With Beltway 8 still shut down on both north and southbound lanes just south of I-10, traffic is being re-routed to Westheimer, creating commuting nightmares the likes of which even Houston has never seen.
So here are a few tips that may help you and everyone else out.
Try carpooling:
If you carpool with two other people — a spouse, a co-worker, or a friend — that takes extra cars off the road.
Another perk — you can use the HOV lane, which has been a lot faster.
Work alternate hours:
This will help you avoid the peak morning and afternoon rush hours. Get on the road before 6 a.m. or after 9 a.m. and before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m.
Or even better, see if you can work from home.
Pack a lunch or order in:
Stay out of the lunch rush, and brown bag it. The lunchtime commute is twice as long as it usually is, so don’t waste time waiting in traffic.
Or let someone else do the driving, and organize a catered lunch at work.
Try walking:
If your destination is less than a mile away, try walking.
Keeping your car off the streets on these short trips will help keep the roads flowing for everyone.
Utilize delivery apps:
Let someone else do the driving for you. Try Instacart for groceries, the Favor app for errands, or UBER Eats for dinner.
Keep in mind, services may be limited, and allow plenty of time for your order to arrive.
Call 311:
If you see a stoplight that’s not working, call the city of Houston’s 311 number.
Signal outages make the backups even worse.
The closure of the west Beltway stems from flooding due to the controlled releases of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, which is expected to continue for several more days.
