Ho-ho-hope to avoid Loop 610 near U.S. 290, starting Friday.

Westbound lanes of Loop 610, which turn southbound and head toward the Uptown area, will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Although the closing affects only two lanes, they are two critical lanes for drivers using the freeway.

Traffic headed from the Ella area to The Galleria and other destinations along Loop 610 will be redirected onto the connector to Interstate 10, said TxDOT spokeswoman Karen Othon.

Othon said TxDOT’s preferred detour is for drivers to head west on I-10, exit at Wirt/Chimney Rock, then head back east on I-10 to rejoin Loop 610 southbound.

The closing is needed to resurface the roadway, as part of a technique meant to make travel freeway less noisy. Crews grind top-most layer of the concrete to make grooves in the pavement, which reduces the noise as cars pass.

Drivers along U.S. 290 headed eastbound, meanwhile, will only have a single lane available when they reach southbound Loop 610. The lane restriction at U.S. 290 and Loop 610 also takes place from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

From 7 a.m. to noon on Sunday, the westbound Loop 610 ramp to westbound U.S. 290 also will be closed. The detour for that closing is to exit at T C Jester and use the frontage roads to access U.S. 290 past Mangum.

For information, consult Houston TranStar.