Transportation
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ & CASSANDRA JENKINS
TxDOT finishes work on I-69, Loop 610 connector ramp widening project A Houston-area project meant to improve safety and mobility on what officials called the most congested road in Texas wrapped up Aug. 1 with roads now completely open to drivers. The big picture The $259 million project by the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation, which started in 2017, involved widening all connector ramps between Loop 610 and I-69 in southwest Houston from one to two lanes. It also involved the reconstruc- tion of the 610 West Loop main lane bridges with new shoulders and the construction of new access ramps. Interchanges were upgraded to current design standards with changes made to reduce the need for drivers to weave, a term referring to the quick
First part of I-45 work to begin in October The Texas Department of Transportation will begin work on the first segment of an I-45 expansion project expected to run through 2038. The entire $11 billion project, called the North Houston Highway Improve- ment Project, involves adding two managed lanes to I-45 between Downtown Houston and Beltway 8 North. The first segment to go under construction involves making drainage improvements around St. Emman- uel Street and will run through 2027.
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back-and-forth movement between lanes. The project involved building two detention ponds under the interchange in coordination with the Harris County Flood Control District. What they’re saying Texas Highway Commissioner Bruce Bugg said he believes the project was critical to accommo- date the growing population in Houston. “We have to keep our transportation system ready to meet the goals of, not only today, but we’re constantly looking forward,” Bugg said.
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USDOT grant to fund study on vehicle tech, safety The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration awarded a $19.2 million grant Aug. 9 to study safety technology. The full story
Specific details Testing in Texas will start with the Greater Houston region and the city of College Station, USDOT officials said. The project will leverage nearly 1,000 existing Signal Phase and Timing installations in Houston, and equip another 30 intersections with the technology. Signal Phase and Timing intersections collect information about traffic signals and are often used by cities to better time signal changes, according to the USDOT.
people and roadside infrastructure, according to USDOT information. The grant will advance testing technology that could enable cars to tell drivers about: • The changing of traffic signals • If someone is in the car’s turn path • If there are slow-downs ahead • Dangerous road and weather conditions
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute will receive the grant to study vehicle-to-everything technology, or V2X, which enables vehicles to communicate with each other, traffic signals,
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HEIGHTS - RIVER OAKS - MONTROSE EDITION
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