Polk Street exit off US-59 in downtown Houston reopens after drainage roadwork, TxDOT says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has announced that the temporary closure of a major downtown exit has come to an end.

The US-59 northbound exit to Polk Street reopened on Tuesday after being closed since May.

The closures were in place to allow crews to install large drainage culverts, which TxDOT says were necessary for major changes to I-45 and US-59 through downtown.

The project began on May 27 and was anticipated to end in June. However, TxDOT extended it into July.

The Polk Street exit is a popular route to the GRB, Daikin Park, Toyota Center, Shell Energy, Discovery Green, and major hotels and restaurants.

TxDOT spokesperson Danny Perez spoke with Eyewitness News back in May about how installing drainage is preparation for the transformation in downtown by moving I-45 parallel to US-59 as part of the expansion of I-45, also known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP).

"The main lanes of I-45 and the main lanes of I-69, they're going to be below grade, meaning they're going to be depressed," Perez said.

The North Houston Highway Improvement Project stretches from North Beltway 8 south through Downtown Houston. The work will not happen all at once, and some sections of I-45 won't see work on the mainlanes for years. The project is scheduled for completion in 2038.