Main Street Bridge reopens

[Slick Vik]

The Main Street bridge across Buffalo Bayou north of downtown will reopen midday Monday, Metro officials said, after a lengthy closure related to light rail expansion.

 

The bridge, a key link between downtown and the near Northside, closed in August 2011 so workers could extend the tracks north from University of Houston Downtown to Northline Commons, just outside Loop 610.

 

The North Line rail extension is scheduled to open next year.

 

The bridge reopening ends months of circuitous detours around the construction, which at one point included a diversion through a work zone parking lot.

 

Shops and restaurants along the route blamed the bridge’s closure for slumping sales, often complaining to the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County about the hit to their business. Metro offered businesses up to $25,000 for the loss of revenue, if they met certain criteria. But some said even that wasn’t enough.

 

Opening the bridge will resolve some of the issues, though some businesses have also complained the work along Main and Fulton makes it tougher to turn into their parking lots.

 

With work on the bridge and assorted traffic signals and lighting complete, Metro officials said the bridge is set to reopen following a Monday celebration and re-dedication. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the southern end of the new bridge.