White Oak Bayou Project to solve I-10 flooding, trucks hitting Houston Avenue bridge by elevating freeway, TxDOT says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Houston Avenue bridge over Interstate 10 near downtown Houston is a hot spot for 18-wheeler wrecks, but changes are coming.

Trucks on I-10 attempt to pass under the Houston Avenue bridge with loads that are just too high, striking the bridge, causing wrecks and backups, and repeatedly putting drivers in danger over the years.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the current height of the bridge is 14 feet 3 inches, which is the lowest clearance along this portion of I-10 and over 4 feet below the current freight standard of 18 feet 6 inches.

TxDOT posts warnings about height restrictions at this bridge, but it hasn’t worked well. Truck drivers hit the bridge and are often cited, but it keeps happening.

TxDOT recorded 23 reported bridge strikes in 2023 and 46 already in 2024.

As it turns out, the answer to improving the situation is embedded in the solution to another I-10 problem: repeated flooding like what Houstonians saw most recently during Hurricane Beryl.

Flooding like this has also happened during other storms like Harvey and Allison. The state plans to raise I-10’s elevation above the White Oak Bayou flood plain between Heights Boulevard and Interstate 45.

TxDOT calls the effort The White Oak Bayou Project. The Houston Avenue bridge falls within the project boundaries. Instead of replacing the bridge, I-10 traffic will travel over Houston Avenue. Construction work is currently scheduled to begin at the end of 2024 and will last 12 months.

The project eliminates bridge strikes and achieves the goal of elevating I-10 to reduce flooding during weather events.

The Houston Avenue portion will be the first part of the White Oak Bayou Project, and TxDOT said this new configuration is also planned for Yale and Studemont streets. This area will be under construction through the end of 2028 or early 2029.

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SEE MORE: Why do 18-wheelers keep crashing into the Houston Avenue bridge on the Katy Freeway?

It happened again. Katy Freeway inbound was backed up for miles after a big rig with a tall load hit a bridge that has caused trouble multiple times in the past.