Thousands of students started their fall semester in these last few days. Happy back-to-school season to Klein, Galena and Fort Bend ISD among many many others. I’m sure you’ve definitely seen the traffic pattern change in your morning drive. It is BUSY out there. I remember looking at Spring Cypress Road near Klein Cain High School and it was dark red. Drivers, now that it’s getting a bit more congested out there, you’ve got to leave with extra time in the morning. We have so much going on early in the morning in our neighborhoods with kids headed back to class. School buses are running, kids riding their bikes or walking to school...the last thing you want to do is to rush out the door and speed down your neighborhood streets. Let’s do our best to keep our students safe out there!
I also want to take time to mention, it is Stop on Red Week. This is a week that’s observe across the country and this year it fell on August 7 through the 13. This is a time when safety officials highlight the importance of obeying the law and stopping at a red light. In 2020, more than 115,000 people were injured and more than 900 were killed because of red light running crashes.
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While following basic traffic rules might seem easy, statistics say that overall, at least 50 million people are injured or disabled by road traffic crashes every year. We can all work together to make our roads safer by spreading the word and obeying the law.
All right, I want to end on a construction note because it’s a big one!
TxDOT first told me, that the old West Loop northbound main lanes at the Southwest Freeway (the lanes that take you to the Galleria from the Meyerland area) will shut down this weekend. All in effort to open up the brand new northbound lanes over the Southwest Freeway on Monday.
It’s happening in phases:
- First, crews need to clear barrels, barricades and do some lane re-striping. They’ll need to shut down several lanes of the West Loop over 59 going northbound starting Friday night 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Monday. During this time traffic will still be able to drive on one main lane.
- Starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday, the entire northbound side will close over 59.
- The new northbound lanes of the West Loop over the Southwest Freeway should open to traffic by 5 a.m. Monday.
Plan ahead and drive safely my friends!
KPRC 2 traffic expert
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A water bottle is a very common prohibited item. TSA suggests you travel with a refillable empty bottle instead, to stay hydrated.
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Construction closures
This weekend, expect a total closure of the northbound main lanes of the West Loop over the Southwest Freeway.
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