Tuesday, October 21

I-10 Huebner update

With the westbound I-10 overpass at DeZavala Road torn down - Webber Construction got the structure removed late Sunday after a slow start through the last weekend - crews can focus on reconstructing the bridge. The new bridge will be wider, taller and longer than the old bridge.

Crews will be on the bridge six days a week, working around-the-clock. They have six months to get the bridge re-opened, putting traffic where it'll be permanently no later than the end of April 2015.

Work on the eastbound side took just four of the alotted six months to complete. Though the project is behind schedule overall (when Ballenger Construction began the project in 2012, the total completion was scheduled for summer 2014), Webber's managers are finding ways to hurry along work and deliver a final product to area drivers.

One caution: though the first bridge took just four months to rebuild, that was during the best time of year to build. The westbound bridge is being build during the slower winter months.

Elsewhere on the project, Webber is eliminating overnight operations for the time being. Expect to still see crews working along the project during the day, but at night the only area of active work will be at DeZavala Road.

One of the major features crews are working on is the east-to-west turnaround at UTSA Boulevard, which should be ready for traffic sometime around the holidays.

What does all this mean? For most of us driving through the corridor, no major changes from what you see out there today. In fact, for the most part, what we have out there is what we'll stick with for the foreseeable future - likely through the end of the year.