Plan for major traffic delays this weekend due to a I-69 closure near Loop 610

Houston drivers should prepare for major traffic delays this weekend thanks to lane closures on I-69 near Loop 610.

Starting 9 p.m. Friday, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will close all southbound mainlanes of I-69 between Chimney Rock and Weslayan, according to a release from TxDOT.  The lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday

“Motorists should expect delays and may want to consider an alternate route. Police officers will be onsite to assist with traffic control,” TxDOT said in the release.

The closure is being issued so crews can work on the new West Loop southbound connector to the Southwest Freeway northbound as part of the $259 million I-69/I-610 interchange project. Once completed, the project will “significantly enhance safety and improve mobility by widening the connector ramps to two lanes, increasing sight distances, and providing remedies to eliminate weaving,” according to TxDOT.

The project calls for a rebuilding all of the connections between Loop 610 and I-69, as well as all of the main lanes of the Loop through the area, the Chronicle reported. The project is on track to finish by 2023.