Tired of Construction on 288?? Those Orange Cones Aren’t Going Anywhere Soon.
If you are tired of the construction it is not because of your lack of patience. The project started in October 2016, more than 3 years ago. So much has been done yet so much is left to do. The 288 project which extends south from CR 58 in Brazoria County all the way north to IH 69 (AKA US 59) near Downtown Houston.
The Brazoria County portion is scheduled to be completed during the first quarter of 2020. The County is managing that project and will be collecting the tolls (yeah!!, not) once operational. The Harris County part of the project won’t be done until at least Summer 2020 and is manged by the Texas Dept of Transportation (TxDOT). The Blueridge Transportation Group (BTG), who is actually doing the work, claims shortage of construction materials like iron and bad weather have been a factor in delaying construction. To be fair, Hurricane Harvey was a big problem for them as a lot of their equipment got flooded on 288 just north of 610.
Even though our County’s 288 expansion project will be completed sooner, the lanes will sit empty until the whole corridor is fully operational. One bright spot though is the widening of the 288/518 intersection for which drivers should be able to take advantage of before April 2020.
Be patient Manvel folks, there is hope!!