than that.

The good news is the project is ahead of schedule, so orange cones and traffic detours should only last until the summer. The project was originally slated to be completed next winter.