Following an emergency closure beginning at 9 a.m. March 23, the I-45 southbound exit ramp to FM 1960 and the southbound I-45 frontage road at Cypresswood Drive/Holzwarth Road will be closed indefinitely, pending the total replacement of the southbound frontage road bridge over Cypress Creek, according to Texas Department of Transportation officials.
"This closure was due to an issue with the I-45 north freeway southbound frontage road bridge over Cypress Creek," TxDOT Public Information Officer Danny Perez said in an email March 25. "We currently have a project moving forward that will replace the bridge. However, we discovered some issues with the bridge that would require significant repairs."
While TxDOT officials had already planned to begin reconstruction of the bridge in the first quarter of 2022, Perez said TxDOT would typically prefer to keep the bridge open as much as possible throughout construction to maintain traffic capacity. In this case, however, Perez said that was not an option.
"There's bridge columns that go into the creek and over time, there's what's called 'scouring,' which means the columns that go into the earth's surface and the water—it just wears. And then overtime there's been some shifting, and the shifting has gotten to the point that we just felt it was best to close it now," Perez said in an interview March 28. "It's not something that we would normally do; it's a maintenance situation; and it does happen with bridges especially when we've had major weather events like [Hurricane] Harvey and we've had multiple flood events in the Houston area, and that does add to the problem. We've all seen issues in other areas in other states where we have bridge collapses, and we just always want to make sure that safety is paramount."
While an exact timeline for the project has not yet been announced as of press time March 28, Perez said the $6.7 million project has already been contracted out to Arandas Brothers Construction Co. and may take up to two years to complete. However, Perez said TxDOT officials are considering all options to expedite the project and mitigate traffic disruptions throughout construction.
"We understand the urgency to the community," Perez said. "We understand that it's a significant issue for a lot of folks in the adjacent residential community; there's hospitals; there's businesses; ... and it's also going to affect the main lane traffic. ... I've been monitoring [traffic] ... and it's not been an ideal situation for folks. ... That portion of Harris County is extremely heavily traveled, so any [change] is going to impact traffic, so that's why we're very mindful and aware, and that's why we're trying to look at different options."
According to TxDOT, motorists who would typically take the I-45 southbound exit ramp to FM 1960 should instead take the I-45 southbound exit ramp to Richey Road and then U-turn to the I-45 northbound frontage road to reach FM 1960.
Meanwhile, through traffic is being detoured via the I-45 southbound main lanes, and local traffic is being detoured via Cypress Oak Drive.
"At this time, our plan is to keep the bridge closed—thus blocking I-45 southbound frontage road traffic," Perez said.
In a March 25 news release, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said motorists must follow the recommended detour routes unless they have official business passing the barrels.
"Off-duty police officers will be at the location to verify if you must pass the barrels to arrive to work," the release reads. "If you attempt to pass the barrels (traffic-control devices) you will be cited as it is a violation of the law."
Herman also urged motorists to allow for extra commute time throughout the duration of the project, as the project will affect traffic conditions at I-45 and Cypresswood.
For more information about traffic conditions and road closures, click here.
