Official Press Release: New Diamond Lanes to be Built on US 290
Good news for Cypress area Highway 290 carpoolers! A little bit of relief is on the way in the form of extending the 290 HOV lanes from where the current barrier HOV ends at Eldridge out to the Cypress Park and Ride at Skinner. TxDOT and METRO joined forces to make this $514k project happen which will be paid for by METRO.
The extended HOV will be in the form of “diamond lanes” going both inbound and outbound on the interior wall of 290 and will be open 24 hours a day in both directions. These lanes will replace the current interior shoulder on 290. Construction is scheduled to begin in March and finish in June 2011.
According to George Greanias, President and CEO of METRO “When complete, the diamond lanes will connect METRO’s Cypress Park & Ride to our barrier separated HOV network, cutting as much as 20 minutes off the travel time along this six-mile section of the corridor.” We’ll take all of the help we can get!
I gave a quick video overview of the project below.
You can keep track of this and other Highway 290 expansion projects at My290.com.