HOUSTON — Drivers heading home on one of Texas' most congested freeways are getting relief this week.
A new southbound bridge on the 610 Loop opened Sunday, a day ahead of schedule. It's part of a $259 million rebuild of the interchange that started five years ago with intentions of making the highways easier to navigate and safer.
Two miles of roadwork has meant five years of slowdowns and detours along the West Loop and Southwest Freeway.
But, on Sunday, there was some relief when the new bridge opened. Crews previously tore down the old southbound bridge and re-routed traffic to the old northbound bridge.
"To keep that traffic flowing is really important while we do this construction," Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Danny Perez said.
That's why TxDOT has been working on the project in phases. The southbound bridge phase took two years to complete. Lighter traffic due to the pandemic allowed crews to close lanes earlier and open them later.
"It was maybe adding two hours every night. Those two hours add up during the week. So, we were able to get a lot of work done, and we’re just continuing that progress," Perez said.
Now, crews are working more evening hours to stay safe in the heat.
"If there’s any situation where it does get too hot or the temperatures get too intense, they can do what’s called a 'safety standdown,' meaning that they can stop and say, 'Hey, time out. We need to take time for a standdown.' Sometimes that might include a few hours or it might just call it for the day," Perez said.
This week, TxDOT said it hopes it will be able to open the ramp from Westheimer by the Galleria to the new southbound lanes of the West Loop. They're growing pains now, but officials hope it will lead to relief later.
Later this year, TxDOT said it hoped to finish the connector ramp from the southbound lanes of the Southwest Freeway to the southbound lanes of The Loop.
They also said they hope the entire project is completed by next summer.