HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has announced that the temporary closure of a major downtown exit has been extended.
The US-59 northbound exit to Polk Street has been closed to allow crews to install large drainage culverts, which TxDOT says are necessary for major changes to I-45 and US-59 through downtown.
The project began on May 27 and was anticipated to end in June. However, TxDOT announced that the closures are being extended into July.
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 spoke with Eyewitness News back in May about 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 said.
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.