The Alabama Street Bridge over I-69 will close starting Thursday, April 30, at 7 p.m., according to TxDOT, and is not expected to reopen until February 2027. In February, TxDOT initially planned to tear down the bridge, but the closures were postponed, per the Houston Chronicle.
As part of the plan, crews will demolish the existing bridge and rebuild it as part of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, a multi-year effort aimed at reshaping one of the region’s busiest freeway corridors.
The closure is expected to impact drivers traveling between Midtown and Third Ward, two areas connected by Alabama Street.
To carry out the work, TxDOT has outlined two major phases that will also bring additional freeway closures.
Phase 1 will begin Friday, May 1, at 9 a.m. through Monday, May 4, at 5 a.m., when northbound lanes of I-69 will be closed between SH 288 and Alabama Street.
Phase 2 will follow the next weekend, starting Friday, May 8 at 9 a.m. through Monday, May 11 at 5 a.m., with southbound lanes of I-69 closed between Polk Street and SH 288. The southbound connector ramps to I-69 and SH 288 will also be shut down.
The Alabama Street closure is one of several major construction steps tied to the broader I-45 expansion, which has faced years of planning, delays and community pushback over its impact on nearby neighborhoods.
Drivers should expect detours and delays over the next several months as construction ramps up on what many see as a seemingly never-ending project.