On November 28 the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) held a groundbreaking ceremony for reconstruction of the I-69/I-610 West Loop Interchange project, The Houston Chronicle reports. In attendance were Texas Transportation Chairman J. Bruce Bugg, Jr.; U.S. Congressman John Culberson; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner; State Rep. Sarah Davis; TxDOT Houston District Engineer Quincy Allen; and other elected officials, stakeholders and TxDOT project staff.
“Texas’ strong economy is generating unprecedented population growth, and to keep this momentum going, we have to address some heavily congested areas in some of our largest cities,” said J. Bruce Bugg Jr., Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, according to the news agency. “We are proud to announce the start of the I-69/ I-610 non-tolled interchange project in Houston as a Texas Clear Lanes project which will help to provide relief and get motorists moving. This project will certainly address current and future demand, and it will significantly improve mobility and continue economic growth for many years.”
Preliminary work on the project has already begun, with plans to start major construction early in 2018. The $259 million project will improve safety and mobility by adding a second lane to the connector ramps and increasing sight distances. The project also includes adding shoulders on the I-610 West Loop main-lane bridge over I-69, as well as adding detention ponds. Incentives and disincentives will be offered to encourage the contractor to complete construction phases sooner than anticipated.
