🚗Your weekly traffic update: How this weekend’s time change may impact your commute

HOUSTON – Hey Houston!

It is time to fall back! This weekend marks the end of daylight-saving time. But that also means your evening commute will become darker much earlier and activity on the road may increase.

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Time change and your evening commute

Experts say the likelihood of crashes typically increases during this time. According to a study published in the Journal of Current Biology, deer collisions increased by 16% during the week following the fall time change. Since deer mating season lasts throughout the fall, people living in areas like the Woodlands and Humble may notice they are most active at dawn and dusk. Driver visibility can also be reduced which increases the odds of a crash.

Since it takes most people a week or more to adjust to time changes, being prepared will make things smoother. When your Monday evening commute rolls around be sure to stay vigilant and look out for pedestrians, wildlife, and cyclists. Make sure you’re on top of your car maintenance. Headlights, taillights, and signal lights should be clean and in working condition. Lastly, give the gift of grace to other drivers who may be causing issues on the roads. We all have our bad days!

Southwest Freeway update

This part of the Newsletter may get you a little excited! We are making big progress when it comes to the 1-610/I-69 Interchange Project. At the beginning of the week, TxDOT announced the opening of all main lanes of I-69 southbound at the I-610 West Loop. You may also notice the opening of the I-69 southbound exit to Chimney Rock and the southbound connector to 610 SB. With big strides like this, we are getting closer to the completion of the project.

Have a safe weekend & enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

Justina Latimer

KPRC 2 Traffic Expert

Have a traffic question? I can help.

What do you want to know about Houston traffic? We will be answering your questions on-air. You can email them to JLatimer@KPRC.com or ask here!

Airports

• For those interested in TSA PreCheck, Houston airport officials say now is the time to apply for holiday travel.

Recent headlines

• Uber and Lyft will pay $328 million to settle wage theft claims in New York
• NTSB to investigate private jet collision at Hobby Airport

Weekend construction

• Heads up Galveston County! IH-45 Northbound and southbound Frontage Road at FM-2004 will be closed overnight from 9 p.m., Nov. 3rd to 5 a.m., Nov. 4th.

Houston’s big projects

• The Gulf Freeway Expansion
• The Grand Parkway
• The West Loop-Southwest Freeway Interchange Rebuild

Get your traffic news, maps and route planner 24/7 at Click2Houston.com/traffic.