10.3 miles of new SH-288 toll lanes opening soon

Thursday, November 12, 2020
10.3 miles of new SH-288 toll lanes opening this month
FINALLY! The four-year project includes huge flyovers and managed toll lanes, stretching from downtown Houston to Clear Creek.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It has been a long road building the SH-288 toll lanes, but after four years of construction, the project is finally open.

SH-288's 10.3 miles of new freeway, including huge flyovers and managed toll lanes, stretch from downtown Houston to Clear Creek.

The project broke ground in 2016. It was supposed to take 1,000 days from start to finish, but that original mid-2019 completion date got pushed back over and over thanks to repeated weather events including Harvey, and construction delays.

Instead of opening the roadway one segment at a time, the entire new project is opening at once, including the brand new Southmore Bridge and the direct connectors at Holcombe going into the Texas Medical Center.

PREVIOUS STORY: Hwy 288 work to go beyond projected 1000 days of construction

The ongoing construction will stretch into 2020.

Don't forget, you have to pay to use the toll lanes. Adjustable pricing is based on time of day and volume of traffic.

In other words, if the lanes get too congested, toll prices will increase to control traffic.

New drainage has been installed throughout the project, but the developer told ABC13 if Brays Bayou is full, that water simply has nowhere to go.

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RELATED: SkyDrone 13 video shows flooding on Highway 288

The view from SkyDrone 13 video shows the flooding on Highway 288 after Tropical Storm Beta made landfall late Monday.