Resurfacing project on Southwest Freeway has many more months of work

Southwest Freeway drivers want to know when road resurfacing will be complete

Drivers on the Southwest Freeway can't help but notice the ongoing work to resurface the roadway. But after months, some are asking when it will be complete. FOX 26's Tom Zizka has the answer.

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - The eight-mile stretch of Southwest Freeway, between the beltway and I-610 West Loop is one of the busiest highways in Texas, carrying an average 290,000 vehicles each day. 

Houston Southwest Freeway resurfacing project continues

What we know:

In April, the Texas Department of Transportation started a project that will resurface the stretch of road for the first time since 2014. The agency says the existing pavement has reached its 'end of life' and has been crumbling.

The nearly $45 million dollar project includes the grinding, or milling, step; then the addition of two separate layers of fresh asphalt. So far, about half the milling is complete, and some of the first-layer of pavement has been installed. Additionally, TXDOT says the project includes repair work to highway bridges at Rice, Chimney Rock, and Fountainview.

Work is generally is being conducted overnight between 8 p.m and 5 a.m. It is scheduled to be complete by late Summer 2026.

What they're saying:

"It is a simple enough project, the overlay, but the milling that is required is very tedious work. That's what the public is seeing, right now," says TXDOT spokesman Leo Flores, "We do understand that it causes an inconvenience to people who are commuting, but by next summer, 2026, we hope to be getting complements about the great work that we did and the smooth pavements that's on I-69 from 610 to the Beltway."