IH-45 Traffic Conditions

As of Weds., May 18, three southbound lanes on I-45 into Galveston have been opened, alleviating some of congestion facing morning commuters. However, only two lanes were open northbound, off the island, still creating a bottleneck on the Galveston Causeway during afternoon/evening commutes. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which has active construction on  I-45 throughout Galveston County, is working toward opening and maintaining three lanes northbound and southbound, while work continues in the area near Tiki Island for the next two years.     

As another hot weekend approaches, it’s highly likely the island will experience a large influx of visitors, and it could affect traffic. Please check road and traffic conditions before coming to the Galveston campus, and allow additional time as necessary. Please be safe and exercise caution and patience while driving through highway construction zones. 

As we head into a warm weekend that will attract visitors to Galveston Island, please remember that I-45 is currently down to two lanes northbound and southbound on the BNSF Railway Bridge near Tiki Island. Plan for heavy traffic/travel delays coming to and leaving the island.

Relief should be coming soon, however. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced today that crews will work during off-peak nighttime hours next week to ensure three lanes can be open, both northbound and southbound, while the long-term bridge replacement project progresses.

It will take a few days to complete this work, so please continue to monitor the following sources for updates and road conditions, and allow additional time if needed to reach your destination:

• Houston Transtar Traffic and Map* 
• TxDOT Construction Schedule and Closures (filter on "IH-45 in Galveston County") 
• Google Maps Live Traffic  
• Waze Live Map  

*NOTE: If you are reviewing Transtar freeway cams, check the date stamp to ensure the image is recent. Cameras have been operating sporadically during construction.

For information on commuter solutions Monday through Friday, visit the UTMB transit page.

TxDOT has announced a new plan which will allow it to restore IH-45 – which is currently under construction north of the Galveston Island Causeway – to a configuration that will provide three lanes in each direction (northbound and southbound) north of the Galveston Causeway and allow for the northbound passage of overweight vehicles. Once in place, this new approach should help alleviate the challenges faced by motorists this past week.