Drivers on Dallas' Interstate 635, one of the most congested highways in the entire country, will have some lane closures this weekend for construction work.
The eastbound lanes of LBJ Freeway between Preston Road and the Dallas North Tollway will be reduced to one lane from 9 p.m. Friday through 11 a.m. Saturday.
Westbound lanes will be reduced to one lane along the same stretch of road between 9 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
Workers will lay support beams over what will become a new bridge at Monfort Drive during the closures.
The current bridge also will be closed during those times to allow for a safe work environment.
According to a Texas Department of Transportation traffic study, 250,000 vehicles travel through the 21-mile I-635 corridor every day. When the highway was built in the 1970s, it was designed to handle a traffic load just more than half of that volume.
"We want to encourage people to remember that the long-term solution -- it's not just a new highway. It's a transportation solution -- no more congestion on LBJ," said Heather Newsom, a spokeswoman for Trinity Infrastructure, one of the companies handling the five-year project.
Newsom stressed that businesses along the corridor will remain open during this weekend's closures and through the duration of the project.
She said several of the businesses have expressed concerns that drivers looking to avoid the detours will avoid the area completely and that business will suffer as a result.
