Weekend freeway, bus/rail closures

What would a weekend in Houston be without some transit closures? This time around, we have a double shot: A road closure on the Katy Freeway and a MetroRail closure and bus detour in the Medical Center.

First, the Katy: All eastbound lanes of the freeway between Silber and Washington will be closed from 9 p.m. today through 5 a.m. Monday. You can use east-west surface streets as a detour, or just stay home and discover the delights of the west side. In addition, some ramps at the Katy/West Loop interchange will also be closed:

• The ramp from the Katy westbound to the West Loop southbound will be closed bettween 9 p.m. today and 6 a.m. Saturday. Detour to the West Loop north, exit at 18th Street and U-turn to access the southbound Loop.
• The ramp from the West Loop northbound to the Katy westbound will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. tonight and Saturday night. Exit 18th Street, U-turn and exit the Katy westbound as a detour.

In the Medical Center, MetroRail service will be shut down between the Hermann Park/Rice U. and Dryden stations from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday because of a building implosion. Rail service on the rest of the line will follow the usual weekend schedule; there will be a bus shuttle to bridge the Med Center gap with stops at Fannin and Sunset, Fannin and North MacGregor and Bay A of the TMC Transit Center. Also, Metro's 8 South Main bus route will detour between Main and Sunset and Main and University to avoid the area.

More information is available online for the Katy Freeway project and the Metro detours.