Houston Alabama Street bridge closure: See dates, detours

The bridge’s reconstruction will improve drainage, shift the roadway’s layout and make room for the I-45 expansion. The road work is expected to continue until February 2027, interrupting a key east-west connection between Houston neighborhoods near downtown.  

The Texas Department of Transportation will close Alabama Street over Interstate 69 at 7 p.m. on April 30 ahead of a two-phase demolition. The bridge connects Midtown to Greater Fifth Ward. 

The first demolition phase will close northbound I-69 between Texas 288 and Alabama Street from 9 p.m. on May 1 to 5 a.m. on May 4.

The second phase will close I-69 southbound between Polk Street and Texas 288, including the Texas 288 southbound connector, from 9 p.m. on May 8 to 5 a.m. on May 11. 

TxDOT launched a years-long project to modernize and widen I-45 between downtown Houston and Beltway 8 near George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The Alabama Street construction is part of the I-45 project and will include tearing down and rebuilding the bridge between Chenevert and St. Emmanuel streets. 

The construction comes ahead of the World Cup matches in June. Michael Zientek, with a Houston-based public relations firm partnering with TxDOT, said the construction team considers Alabama bridge-related closures on I-69 “highly unlikely during the World Cup.”

The team added that if they have to shut down I-69, they’ll make an effort to give people advance notice, he said. They’ll also try not to close the lanes on World Cup game days.

Drivers traveling westbound on Alabama Street should detour by turning left onto Emancipation Avenue, right onto Cleburne Street, right onto Almeda Road and then left back onto Alabama Street.

Drivers traveling eastbound on Alabama Street should turn right onto Almeda Road, left onto Cleburne Street, left onto Emancipation Avenue and right back onto Alabama Street.

Pedestrians traveling eastbound on Alabama Street should detour by turning right onto Almeda Road, left onto Cleburne Street, right onto Chartres Street, left onto Wheeler Avenue and left onto Hutchins Street to return to Alabama Street.

Pedestrians traveling westbound on Alabama Street should turn left onto Hutchins Street, right onto Wheeler Avenue, right onto Chartres Street, left onto Cleburne Street and right onto Almeda Road to return to Alabama Street.

Residents in those areas should expect possible delays, follow traffic signs along the detour route and plan ahead for travel.