Watch out for I-10 closures near downtown
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Interstate 10 commuters in and out of downtown Houston should prepare for closures and delays starting Tuesday.
Why it matters: The I-10 White Oak Bayou elevation project is designed to alleviate flooding, but the construction is causing headaches.
Catch up quick: The $407 million undertaking will elevate about 1.8 miles of I-10 between Heights Boulevard and Interstate 45.
- The stretch of freeway has flooded 10 times since 1992, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, including during Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019. The project will elevate the main lanes out of the 100-year floodplain where they currently sit.
- The agency broke ground in January 2025. Since then, the highway has been reduced to two lanes for westbound drivers. The resulting heavier traffic has reverberated through downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
Threat level: A series of upcoming closures could make conditions worse next week.
Driving the news: Starting Tuesday evening, crews will begin the process of shifting I-10 traffic between Studemont Street and I-45 onto a newly constructed elevated portion of the freeway.
- That will allow workers to start rebuilding and elevating the original portion of the freeway that drivers are currently using.
What's happening: The westbound exit ramp to Taylor Street will close at 9pm Tuesday.
- I-10 westbound will be reduced by one lane starting 9pm Wednesday. The entrance ramp to I-10 westbound from Louisiana Street in downtown will also close then.
- The closures are expected to be over by 5am Thursday, per TxDOT.
The intrigue: The traffic pattern shift also coincides with the reopening of the westbound I-10 entrance ramp from Taylor Street.
Zoom out: Workers will also rebuild the Houston Avenue bridge, which currently travels over the I-10 main lanes. The new bridge will take Houston Avenue traffic over White Oak Bayou but underneath the I-10 main lanes.
- The project also includes a shared-use path for bikers and walkers along White Oak Bayou.
What's next: TxDOT says the project should be complete by 2028.