Westbound entrance from FM 1960, exit to Huffmeister Road
TxDOT shifted inbound and outbound drivers to the south between FM 1960 and Huffmeister Road as crews prepare to demolition the north side of Hwy. 290's westbound mainlanes. The closure will include the reconstruction of the FM 1960 westbound entrance ramp and Huffmeister exit ramp, officials said.
New ramps will reopen once the work on the new mainlanes and ramps is completed and traffic can be switched back to the north, but a specific timeframe has not been announced. In the meantime, westbound drivers looking to access Huffmeister Road are being asked exit at Telge Road and U-turn.
The ramps had to be closed for two main reasons, said Shane Cossey, a TxDOT engineer overseeing the Hwy. 290 project. The curve of the road from the mainlanes to the ramps goes outside the parameters of what can be allowed, and the elevation difference between the existing pavement and the new pavements is too significant.
"This portion of the Hwy. 290 widening involves widening the actual width of the freeway," he said. "There’s no way to get traffic from the existing pavement to new pavement, which is at a higher elevation."
As a part of the widening, demolition of the Huffmeister bridge is set for the weekend of May 12, and demolition of the FM 1960 bridge is set for the weekend of May 19.
Westbound entrance from Spring Cypress Road
As work on Project D—between Telge and Mueschke roads—nears completion, crews continue work on the westbound frontage road between Skinner and Spring Cypress roads. Cossey said he hopes to be able to open a new entrance ramp on the east side of Spring Cypress Road this summer.
The ramp was closed while the westbound frontage road was shut down to one lane during construction, Cossey said. A new exit ramp will also open after the former one was determined to not allow enough time for drivers to merge to the frontage road.
"We're finishing the exit ramp pavement; we're working on that this week," he said "Then once the frontage road is opened to two lanes, we can finish the entrance from Spring Cypress."
Eastbound exits and entrances near Mason, Mueschke roads
The new eastbound frontage road opened this past weekend between Mueschke and Mason roads, along with a new entrance ramp on the west side of Mueschke Road. This allows the contractor to take out the old entrance ramp and put in new exit ramp, Cossey said.
"Before, the exit ramp was too close to the [Mueschke Road] intersection," he said. "Switching them allows drivers who take the exit more time to change lanes if they want to turn right. Traffic would back up onto the exit ramp and onto the highway."
Crews recently opened a new eastbound exit ramp from the Grand Parkway, but drivers seeking to access Mason Road currently must go past Mason to Cypress Rosehill Road and U-turn. Cossey said the final configuration includes an exit ramp to the east of Mason Road that will allow drivers to access Mason more directly. A new eastbound entrance ramp is being planned on the west side of Mason Road as well.
