Buffalo Speedway rebuild starts in 2021

Expect some slowdowns next year on Buffalo Speedway, as work begins on a major rebuild of the street and drainage underneath.

Street work from Bissonnet to Holcombe could start in January, provided a contract is finalized with SER Construction. The company was the low bidder, offering to do the work for $23.2 million, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, which opened bids earlier this month in Austin.

TxDOT is overseeing construction along with West University Place and Houston, with all cooperating to rebuild the road.

The reconstruction will replace the existing street and sidewalks mostly as they are, with some changes at intersections aimed at what officials called “visual enhancements” that shave some curbs so turns are not as tight.

The most substantial change will come below the road, where an 8-by-8-foot box culvert will be installed to handle stormwater drainage and convey it to Poor Farm Ditch south of Holcombe.

The work will be the first of two major rebuilds along Buffalo Speedway.

Harris County Flood Control District, after months of delay to address design concerns and coordinate closings of nearby bridges, will begin work next year on a new span across Bray’s Bayou. The new bridge, with widened 10-foot sidewalks, will have two lanes in each direction and turn lanes at the intersections with Braeswood north and south of the bayou.

During the bridge reconstruction, traffic will detour to Kirby or Stella Link.