HOUSTON – Question: Folks in West University and drivers who commute to the Texas Medical Center or Rice University have been wondering, “What’s up with all the construction on Buffalo Speedway?”
Answer: According to the City of West University, “The streets are designed to retain water when the underground drainage system is surcharged. Drainage systems are designed to handle certain volume however depending on the rain’s intensity and duration.” Right now, crews are working to improve the drainage system on Buffalo Speedway, which is why you’re seeing a lot of construction. This project will be done in four phases.
“The work is being done in phases and currently Phase two and four are being done concurrently. Phase 3 is likely to start in mid-late Q1 2022,” said Gerardo Barrera, Public Works Director for the City of West University Place.
The entire project will wrap up in 2023. In the meantime, expect closures while they work on the last phases.
For the next month and a half, eastbound and westbound traffic won’t be able to access Buffalo Speedway from Cason. There is also closure on Vanderbilt accessing W. Holcombe. This was put in place to attempt to mitigate excessive “cut through” traffic through City streets. Plan will be changed accordingly.