HOUSTON — Drivers heading into town on Highway 59, the Southwest Freeway, on Monday morning got their first look at the new lane configurations at the West Loop.
Over the weekend crews re-striped the lanes, causing major traffic headaches Friday night into Saturday afternoon.
The headaches aren't as bad now, but drivers still have one less lane to use until early 2020, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The lane closure comes as crews continue to work on the 610/59/I-69 interchange -- one of the largest and busiest interchanges in Texas.
Here's what to expect at the West Loop as you head northbound on Highway 59:
The normal four lanes of traffic are now down to three.
Drivers in the left lane will be forced to the right as that lane comes to an end. All other lanes are now shifted to the right with the far right lane being forced onto the shoulder, which is essentially a temporary lane.
Monday morning's rush hour wasn't disastrous, but at 6 a.m. the delays were stacked up to near Beechnut - about a half mile to mile longer than usual for that time of the morning.
How what you need to do if you want to avoid Highway 59
Unfortunately, there aren’t good alternate routes. If you want to stay close to the freeway, you can take Bellaire, but get ready for plenty of stop lights. The other alternate out of Ft. Bend County is Highway 90. But if you take either of these two options, it’s going to take time.
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