GALVESTON, Texas — Beachgoers, rejoice!
Roadwork on I-45 north and southbound heading into Galveston has been completed ahead of schedule, according to TxDOT.
Multiple main lanes were shutdown for repair work this weekend and the closures were expected to last until Monday morning.
TxDOT says that roadwork has been completed as of 9:40 a.m. Sunday, almost 20 hours ahead of schedule.
No such luck for those dealing with the headache on both sides of the I-69 Southwest Freeway at I-610 West Loop.
That closure also got underway Friday at 9 p.m. and is still expected to last until 5 a.m. Monday. That closure will happen every weekend in May through the 23rd.
ORIGINAL STORY: If you’re heading to Galveston to beat the rising heat this weekend, it’s going to take some extra time. That’s because TxDOT has shut down multiple main lanes of I-45 just north of Tiki Island in both directions to do repair work.
Southbound traffic early Saturday afternoon was backed up approximately 10 miles from the causeway bridge into La Marque.
The detour is scheduled to last until 5 a.m. Monday. TxDOT closed two lanes on the northbound side and two lanes on the southbound side. According to TxDOT, the work will give relief for overweight vehicles coming from Galveston Island.
Right now, vehicles over 80,000 pounds aren’t allowed to drive over the Gulf Freeway northbound bridge at the BNSF rail line. That bridge had been scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt, but TxDOT says they found damaged beams during a recent inspection, so they pushed the date up to this weekend.
If Galveston is in your weekend plans, TxDOT says your best bet is to find a different route.
Another area you will want to avoid
This isn't the only big traffic tie-up across the Houston area. Both sides of the I-69 Southwest Freeway at I-610 West Loop are closing this weekend due to ongoing construction, according to TxDOT. The closure got underway Friday at 9 p.m. and should last until 5 a.m. Monday. That same closure will happen every weekend in May through the 23rd.
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