Interstate 10 commuters in and out of downtown Houston should prepare for closures and delays starting tomorrow.

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 on the project in January 2025. Since then, the highway has been reduced to two lanes for westbound drivers. The resulting heavy traffic has reverberated through downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

Threat level: A series of upcoming closures could make conditions worse this week.

Driving the news: Starting tomorrow 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 tomorrow.

• 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.

A major overhaul of one of Big Bend National Park's most popular visitor hubs has been scrapped weeks before construction was scheduled to start.

Why it matters: Big Bend is one of Texas' top natural attractions, and the project cancellation leaves the park's busiest hiking destination open for the foreseeable future.

The big picture: The National Park Service had planned a multimillion-dollar project to rebuild the Chisos Mountains Lodge and other Chisos Basin facilities.

• Construction was slated to begin on May 1 and would have closed the area for roughly two years.

What they're saying: "Since the project's approval and budget allocation in 2019, unforeseen challenges, including design complexities and implementation delays, have significantly extended the timeline," per an NPS announcement.

• "Additionally, construction costs have risen sharply since 2019, resulting in a substantial budget shortfall."

State of play: The NPS plans to request bids for rehabilitating the Chisos Basin water system, excluding the lodge rebuild and other upgrades.

• A timeline is still being finalized.

Context: Built in 1964, the lodge houses a restaurant, gift shop and administrative offices. The mid-century modern structure's large windows offer stunning views, but unstable clay soils have severely damaged the foundation and other key parts of the building.

• The rebuild would have been funded by the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund.

What's next: Big Bend National Park, including the Chisos Basin, remains fully open to visitors.

Now that you have more time to make the trip to Chisos Basin, stop in Marfa and try this sandwich our Axios Austin colleague Nicole recently enjoyed on a weekend getaway.

The real highlight of her West Texas trip was a sandwich. Here's her dispatch.

Dig in: We grabbed lunch from Bordo, an Italian deli in Marfa, which makes sandwiches on their own wood-fired, in-house sourdough bread.

• I can't stop thinking about that day's special: a roast beef sandwich with a creamy horseradish sauce, arugula, lemon, basil, topped with shaved parmesan cheese.
• Their menu changes frequently, but I have no doubt that it's all delicious. We sampled three other sandwiches and loved them all, along with fettuccine alfredo pasta.

Quick review: So good, we ate it twice.

📍 If you go: Bordo serves lunch Thursday through Sunday, 11am-3pm, or while supplies last.

• The shop usually has a line out the door and sells out of sandwiches fast. It's worth getting there when they open.

💻 Houston startup founders say the city's innovation hubs are growing, but they need more local dollars to keep companies scaling. (The Business Journals)

⚡The AI boom is intensifying a debate over whether new data centers should rely on the electric grid or build dedicated on-site power plants. (Axios)

💧Houston water bills will soon rise again as the city continues annual rate hikes. (Houston Chronicle)

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🤼 Snag last-minute seats to WWE Monday Night Raw at Toyota Center.

• Tickets start at $61. 6:30pm tonight.

🎳 Or head to downtown's 810 Houston for a night of bowling while watching the NCAA men's basketball tournament title game.

• 6:30-10pm tonight.

🐝 Watch "Invasion of the Bee Girls" with Houston's Bee2Bee Honey Collective at River Oaks Theatre.

• Tickets are $16. 7:30pm tomorrow.

🧘 Take a relaxing sound bath meditation at Midtown's Baldwin Park.

• Free. 6pm Wednesday.

🏳️‍🌈 See the Rockets take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Pride Night.

• Ticket packages through the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce start at $27. 7pm Thursday.