“Total Closure of IH 10 Eastbound at IH 45 This Weekend”
WHEN: Friday, 11/6 at 9 p.m. until Monday, 11/9 at 5 a.m.
WHERE:IH 10 eastbound WILL BE CLOSED at IH 45 in downtown. Traffic will be detoured to IH 45 South or IH 45 North exit.
ALTERNATE: Motorists can either take IH 45 North to the North Main exit and u-turn back to IH 45 South to access IH 10 eastbound or IH 45 South to US 59 North to access IH 10 eastbound. This closure is necessary so crews can stripe the roadway and set up concrete traffic barriers for the major freeway rehabilitation work that will begin on Monday, November 9th which will reduce IH 10 eastbound traffic to one lane from the IH 45 North and IH 45 South exit ramps to White Oak Bayou for approximately three months. The IH 10 eastbound exit to Smith Street will remain open. Expect significant delays and should consider an alternate route whenever possible. This is the first of three phases for the 18 month repavement project that will span from IH 45 to US 59.
*****NEW INFO BELOW*****
DOWNTOWN HOV LANE TO OPEN TO ALL PASSENGER VEHICLES DURING IH 10 EAST CONSTRUCTION
(Houston) – The Texas Department of Transportation and METRO, working together to relieve congestion during IH 10 East construction, will allow all passenger vehicles to utilize the Downtown elevated HOV bridge during the initial phase of the IH 10 eastbound reconstruction. Effective today, TxDOT and METRO reached an agreement to open the HOV lane to all traffic, with the exception of heavy trucks, for the next three months while IH 10 eastbound through-traffic is reduced to a single lane between IH 45 and the White Oak Bayou Bridge. The lane reduction takes effect upon the completion of the total closure work happening this weekend.
The IH 10 Downtown HOV lane will be accessible to all passenger vehicles 24 hours a day eastbound and westbound during this phase of construction.
My alarm goes off around 3AM. Once I get to work, I touch up for camera, put on my mic and IFB set and usually start on a bowl of fruit. There’s usually some combo of banana, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, apple or oranges. Obviously, any fruit will do. Then it’s off to the set at 5:01AM. And as I “standby”…this is what I see…robotic camera #1, Anthony Yanez forecasting the weather and a floor director (he’s missing from this picture).
My view right before I go on LIVE.
And when I look to my left, I can see this monitor. There is another to my right. If those are ever off, it’s like doing traffic with my eyes closed. It’s possible, just not ideal. Matt, our robotic operator is taking his seat-in the distance.
I have two side monitors (this is one), so that I can see what you see on tv.
Work has begun on the first of two projects on US 290. The project consists of widening the existing pavement to add extra lanes on the US 290 eastbound and westbound mainlanes between West Little York and Fairbanks N. Houston, as well as re-striping the existing pavement to add additional lanes along the US 290 eastbound and westbound mainlanes between Jones Road and FM 529. Crews will also widen the westbound approach to Senate Avenue to create combined u-turn and left-turn storage at the intersection. Once complete, the extra lanes will alleviate traffic congestion by providing motorists with improved access to/from the US 290 mainlanes. Crews began installing barricades and signing; work on the US 290 mainlanes is anticipated to begin in the coming weeks. Work on the proposed improvements is anticipated to take approximately 6 months to complete. Motorists are advised to anticipate temporary lane reductions on the US 290 westbound frontage road to accommodate the intersection improvements, as well as extended shoulder closures and nightly mainlane closures along the US 290 eastbound and westbound mainlanes.
Though independent of the reconstruction planned as a part of the US 290/Hempstead Corridor Program, these projects are important first steps in providing immediate relief to the traffic congestion on the Northwest Freeway.
Houston’s largest kid-friendly Halloween event is back!
OCT 31st: THIS IS THE LAST WEEKEND (9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) to head to the Houston Zoo for Halloween activities that are fun for the whole family!
The zoo encourages all kids to come dressed in their spookiest, scariest, or prettiest Halloween costume! They’ll love to show off their costume in our Costume Parade and dance to the “thrilling” music with our children’s DJ!
In an effort to be “green,” the zoo is asking children to bring their own trick-or-treat bag to the event.
It’s an eerie feeling to hear about “follow up details” to any of the deadly accidents that you see me report on in the mornings. Sometimes I get emails from people wanting to know what happened or who was involved or why it occurred. Usually, I don’t have those details because police officers and investigators are busy on the scene. Plus, my job is to focus on your commute and help you get to where you are going in the shortest amount of time. Even if I know more details, on-air…I stick to the traffic information and leave “news details” to the anchors.
It’s an unfortunate reminder for us all to be cautious with wet roads, to keep speeds at a decent pace and to always buckle up. We are encountering SEVERE WEATHER, so please be careful. See you in the morning. -Jen
Jennifer, I will get this information to the project managers to try and get them to come up with a better traffic plan. Since the project is new the contractor may need to make some adjustments. This project will end on October 27, 2010 and will include new storm drains, curbs and gutters, street lights and more. Total street reconstruction. -City of Houston
The UH Mitchell Center for the Arts is hosting an artist named Karyn Olivier who is producing this city-wide outdoor public art exhibit ON HWY BILLBOARDS. It’s a neat concept. She is replacing 13 billboard ads across Houston with life-sized photographic representations of what drivers would see if the advertising did not exist: sky, buildings, homes, trees and other elements of the environment.
Olivier’s major public art project, “Inbound: Houston,” will reveal this new view of the city Oct. 26 through Nov. 22.
I was very pleased when asked to host the 2nd Annual Country Ball(2009) benefiting Houston’s Ronald McDonald House. Since 1981, The Ronald McDonald House has offered a home away from home to the families of children undergoing treatment for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. At least $33,000 has been raised this year. Here are some of the pictures of Saturday night’s event. If you’d like to make a contribution, here’s their link: http://www.rmhhouston.org
Firehouse Saloon
Crowd At The Firehouse Saloon
Hot Auction Items: Guitar Played/Signed By Roger Creagar And Signed Yao Ming Jersey
For those of you who live on the East Side…here’s the latest on The Crosby Freeway (Hwy 90). It will end up being a 6 to 7 miles stretch connecting to I-10East/610 (near the Budweiser Brewery) when everything is said and done, sometime next year.
(October 23rd – UPDATE)
The project is estimated to be complete February 2011. The contractor is 70% complete; the majority of the mainlane and frontage road paving is complete. The direct connectors to IH 10 are in and the majority of the bridges are built.
The project will reduce through traffic from IH 10, IH 610 and BW 8 and help reduce local traffic congestion, and increase safety of the overall system. It also improves connectivity on the northeast quadrant of the city. This will potentially reduce truck traffic on IH 10. -TxDOT
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I was invited to be the keynote speaker for The Hispanic Employment Program at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. A great turnout for all of the rain that we had today. I was most content with the performance from the students of Reagan and Davis High Schools…predominantly Hispanic schools. It was nice to see their involvement and certitude. -Jen
What a night in college football! A soldout game…over 32,000 fans packed Robertson Stadium to watch the showdown between U of H and Texas Tech. I must say, Case and his team really delivered. I think most fans thought it was ALL over when he threw an interception in the 4th quarter. But with about 5 minutes left, U of H scored and its defense held TT from scoring a field goal…which is all they would have needed to win the game. Talk about anxiety!! All I could think about was, “please don’t let TT score with only 45 seconds left in the game. THAT would be an embarrassment.” Glad the Cougars held on.
About thirty minutes before the UH/TT game.
Enjoying the band and half-time.
Rushing the field after the UH win.
What possessed me to jump over a rail in 4inch platforms to be nearly trampled by thousands of estatic fans??!! Energy. Yes, I had to. Upon exiting the field…I was less adventuresome, using the stairs. (No pictures of the downward climb.) Side note: I want to say hello to the Deer Park Police, EMS and others who were sitting in my section who said ‘hello.’ - Jen
Alright Cougar fans…it’s time to fill Robertson Stadium with RED! I’m about to make my way over to UH to support my alma mater against the Texas Tech Raiders.
I’ve asked Facebook friends what they think the score will be. We know that the offense is about the same for both teams and defense is not too strong on either side. So, how close will it be? Weigh in on Facebook and give me your take. -Jen
Vital north-south, east-west corridors focus of major upgrades
Two of Pasadena’s biggest and busiest streets, Fairmont Parkway and Pasadena Boulevard, are currently undergoing construction. The work being done on Fairmont is the second phase of its project. Improvements are being made to the section of Fairmont that stretches from Pansy to Preston Street. The project is scheduled to be completed before Thanksgiving 2009, if at all possible. The City’s contractor on the project has extended normal work hours into the night for the duration of the project to speed up the process.
Across town, construction has been ongoing on the portion of Pasadena Blvd. that lies between Houston Ave and Harris St. The work is being done is to improve critical infrastructure in north Pasadena and has a target completion date of May 31, 2010.
Upon completion, the project will include installation of 24-inch and 30-inch drainage lines on the east side of the street, the addition of curbs with gutter, the creation of additional sidewalks and the addition of a two to three inch street overlay with asphaltic concrete.
Contact: ActionLine service center at (713) 475-5555 or on-line at request.pasadenatexas.net.
