Commuters in W. Houston miserable amid Beltway closure

Jeff Ehling Image
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Beltway closure means extra heavy traffic
Beltway closure means extra heavy traffic all across Houston's west side

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It was a very rough morning commute for those of you living on the west side of Houston.

The after-work commute was a nightmare on Tuesday. With Beltway 8 still shut down on both north and southbound lanes just south of I-10, traffic is being re-routed to Westheimer.

The detour caused huge congestion problems on Westheimer and surrounding streets.

One commuter who experienced the nightmarish backup said it took so long to get only a short way down the roadway.

"At one point, it took me about 45 minutes to move maybe 200 yards," said commuter Natalie Harvie.

That commuter also said she is leaving home an hour and a half early to avoid the morning rush.

The closure of the west Beltway stems from flooding due to the controlled releases of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, which is expected to continue for the next five to 10 days.

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