The Texas Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday that it will delay the opening of its high occupancy vehicle lanes between Conroe and north Harris County until the end of October.

Once complete, the $2.6 million project will span 17.6 miles between S. Loop 336 in Conroe and FM 1960 in north Harris County. It will allow drivers traveling with at least one passenger to utilize the dedicated HOV lanes. The lanes will be open 24-7, free of charge, according to TxDOT.

The project was slated to open by the end of September, but weather delays and revisions to its signs and pavement markings have lead to the delay. TxDOT officials said it is also coordinating with the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County—which operates the existing HOV lane south of FM 1960 in Harris County—to maximize safety efforts between the two HOV lanes.

Officials said the sign changes are needed to help drivers merge into the I-45 main lanes because the Metro HOV lane changes direction based on traffic flow throughout the day.

"Ninety percent of the time when motorists exit our I-45 southbound HOV [lane], they will not be able to continue onto the [Metro] HOV lane," TxDOT said in a press release. "The sign modification and the pavement marking revisions needed will ensure that motorists make their decision further back and safely merge into main lane traffic."

TxDOT officials said permanent modifications to overhead signs could take several months to complete, but the agency hopes to finalize interim sign improvements to open the southbound lane by the end of October.