The US 59 northbound exit to Polk Street closed at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to reopen at the end of June. The closure will allow construction crews to install huge drainage culverts, which TxDOT says are needed for major changes to I-45 and US-59 through downtown.
The Polk Street exit is a popular route to the GRB, Daikin Park, Toyota Center, Shell Energy, Discovery Green, and major hotels and restaurants.
The alternate route heading north on US 59 is the Gray/Pierce Exit, which will allow you to access Chartres or Spur 527 into Midtown.
TxDOT spokesperson Danny Perez explains how installing drainage is preparation for the transformation in downtown by moving I-45 parallel to US 59 as part of the expansion of I-45, also known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP).
"The main lanes of I-45 and the main lanes of I-69, they're going to be below grade, meaning they're going to be depressed," Perez says.
"So, in order to make that work, we're going to have a significant drainage system in the area."
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project stretches from North Beltway 8 south through Downtown Houston. The work will not happen all at once, and some sections of I-45 won't see work on the mainlanes for years. The project is scheduled for completion in 2038.
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