HOUSTON – Two street closures are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31, in the area of St. Emanuel Street and Clay Street, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
The closures are expected to remain in effect through 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 — roughly five weeks — while the contractor installs storm sewer boxes.
What is closed?
St. Emanuel Street: Closed in both directions from Clay Street to north of Bell Street.
Clay Street: Completely closed in both directions between Chartres Street and Hutchins Street.
Bell Street will remain open at St. Emanuel Street, but Clay Street will be closed where it meets St. Emanuel.
Drivers should expect delays and follow posted signs and signals along the detour routes.
The work includes installing 8-by-8 storm sewer boxes along St. Emanuel Street. TxDOT spokesperson Mike Zientek said the project is needed because the current drainage system is decades old and not large enough for the city’s needs.
“It’s decades old and it’s nowhere. Those boxes are nowhere as large as what’s under the ground now,” Zientek said.
Detour for the Clay Street closure
For drivers approaching from Chartres Street and traveling northbound:
1. Turn right onto Dallas Street.
2. Turn right onto St. Emanuel Street and travel southbound.
3. Turn left onto Polk Street.
4. Turn right onto Hutchins Street to reach Clay Street.
For drivers approaching from Hutchins Street and traveling southbound:
1. Turn right onto Bell Street.
2. Turn right onto Chartres Street to reach Clay Street.
Detour for the St. Emanuel Street closure
For drivers who would normally use St. Emanuel Street northbound:
1. Turn right onto Leeland Street.
2. Turn left onto Emancipation Avenue.
3. Turn left onto Dallas Street.
4. Turn right onto St. Emanuel Street.
For drivers who would normally use St. Emanuel Street southbound:
1. Turn left onto Dallas Street.
2. Turn right onto Emancipation Avenue.
3. Turn right onto Leeland Street.
4. Turn left onto St. Emanuel Street.
Yadi Aguilar with Pitch 25 says the commute to the East Downtown area is already difficult.
“It seems like every week or so it’s something new. It’s a new street that’s closed off, there’s a different closure,” Aguilar said. “It’s a hassle for everyone coming into the downtown area in general already because of traffic.”
Plan ahead
People traveling to homes, businesses and venues in the area should allow extra time, use the marked detours and watch for changing traffic conditions. TxDOT also recommends using the ConnectSmart app to help plan trips.
Bigger Picture
Mike Zientek, a spokesperson for TxDot said the drainage improvements are especially important as Houston prepares for more heavy rain and future changes to Interstate 45.
“In Houston, when it rains, it rains. We may be getting some sort of tropical moisture tomorrow (Tuesday). So we want to be prepared,” Zientek said.
I-45 will eventually run inside Interstate 69, changing from an overpass west of downtown to a route on the east side of the city that will run beneath the current traffic pattern. Zientek said the drainage work will help reduce the threat of standing water on the interstate.
“I can’t tell you that you are not going to get water on the road, or that certain streets are not going to flood. I can’t promise that. What I can promise you is that the likelihood of that has gone down, because of the work that these folks are doing right now,” Zientek said.
The larger project is expected to cost $13 billion.
“This is the largest project of its kind going on in the United States. Yeah, the cost is $13 billion — with a B,” Zientek said.
For businesses in the area, the ongoing construction is also making it harder to attract customers.
“It’s hard for us to find incentives for ways for them to come out here,” Aguilar said.
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