Transportation officials pumping tollway

Flooded highway could be closed to drivers for days

County and state transportation officials are jointly tackling the pool of water keeping the Sam Houston Tollway closed south of Interstate 10 but predict it still will be days before drivers can head down the segment again.

With traffic woes mounting around the area from inoperable traffic lights and a seismic change in travel patterns, Harris County Toll Road Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation are focusing on opening the Sam Houston. Without the tollway, traffic is extremely heavy on Interstate 69, Loop 610, Interstate 10 and U.S. 290, as drivers route around the closure.

High waters around Barker Reservoir flowing into Buffalo Bayou and last week’s torrential rains have kept the tollway under water from Westheimer to I-10. Crews with HCTRA restarted pump stations Wednesday along the depressed section, while TxDOT brought in portable pumps to siphon water from the tollway to the northbound frontage road, essentially turning it into a canal to Buffalo Bayou.

The pumping is being monitored so it does not worsen flooding to nearby homes and businesses, officials said.

Even when the water is gone, officials worry the tollway and the retaining walls will need significant repairs.

“First, we have to get that water down to where the engineers can make a determination,” said TxDOT spokeswoman Karen Othon. “Tomorrow will be the decision point, from what I can tell.”

Even after they have made a decision, they’ll have to do whatever repairs are needed and then clean the roadway, which is likely to have huge amounts of debris and silt.

The most optimistic scenarios have the tollway closed for another few days.

Meanwhile, HCTRA has waived tolls on all facilities, until further notice, including the managed lanes along I-10.

Officials are urging patience as everyone slogs through the higher-thannormal traffic along many routes.

“In term of traffic, this is probably going to be the roughest week,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “There are roads that are still blocked off because of water, and people are looking for alternative routes. Some of the underpasses are blocked.”