HOUSTON, Texas — The end of the holiday season means say goodbye to lighter traffic on Houston-area roadways.
The usual traffic headaches are just around the corner as people get back to work following the holidays.
So what can drivers expect when it comes to 2020 road work projects?
Danny Perez with the Texas Department of Transportation said they’re addressing current and future growth.
Perez said most projects scheduled to be completed in 2019 were pushed back to later this year.
He said those delays were caused by bad weather, buying up right-of-ways and utility conflicts.
Perez said construction on 290 and 288 is almost done.
However, congestion on the 610 West Loop will continue as workers make improvements.
This project won’t be done until 2024.
South of Houston, commuters should prepare to sit in traffic on I-45 even longer.
It may seem like this stretch of highway is one, long continuous construction zone but Perez said it’s several projects all taking place at the same time. The end goal is to widen 45 all the way to the Galveston causeway.
Also, Perez said TxDOT is working to acquire property to start the first phase of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project which will reconfigure the loop around downtown.
Construction on the NHHIP won’t start until 2021.
The goal is to keep traffic moving north.
Perez said construction can be a pain but it’s a good sign the state is investing in Houston and its growing population.
He said all these projects could get done sooner if they shut down the roads more often but they try to keep traffic flowing at its normal capacity as much as possible.
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