Hwy. 59/Loop 610 northbound connector ramp reopens

A ramp at one of Houston’s busiest highway intersections has reopened.

The northbound connector ramp from Hwy. 59 to northbound Loop 610 reopened during the Halloween weekend, the Texas Department of Transportation confirmed in an Oct. 30 tweet.

The ramp, which closed down in June along with the southbound connector ramp from Hwy. 59 to northbound Loop 610, came as crews worked to demolish the two ramps and replace them with newer and higher two-lane ramps in the same locations. That ramp is operating on one lane with the second lane expected to open in the future.

The southbound connector ramp—completed earlier—along with the completed northbound connector ramp seek to alleviate issues with overcapacity, prepare for projected increases in traffic, add shoulders and correct below-minimum sight distances, according to TxDOT.

The reopenings are part of an ongoing $259 million construction project at the interchange to improve mobility.

The projects were completed ahead of schedule with original deadlines set for late 2021 for the southbound connector ramp and early 2022 for the northbound connector ramp.

“In the case of these connector ramps, we were able to take advantage of the great coordination with our project team and the contractor,” a TxDOT spokesperson wrote in an email to Community Impact Newspaper. “And despite some issues with weather, including Tropical Storm Nicholas, the momentum never slowed on the project.”

The broader interchange project, meanwhile, is slated to wrap up sometime in 2024.