One of the final elements of the Hwy. 290 expansion project could be underway by January 2018.

The Texas Department of Transportation will build a bridge with two lanes in both directions over Hwy. 290 connecting Hwy. 6 to FM 1960. The bridge would start at a point south of North Eldridge Parkway, travel over Wortham Boulevard, Hwy. 290, Hempstead and Jackrabbit roads, and come down north of Copper Grove Boulevard.

TxDOT has crews working on utility relocations along Hwy. 6, and a few large utilities still need to be moved before work on the bridge can begin, said Karen Othon, public information officer for the Hwy. 290 project.

The project is meant to alleviate traffic at the intersection of Hwy. 290 and FM 1960/Hwy. 6, Othon said.

As crews widen the highway, the westbound entrance ramp from Hwy. 6 and the westbound exit ramp to Huffmeister Road have also been closed. Current estimations have them opening around March 2018, Othon said.

Once bridge construction begins, drivers should expect nightly and weekend lane closures along Hwy. 290 as crews place bridge beams and pour concrete decks, Othon said.

“There could be a reduction in lanes on [Hwy. 6/FM 1960] throughout phases of construction to accommodate the construction of the bridge,” she said. “We will try to mitigate these closures where possible.”

The goal is to have Hwy. 290 mainlanes open by late 2018, Othon said.  The overall Hwy. 290 expansion project involves widening the highway to varying widths of three to five lanes between Loop 610 and FM 2920. The bridge is a part of a $135.4 million project between North Eldridge Parkway and Telge Road.

Othon said work on the bridge will not affect the opening of Hwy. 290 mainlanes. Work on the bridge is estimated to take around 24 months and could be completed by the end of 2019.