TxDOT outlines I‑10/Eastex interchange demolition, weekend freeway closures and detours in Beaumont

Richard Bradley, Beaumont assistant area engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation, told the Beaumont City Council the agency is advancing multiple highway projects in the city and plans two weekend freeway closures to remove bridge segments at the Eastex interchange.

Bradley said the contractor will “remove this portion of the bridge as it crosses over the eastbound and westbound main lanes of I‑10,” and that the work will require shutting down the freeway. The first closure is scheduled “from this Friday, at 8PM all the way until Monday at 5AM,” with a subsequent closure planned the following weekend for the other bridge segment.

The closures mean through traffic on I‑10 will be routed to the frontage roads, with eastbound traffic diverted at the Calder exit and westbound traffic exiting at Gladys, Bradley said. He described local detour routing: drivers will use the frontage road to Eleventh Street and the on‑ramps near Delaware or College Street to rejoin I‑10. TxDOT will keep the 69 South→I‑10 East connector open during the work.

Why it matters: the Eastex interchange demolition is part of a sequence of large corridor projects that include new bridges, frontage‑road reconstruction and lane additions. Officials said the closures are essential to remove existing bridge segments and to accelerate construction safely.

Bradley summarized other active and upcoming projects in the Beaumont area. Work near Hildebrand Bayou is placing concrete shafts for abutments on an I‑10 eastbound frontage‑road bridge and setting retaining wall panels for the I‑10 westbound→U.S. 69 southbound direct connector. He said the I‑10 main‑lane widening project is close to completion, likely by the end of the year or early next year, and that two frontage‑road projects near Lamar are in a performance period pending vegetative establishment.

On safety and striping, Bradley said a special contractor has “shot blasted the concrete in order to get rid of that nasty old striping” and to improve legibility. He also noted pedestrian improvements: a sidewalk project from Pinchback to I‑10 went to letting in January with construction expected to begin in May.

Bradley described longer‑range projects, including signalization studies and shoulder improvements on U.S. 90, pavement rehabilitation on SH‑124 and a large corridor widening from the Colonel Drive interchange to SH‑347 that would expand two‑lane segments to three lanes each way, subject to future funding. He said some of those projects are several years out, possibly starting in 2028–2029.

Council questions and TxDOT response focused on a recurring local traffic concern at RFD Road and Highway 105. A TxDOT traffic representative said a city traffic study done in 2021–2022 did not recommend a signal at that intersection; TxDOT’s corridor study found the minimum criteria was “barely surpassed” and that the intersection’s delay is compounded by signal timing and connector geometry. The representative described alternatives TxDOT’s consultant sketched — including reconstruction and right‑turn restrictions — and said lack of feeder road bridges built in earlier phases limits local routing options.

Bradley said TxDOT’s public information officer has circulated detour graphics and social media flyers to stakeholders, hospitals, schools and refineries and that flyers showing the detour plan for each weekend closure are posted online.

The council did not take action; TxDOT staff offered to provide follow‑up details on traffic‑study findings and further outreach plans.

Ending: Bradley closed by inviting questions and saying he would be available for follow‑up; council members asked staff to continue coordination with TxDOT on the RFD/Highway 105 study and on community notification for the closures.