Favorites · 13 mins ·
3 lanes opened NB & SB on I-45 over the BNSF for the foreseeable future
Good news came recently as the Gulf Freeway just north of the Galveston Causeway is back to three lanes in each direction.
The three lanes each way will continue to stay open for the foreseeable future. That will include this upcoming weekend, as well as Memorial Day weekend.
The cause of the back and forth between how many lanes will stay open, started with state transportation officials who found that the northbound bridge near Tiki Island - also known as the BNSF or Santa Fe overpass - had problems that could pose a risk.
TxDOT declared an emergency and prepared to close down the bridge and switch northbound traffic to the southbound bridge. That would have required creating two lanes each direction compared to three lanes each way.
After the frustrations motorists experienced during Mother’s Day weekend and pleas from Galveston officials, TxDOT engineers from Houston and Austin took another look at the damaged bridge.
That second review provided some options to shore up the bridge to allow its continued use, even by overweight or oversized loads.
Engineers figured a way to shore up the bridge and make it safe for all traffic.
Crews will continue work on the construction project in the area. TxDOT said “It is always our goal to minimize impacts to the traveling public.”
Responses