The demolition of the Waco Street Bridge will affect traffic on I-10 East this weekend.

The Waco Street Bridge carries traffic over a busy section of I-10 East, not too far from downtown Houston.

But the state says there’s a major problem with that bridge: it gets hit frequently by tall loads on oversize vehicles. TxDOT says it's happened at least sixteen times over the past couple of years.

Now the agency is taking steps to solve the problem by building a new bridge at Waco Street that's about two feet higher.

"We think that it will go a long way in alleviating the amount of bridge strikes that we have at this particular location," TxDOT's Deidrea George told Houston Public Media.

The current bridge stands at 14 feet 4 inches. The new bridge will be 16 feet 6 inches.

As of Wednesday night, the Waco Street Bridge will close to prepare for demolition set for the weekend. While that work is taking place overhead, TxDOT will totally close all main lanes of I-10, both eastbound and westbound at 9 p.m. Friday, with the roadway expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.

There could also be other main lane closures as the project moves forward, George said.

"Anytime that there is any work that needs to take place over the main lanes we would certainly have to shut that down so that we can make sure motorists are safe," she explained.

Construction of the new Waco Street Bridge will cost $6 million, paid for with a mix of state and federal funds. It's expected to be finished in December.

George said the new Waco Street Bridge will also include improvements for pedestrians and cyclists. The sidewalk will be widened from four feet to eight feet and the bike lane will be widened from four feet to five feet.

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