New Ramp Expected To Ease Traffic Snarls At Loop, 290

HOUSTON, TX — Motorists can expect extra congestion on Loop 610 around U.S. 290 this weekend as construction crews put the final touches on a new access ramp designed to reduce the interchange's perpetual traffic jams, according to a media report. The ramp will give drivers a new connection between Interstate 10, U.S. 290 and the eastbound lanes of Loop 610, reports the Houston Chronicle.

Starting Saturday night, access from Loop 610 to U.S. 290 will be severely reduced, and I-10 will be cut off from Loop 610 and U.S. 290 until the work is completed, according to the Chronicle.

The construction crews will hang directional signs and stripe the lanes on the new ramp, and then move concrete barriers to funnel traffic properly, a transportation official told the Chronicle. The new route is expected to open by 5 a.m. Monday.

To reach U.S. 290, westbound drivers on I-10 will be able use the new access ramp instead of trying to merge into the crowded northbound lanes of Loop 610, the Chronicle reported. The access ramp will run north, parallel to Loop 610, until it splits, with one lane headed northwest to U.S. 290 and another to the northeast, towards the eastbound lanes of Loop 610.

The Texas Department of Transportation says that Loop 610 from I-10 south to U.S. 59 is the most congested roadway in the state, the Chronicle reported. Loop 610 north of I-10 is ranked 16th, and U.S. 290 is ranked the 14th-most congested in the state.

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