Lane Closures

Karen Othon, public information officer with the Texas Department of Transportation, provided a progress update on the Hwy. 290 expansion at a Dec. 4 meeting of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce. Work is ongoing on 10 of the 13 segments, she said.



Updates



Project K and J-1 (Hwy. 290 at Loop 610)



The inbound connector ramp from Hwy. 290 to eastbound and westbound I-10 was completed Oct. 10, four months ahead of schedule. A connector ramp from I-10 to Hwy. 290 and Loop 610 North is targeted for completion in 2016.



Project G (W. Little York to FM 529)



Work at the Hwy. 290 intersection with Beltway 8 is at 53 percent completion. Workers are building collector-distributor lanes on each side of Hwy. 290 to assist drivers who are entering and exiting the highway. The lanes are intended to free up traffic flow so mainlane drivers do not have to slow down for those merging onto the highway. New Beltway 8 frontage roads at Hwy. 290 traveling over Hempstead Road are targeted for a Dec. 19 opening. Completion of Project G is set for 2016.



Project F (FM 529 to N. Eldridge)



Construction is ongoing on westbound mainlanes. Traffic has been shifted, creating narrow lanes and reducing shoulders.



Project E (N. Eldridge to Telge Road)



Work is ongoing on westbound frontage roads. Traffic is expected to be shifted to new frontage road pavement between N. Eldridge and Hwy. 6, but it will take roughly one year due to right-of-way issues. A Hwy. 6 overpass is planned to be built over Hwy. 290 by 2017.



Project D (Telge Road to Mueschke Road)



Work is ongoing on frontage roads and inbound mainlanes and is 30 percent complete.



Project C-1 (Mueschke Road to Mason Road)



The contractor has begun work on frontage roads, but a utility conflict is inhibiting what work can be done at this point. The project is 18 percent complete.



The Hwy. 290 project involves widening 38 miles of the road from Loop 610 to FM 2920 with mainlanes varying from 4–6 lanes in each direction, frontage roads and an HOV managed lane.



The project is funded by TxDOT, but the Harris County Toll Road Authority is contributing $200 million. The project is projected to cost $2.4 billion and be finished in 2017.



Public meetings to provide updates on the project are planned for early 2015. Exact meeting dates will be announced by TxDOT later this month.



Lane closures



The following lane closures have been scheduled for the Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 weekends due to ongoing construction:



  • Westbound mainlanes from Mueschke Road to Bauer will be totally closed from 4 a.m. to noon Dec. 6. Drivers will be detoured to the frontage road as Grand Parkway Segment F-1 construction crews on the north side of Hwy. 99 work on the new connector ramps to Hwy. 290.

  • Eastbound frontage roads from Barker Cypress to Telge will be completely closed from 9 p.m. Dec. 5 through 6 p.m. Dec. 6. Drivers can detour to the Hwy. 290 mainlanes.

  • Two inside westbound mainlanes will be closed overnight Dec. 5 from 9 p.m.–9 a.m. from Tidwell to Fairbanks N. Houston as workers cover a drain that was exposed when lanes were shifted.

  • Two outside westbound mainlanes will be closed at Pinemont overnight Dec. 5 from 9 p.m.–9 a.m. as workers hang bridge beams at the intersection.

  • All connections from eastbound and westbound Hwy. 290 to Loop 610 will be closed from 9 p.m. Dec 12 to 5 a.m. Dec. 15. Connections from eastbound and westbound Loop 610 to Hwy. 290 will similarly be closed. Workers will be demolishing an old HOV T-ramp structure at Dacoma. Drivers are asked to detour to the frontage roads.

  • Eastbound and westbound mainlanes will be totally closed from Tidwell to Gessner overnight Dec. 12 from 11 p.m.–5 a.m. as workers take down an overhead sign structure. In addition, the Sam Houston Tollway north- and southbound exit to Hwy. 290 eastbound will be closed during this time. Local law enforcement will be on site to assist with traffic control at the intersections.

  • Two westbound inside mainlanes will be closed from Tidwell to Fairbanks N. Houston from 9 p.m. Dec. 12 through 9 p.m. Dec. 14.

To view all lane closures for the Grand Parkway Segments F and G, visit the "Getting Around" section of www.grandparkway99.com or follow @sh99fg on Twitter. A listing of all scheduled lane closures for Hwy. 290 can be viewed online at www.my290.com, or follow @my290houston for updates.



Scheduled closures are subject to change.