Bay Area Blvd – I45/Gulf Freeway Closure Starts on Friday, February 26th

TXDOT PRESS RELEASE ~ The Texas Department of Transportation will begin the demolition and reconstruction of the new at-grade intersection at Bay Area Blvd. To complete the work, a total closure of the north and southbound main lanes of I-45/Gulf Freeway at Bay Area Blvd. will take place the weekend of February 26.

Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, February 26 through 5 a.m., Monday, February 29, the I-45 northbound and southbound main lanes at Bay Area Blvd. will be closed.

Motorists traveling southbound will need to exit the main lanes at El Dorado and detour to the frontage road through the Bay Area Blvd. intersection and re-enter the main lanes before the Nasa Pkwy intersection. Motorists traveling northbound will need to exit the main lanes at Bay Area Blvd. and detour to the frontage road through the Bay Area Blvd. intersection and re-enter the main lanes after the Bay Area Blvd. intersection.

The Bay Area Blvd. overpass will also be closed and re-open June 2016.

Motorists traveling southbound that want to access Bay Area Blvd. west will need to exit Nasa Pkwy and U-turn, stay on the frontage road and turn right onto Bay Area Blvd. Motorists traveling northbound that want to access Bay Area Blvd. east will need to exit El Dorado and turn, stay on the frontage road and turn right to access Bay Area Blvd.

Motorists traveling east on Bay Area Blvd to I-45 will be detoured onto the southbound frontage road to Nasa Pkwy and U-turn stay on the frontage road and turn right to access Bay Area Blvd. Motorists traveling west on Bay Area Blvd to I-45 will turn right on the I-45 northbound frontage road and turn at El Dorado stay on the frontage road and turn right to access Bay Area Blvd.

Once complete, the I-45/Gulf Freeway main lanes will go over the Bay Area Blvd. intersection replacing the current overpass structure and improve mobility and enhance safety for the traveling public. The Bay Area Blvd. overpass reconstruction is part of the $93 million construction project on I-45 from FM 2351 to Medical Center Blvd. The project will also widen the existing six main lanes to ten and replace the Bay Area Blvd. overpass. The entire project is scheduled for completion Fall 2018.

For more information on scheduled lane closures in the Houston District, contact the Public Information Office at (713) 802-5076. Follow us on Twitter @TxDOTHoustonPIO"

Brockway Realty Blogs previously published about this topic are:  Update on Gulf Freeway South Widening Project in the Bay Area on 6/09/2014; Texas Interstate-45 Widening and Overpass Project Timetable Updated on 2/02/2015; I-45 Overpass at El Dorado Boulevard to Close on Friday, July 10th , 7/09/2015.

Brockway Realty Blogs - Keeping you in touch with League City, the Galveston Bay Area, and beyond.

By Pamela Moore, Feature Blogger for Brockway Realty, LLC

Originally Posted on Brockway Realty LLC's Official Blog

Public Meetings Scheduled about Gulf Freeway Design Changes “And the Beat Goes On”

Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is the regional organization through which local governments consider issues and cooperate in solving area wide problems. H-GAC's mission is to serve as the instrument of local government cooperation, promoting the region's orderly development and the safety and welfare of its citizens.

Members of the Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council - the board that oversees regional transportation planning and federal and state funding for Houston-area projects - is scheduled to approve its 2016-18 spending plan. The plan covers $239.4 million for I-45 over the next three years, with $140.4 million of that directed to segments expected to break ground by late 2016.

The Gulf Freeway widening project has been broken down into three segments:

1. Nasa Rd 1 to Galveston County line; Widen to five lanes in each direction, with three-lane frontage roads, and two HOV lanes;
2. Harris County line to FM 518; Widen to five lanes in each direction; with two- or three-lane frontage roads and two HOV lanes;
3. FM 518 to FM 517; widen to four lanes in each direction with two-lane frontage roads.
4. Coming Later; Another 18.4 miles of I-45 will be widened to four lanes in each direction.

Texas Department of Transportation will hold two public meetings to discuss the design changes for the Galveston Bay Area:

1. Topic: Widening Nasa Rd 1 By-pass to south of FM 518. October 6, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm; Creekside Intermediate School, 4320 West Main St., League City.
2. Topic: Widening south of FM 518 to FM 1764. October 20, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm; Victory Lakes Intermediate School, 2880 West Walker, League City.

New and old residents have seen many changes to the Gulf Freeway, which officially opened in 1952. “And the beat goes on” for changes that are designed to help with traffic congestion as the population in the area continues to grow.

Brockway Realty maintains a Community Calendar on their website; check this calendar for events/activities in your city.

Brockway Realty Blogs - Keeping you in touch with League City, the Galveston Bay Area, and beyond.

By Pamela Moore, Feature Blogger for Brockway Realty

Originally Posted on Brockway Realty LLC's Official Blog

I-45 Overpass at El Dorado Boulevard to Close on Friday, July 10th

The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) has released their announcement updating area citizens about the El Dorado overpass reconstruction at I-45. This action will impact both northbound and southbound travel on the South Gulf Freeway. The following is the press release:

“HOUSTON – The Texas Department of Transportation will close the El Dorado Boulevard overpass at I-45/Gulf Freeway on July 10 at 9 p.m. until late November 2015 for reconstruction. The existing overpass will be demolished and a new at-grade intersection will be constructed.

Once complete, the I-45/Gulf Freeway main lanes will go over the El Dorado Boulevard intersection replacing the current overpass structure. This will improve mobility and enhance safety for the traveling public.

During the reconstruction, motorists traveling east on El Dorado to I-45 will be detoured onto the southbound frontage road to Nasa Road One and u-turn and enter I-45 northbound main lanes and exit and turn left to access El Dorado.

Vehicles traveling west on El Dorado to I-45 will turn right on the I-45 northbound frontage road and u-turn at Dixie Farm/FM 1959 to access I-45 southbound and exit and turn right on El Dorado.

The El Dorado overpass reconstruction is part of the $93 million construction project on I-45 from FM 2351 to Medical Center Boulevard. The project will also widen the existing six mainlanes to ten and replace the Bay Area Boulevard overpass. The entire project is scheduled for completion the second quarter of 2017.

For more information on scheduled lane closures in the Houston District, contact the Public Information Office and follow us on Twitter.”

Brockway Realty Blogs previously published about this topic are: Update on Gulf Freeway South Widening Project in the Bay Area (6/9/2014); Texas Interstate-45 Widening and Overpass Project Timetable Updated (2/2/2015).

Brockway Realty Blogs - Keeping you in touch with League City, the Galveston Bay Area, and beyond.

By Pamela Moore, Feature Blogger for Brockway Realty

Originally Posted on Brockway Realty LLC's Official Blog

Texas Interstate-45 Widening and Overpass Project Timetable Updated

January 2015 - (El Dorado Overpass, Southbound on I-45)

The Texas Interstate-45 widening and overpass bridge project schedule has been updated and posted on the City of Webster’s website. Listed below are just excerpts taken from that webpage:

“…Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT’s) project includes widening the Interstate’s main lanes to five lanes in each direction, demolishing the bridges at Bay Area Boulevard and El Dorado (Dixie Farm Road has already been completed) to facilitate smoother main lane mobility, reconfiguring some of the on and off connections, and enhancing the feeder roads both north and southbound.

The El Dorado overpass on I-45 is scheduled to be closed from March 2015 to August 2015. All work relating to the El Dorado intersection, access roads, on & off ramps should be completed around November 2015.

Prep work for the Bay Area bridge closure will begin in September 2015; this will consist of construction of the detour lanes, temporary on & off ramps, and work on underground utilities.The actual closure of the Bay Area overpass is slated for April 2016. The closure will last until June 2016. All work related to the Bay Area Blvd. intersection and access roads is scheduled to be completed by September 2016.”…

According to Texas Department of Transportation’s updated schedule, this entire project is due to be completed in July 2017. Traffic has, and will, become more congested and irritating as the construction comes closer to the heavier populated areas of the Bay Area. Residents should keep aware of road closures and, if necessary, find alternate routes when traveling during this road construction.

January 2015 - (Bay Area Blvd Overpass, Southbound on I-45)

Previous Brockway Blog on this topic:  Update on Gulf Freeway South Widening Project in the Bay Area May 2014 , June 9, 2014.

By Pam Moore, Feature Blogger for Brockway Realty

Originally Posted on Brockway Realty LLC's Official Blog

I-45 Ramp Reversal Project at SH-96 and FM-646

League City has announced the following road closure/construction by Texas Department of Transportation in a press release:

”The Texas Department of Transportation will close the southbound IH 45 entrance ramp at SH 96/ FM 646 permanently on Monday, April 21 to begin construction of a new exit ramp at the location. Along with the closure of that ramp, crews will also close one inside lane of the IH 45 southbound frontage road for approximately two months.

The work is part of a larger project to reverse the southbound entrance and exits ramps between SH 96 and FM 646. This means the existing on-ramp (closest to SH 96) will become the off ramp for IH 45 and the off ramp will become the on ramp (closer to FM 646).

Initially, work will focus on the building of the new IH 45 southbound exit ramp at FM 646, just south of SH 96. After this work is complete, the IH 45 southbound exit ramp at FM 646 will be closed permanently to make way for a new IH 45 southbound entrance ramp at SH 96. The project should be complete by Fall 2014.

The reversals of the ramps will alleviate congestion, improve access to the abutting properties and enhance safety along the frontage road and at both the SH 96 interchange and the FM 646 interchange. Because of the enhanced access, a secondary benefit is the improved access will make the vacant property in this area more desirable for commercial/retail development. Lastly, with the anticipated completion of Brookport Drive many of the vehicles traveling through the FM 646 interchange will be able to take an alternate route further reducing the congestion in the interchange.

Permanent Closure: IH 45 Southbound entrance ramp between SH 96 and FM 646:

• Date: Monday April 21, 2014 at 8:00 AM
• Temporary Closure: One Inside Lane (Entrance Ramp to IH 45) Between SH 96 and FM 646
• Duration: Approximately Two Months: April 21 - June 21

Houston Transtar Map of area: http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/layers/layers_ve.html?x=29.4912&y=-95.1068&z=15&lc=true

By Pamela Moore, Feature Blogger for Brockway Realty, LLC.

Originally Posted on Brockway Realty LLC's Official Blog