Work is progressing on the first section of the Hwy. 290 expansion—from W. Little York to FM 529, known as Project G—and the Texas Department of Transportation is preparing for work on the next two portions of the project.

TxDOT is in the process of reconstructing the W. Little York bridge over Hwy. 290. Half the bridge has been demolished, as of Sept. 13, and traffic has been diverted to two lanes as workers place drill shafts and build new columns that will support the bridge beams, said Karen Othon, TxDOT public information officer.

Throughout the construction process, lane closures can be expected to shut down portions of the frontage road and various exit ramps, mostly during overnight hours. One U-turn lane on westbound Beltway 8 will be closed until 3 p.m. Oct. 30.

"Lane closures below the bridge on Hwy. 290 main lanes and frontage roads will fluctuate over the next month," Othon said.

Meanwhile, work on Project F—from FM 529 to Eldridge Parkway—began in mid-September. The contractor is in the process of placing orange barrels and other traffic control devices on the Hwy. 290 eastbound frontage road from Eldridge to FM 529, Othon said.

Work on Project E—from Eldridge Parkway to Telge Road—is in the very early stages, Othon said.

"The contractor will work on the eastbound side of Hwy. 290 from Huffmeister to Hwy. 290 and the westbound side from FM 1960 to Huffmeister, doing mostly prep work in advance of construction," she said.

The full scope of the Hwy. 290 expansion project involves widening the highway from Loop 610 to FM 2920. Construction started on Project G in March and is expected to be completed in 2016. The entire $1.8 billion project is expected to be completed in 2017.

Othon urges drivers looking to keep up with progress and lane closures along Hwy. 290 to join the email subscriber list atwww.my290.com to receive regular updates through email. All construction projects and closures are subject to weather conditions and schedule changes, she said.