The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County has launched an upgrade project at the Northwest Transit Center, located at Loop 610 and Hwy. 290, that involves building a new ramp, bus platform and more parking. Buses will remain running throughout the duration of the project, but several lot and ramp closures will go into effect over the next few weeks, METRO spokesperson Jackie Gil said. Starting June 17, commuters will no longer be allowed to park inside the transit center. A new parking lot will be opened on the north side of Old Katy Road, and a free shuttle service will be established to bring people from the lot to the transit center on the other side of Old Katy. Shuttles will be available on weekdays from 6-9 a.m. and from 3-6 p.m. Starting Monday, July 1, METRO will close the existing high occupancy vehicle/toll lane access ramps to and from the transit center, including ramps to and from I-10 main lanes and ramps to and from the Hwy. 290 HOV lane. Detour routes will be established for both buses and private vehicles, according to METRO's website. Construction will be done in phases, but Gil said specifics on when certain phases will stop and start was not immediately available. METRO plans to announce when lots or ramps could reopen as work progresses, she said. "We will be altering people ahead of time when we will be opening ramps and when construction will be completed on certain phases," she said. The Northwest Transit Center, located at 7373 Old Katy Road, Houston, serves as a park and ride while also providing sheltered waiting areas where several bus routes converge. Routes from the three Cy-Fair area park and rides—the Cypress, Northwest and W. Little York park and rides—connect to the Northwest Transit Center, where commuters can access routes to downtown Houston and other parts of the city. Once completed, the center will also connect to a new Uptown Bus Rapid Transit route. The $17.9 million project is part of METRO's 2019 Capital Improvement Program. The center previously featured 120 parking spaces and 12 bus bays. The project will add roughly 250 spaces and increase the number of bus bays to 20. The project also involves completing sidewalks to bring the transit center in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Gil said. The entire project is slated to be complete by December 2020.