I-10 work may snarl weekend traffic

Highway officials are urging motorists to detour around downtown Houston if possible this weekend, as work on a major en- tryway to the central business district closes Interstate 10 in both directions from Friday night to Monday morning.

Crews will close I-10 westbound at Interstate 69 and eastbound at Interstate 45 starting at 9 p.m. Friday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Various lanes, entrances and exits will be closed along the freeway, which is set to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.

Westbound traffic will be diverted to I-69 southbound and then I-45 northbound, where drivers can re-enter I-10. The eastbound detour will work in reverse, using southbound I-45 and northbound I-69.

“It is strongly advised to seek an alternate route during this closure,” TxDOT said in a statement.

The closing is needed for work along the Elysian Viaduct that spans I-10, Buffalo Bayou and a major rail line, now easily recognizable from the freeway because of the boldly painted new columns. Work began almost four years ago on the long-sought widening and rebuild of Elysian into downtown, just northeast of Minute Maid Park.

Construction initially was expected to end by 2019, but early in the work Tropical Storm Harvey and related flooding significantly delayed work. The project’s price tag also has ballooned from $35.6 million to $48.1 million because of rising material, design and labor costs and additional work on the site.

The new span will have two lanes in each direction along with shoulders and a five-foot sidewalk between Runnels and Ruiz when it opens in a few weeks, based on the latest schedule.