HOUSTON — After a weeklong rain delay, The Texas Department of Transportation has confirmed when the ramp closures around the 610 Loop and Southwest Freeway will begin.
When they do start, expect major traffic jams.
What's closed & when
Closure 1
The Southwest Freeway/I-69/59 northbound ramp to the 610 West Loop northbound will be closed until early 2022 when the new connector ramp there opens. TxDOT said the ramp will be closed starting Thursday, June 10 at 9 p.m. and will remain closed until early 2022.
Traffic will be detoured to the Southwest Freeway connector ramp to the West Loop southbound. Drivers can then exit at Fournace/Bissonnet and U-turn at Bissonnet, then get back on the West Loop northbound.
But that’s not the only closure.
Closure 2
On Monday, June 14 at 9 p.m., the Southwest Freeway southbound connector ramp to the West Loop northbound will also be closed. That closure is expected to be in place until late 2021 when the new connector opens up.
Plus a big weekend mainlane closure on I-69/Southwest Freeway
All mainlanes of the Southwest Freeway will be closed in both directions at the West Loop starting Friday, June 11 at 9 p.m. and lasting through June 14 at 5 a.m.
It's all part of a massive project to overhaul the interchange.
Detours & alternate routes
Nearby businesses are worried
Although this is going to be a headache for drivers, nearby businesses are worried, too.
Marshall Brown opened Clutch City Coffee nearly four months ago on Richmond Avenue near the soon-to-be construction zone. Brown says he has already taken hits from smaller recent road projects.
“Traffic backed up and our sales pretty much stopped,” Brown said.
He is bracing for what could be a rough ride for his new shop.
“(I’m worried that) traffic gets so bad that people just avoid the area altogether. So I am very concerned about it," Brown said.
Nearby, a business named Glass City CBD, Vape and More just opened on Tuesday. Michael Schmidt hopes the influx of detour traffic helps.
“The way I see it is more cars on Richmond Avenue in front of our store,” Schmidt said. “And if they are stopped, they have more time to look at it.”
Houston-area traffic map
There will be other closures affecting the area. You can see some of those shutdowns here.