Southbound lanes will be closed and traffic diverted over to share northbound lanes beginning this Friday night.

TXDOT confirms that beginning this Friday at 8pm, the southbound lanes of IH-45 will be closed approximately 5 miles north of New Waverly.
Vehicles traveling south on IH-45 in this area will be detoured across the median to one lane of northbound IH-45. For this five-mile stretch, northbound IH-45 will be temporarily converted to one lane in each direction from 8 PM Friday, September 15 until 5 AM, Monday September 18. Drivers should exercise caution and be prepared for some delays during this lane closure.
The following weekend from 8 PM Friday, September 22 until 5 AM Monday, September 25, this detour will be reversed so that northbound traffic will be moved to one lane of the southbound IH-45 lanes in this area when the northbound lanes are closed.
The reason for the IH-45 lane closures is to allow TxDOT to install box culverts across IH-45, which is part of a larger project to reconstruct seven miles of IH-45 in this area to decrease traffic congestion and travel times, and increase safety along the route. A box culvert is a concrete structure that allows storm water to flow under a roadway.
IH-45 will be reconstructed to pass over local roads (including FM 1374 and FM 1375) to increase public safety by reducing any interference with IH-45 traffic due to future bridge maintenance and to eliminate the damage caused by over-height loads Placement of the culverts is one step in this reconstruction process. To alert drivers to the lane closures and detours, changeable message signs will be placed near the northbound and southbound lanes of IH-45 beginning about a week before the closures. In addition traffic control devices will be placed between the temporary northbound and southbound lanes to minimize driver confusion during the detour. The speed limit is reduced to 65 MPH throughout the limits of the project. The advisory speed limit will be reduced to 45 MPH through the limits of the detour.
The IH-45 lane closures are part of the reconstruction of IH-45 that will involve replacing the existing four-lane divided highway with a six-lane highway with a concreted median barrier in southern Walker County. The project is scheduled to be completed in September 2021. During the 4.5-year project, multiple lane shifts and relocation of traffic will take place at various times to accommodate construction activity.