The Houston traffic madness may soon be ending, and good riddance.
Houston TranStar released its projected openings for roads that have remained closed since Hurricane Harvey — closures that have turned freeways like 610 and I-10 into hot spots for road rage and impatience. The Sam Houston Tollway fully reopened Monday, easing some of the gridlock, and by the end of the week things should continue to get better.
By Friday, Clay Road, including North Eldridge Parkway north of Clay Road, will reopen. By September 20, North Eldridge Parkway between Clay and Dairy Ashford; Highway 6 between Clay and Park Row; and Groeschke Road at Highway 6 will all reopen. And finally, by October 7, Patterson Road between Highway 6 and Eldridge Parkway will be up and running.
The closures have persisted thanks to releases from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs that have continued since August 28, given both reservoirs were at capacity and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needed to relieve the pressure on the dams to avoid a breakage. And so while much of central Houston within the Loop has been open for business, homeowners and businesses near the reservoirs along the Buffalo Bayou not only couldn’t get into their homes, they also couldn’t drive anywhere and have remained under a midnight curfew.
Homeowners in that area have already filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps, claiming that when the feds decided to release the water, they effectively condemned 3,000 homes and buildings in that area.
This article appears in Sep 7-13, 2017.
