League City drivers heading toward Galveston on I-45 will squeeze through a single southbound lane near the Texas City Wye starting Saturday, Aug. 8, as crews permanently shut down the westbound SH-146 connector ramp to southbound I-45.
The Texas Department of Transportation will close all but one southbound I-45 lane between FM 519 and Tiki Drive starting at 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, and reopen them by 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, according to the Galveston Daily News.
The SH 6 southbound entrance ramp to I-45 will also close during that same window for striping work. Drivers needing that ramp should detour via FM 519, Galveston Island News reported.
Once the weekend work wraps up, the SH-146 westbound connector to southbound I-45 stays closed for approximately two years while the interchange is rebuilt.
What the detour looks like
Drivers coming westbound on SH-146 who need southbound I-45 will continue west on SH 6, pass beneath the interstate, and use a newly constructed U-turn lane to enter the southbound main lanes.
TxDOT Lead Public Information Officer Danny Perez told the Galveston Daily News on July 30 that the U-turn option was added after residents pushed back on the original plan, which would have routed all traffic north on I-45 to FM 519 before looping back south.
"It will not flow as efficiently as a direct-connect ramp from one highway to another," Perez said. "However, this option was created in response to concerns from the community that having to travel northbound on I-45 to FM 519 to make their way onto the southbound lanes of I-45 would add significant travel time to their commute."
Heavy trucks and 18-wheelers that cannot navigate the U-turn lane will follow a separate route: turn left onto FM 519, then left again onto the southbound I-45 frontage road before entering the main lanes.
Why the delay
TxDOT originally planned to begin the traffic shift on Friday, July 31, but postponed it one week after Galveston-area businesses pushed back. Landry's, Gaido's, Yaga's Entertainment, and the Galveston Hotel and Lodging Association asked the state to hold off until after Labor Day to protect peak summer revenue. TxDOT granted a one-week reprieve rather than the full delay businesses requested.
The bigger project
The ramp closure is part of TxDOT's $226 million I-45 widening project between FM 519 and the Texas City Wye, which aims to expand the freeway to eight total lanes and modernize one of the region's primary hurricane evacuation routes. The full project is expected to wrap up by mid-2030, according to Houston Public Media.
The permanent ramp closure represents the most significant traffic change for League City commuters heading south on the Gulf Freeway, since the Texas City Wye interchange sits just south of the city.
Drivers can check real-time lane closure schedules and alternate routes at houstontranstar.org or through the free Houston TranStar mobile app. TxDOT advises allowing extra travel time and using caution through the construction zone.
