League City drivers heading to Galveston on I-45 south will lose a key connection point Saturday, Aug. 8, when TxDOT permanently shuts down the SH-146 westbound connector ramp to I-45 southbound at 9 p.m.
The closure kicks off a two-year detour expected to last through summer 2028. It's part of TxDOT's $226 million I-45 Gulf Freeway widening project between FM 519 and the Texas City Wye, according to Click2Houston.
As we reported July 29, the project had been announced in broader terms. TxDOT has since finalized specific routing for displaced drivers.
Your detour options
Primary route: Continue west on SH 6 beneath I-45, then use a new U-turn lane to access the I-45 southbound main lanes. TxDOT modified the original detour plan to this shorter route after an earlier version would have sent all traffic north on I-45 before looping back south.
Secondary route: From SH-146 westbound, turn right onto the I-45 northbound frontage road, merge onto northbound I-45, exit at FM 519, make a U-turn, and continue south on I-45.
Heavy trucks: Must follow a separate detour using FM 519 and the I-45 southbound frontage road. Trucks cannot use the SH 6 U-turn lane.
Weekend lane closures
TxDOT will also close two of three southbound main lanes on I-45 between FM 519 and Tiki Drive from 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, through 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10. One southbound lane will remain open. The I-45 southbound entrance ramp from SH 6 will close during that weekend for striping work.
Why the delay
TxDOT originally planned to begin the closure Friday, July 31, but pushed it back a week. Spokesperson Danny Perez told Houston Public Media on Wednesday, July 29, that the agency heard concerns from community members about impacts on Galveston businesses during peak summer travel.
"We wanted to be mindful of any impacts for folks that are going to be traveling, especially here we are in the peak of summer," Perez said.
Perez also said TxDOT chose the SH 6 U-turn option over the longer northbound-loop detour to shorten the alternate route for displaced drivers.
The bigger picture
The ramp closure is one piece of a project to widen I-45 to eight total lanes between FM 519 and the Texas City Wye. The work will also reconfigure the Wye into a diamond interchange. TxDOT says the expansion addresses Galveston County's growth and improves hurricane evacuation capacity. The overall project is expected to wrap up by mid-2030, according to Perez.
TxDOT has approximately $725 million invested in I-45 improvements across the Galveston area, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Drivers can check real-time road conditions on the Houston TranStar website.
