Flood project to reduce lanes on Chimney Rock, South Rice bridges

Both the northbound and southbound lanes on the Chimney Rock and South Rice bridges over Brays Bayou will be reduced throughout the week.

The two-lane bridges will be cut down to one lane between North Braeswood and South Braeswood Boulevard, part of Project Brays, a $480 million initiative aimed at reducing flooding along Harris County’s bayous, the managing agency, Harris County Flood Control District, announced April 20.

Also, in the coming weeks, lanes will be reduced down to one lane each on North and South Braeswood Boulevard at the intersections of Chimney Rock Road and South Rice Avenue.

Meanwhile, dedicated left-turn lanes will remain on each bridge to allow traffic to continue to flow.

The reductions come as the bridge contractor for Harris County Flood Control District will eventually demolish and replace the current bridges with higher, longer, and wider bridges, allowing for more floodwaters to travel through Brays Bayou.

The project cost is $11 million and is expected to be completed by winter 2021-start of 2022.