We are waiting for a study to wrap up that will provide environmental clearance to build Hwy 151 over Lp 1604. That clearance is anticipated to come late this year, allowing us to get going next year. Williams Brothers Construction, the contractor working on the Lp 1604 job, will be the builder. The Hwy 151 project is an optional add-on to the contract underway now; we anticipate fully that option will be selected by WB.
When will it be done? Late 2017 is the current target.
As for the job currently underway....
Work on the northbound frontage road is moving full swing. Bridge crews are starting to build a bridge for the frontage road over Helotes Creek, across Lp 1604 from Wildhorse. That work will be done six days a eek, and shouldn't impact traffic much. In the southbound side, road crews are starting to excavate the old Leslie Road to reconstruct it into our southbound frontage road. This work, between Shaenfield and Culebra roads, will also go six days a week. Since that work is behind barrier, impacts to traffic are minimal.
Meanwhile, work on the overpass structures near Braun Road continues. Dirt movers are building up the base and preparing for retaining walls to be build for the overpass approaches.
The plan on this project, as we've discussed before, is to first build up the frontage roads where possible, then move to the main lanes and overpasses. This will allow traffic a place to go when closures come - and they will come - for the construction of the overpasses.
The one activity that may require closures in the upcoming weeks is work to drill and build a foundation for posts that will hold up digital message boards near Culebra Road. The subcontractor doing that work, Levy Company, has run into tougher rock than they anticipated. Closures planned last week have been extended a few nights, and will continue this week and next.
Those closures may require a single lane of traffic during non-peak overnight hours.