Boerne Stage Road Bridge Update

Eastbound bridge during construction, July 2020

No need to fear, lane closure is not spoken about here! This is an update on bridge construction progress at the intersection of Boerne Stage Road and I-10 throughout the first half of 2020.

Folks, Texans will soon be able to drive over the newly constructed Boerne Stage Road bridge in order to cross over I-10. Thus far, the Boerne Stage bridge is completed in both the eastbound and westbound directions and the permanent concrete traffic barrier has been installed along the centerline. Finishing touches, such as placing illumination poles and small signs, are underway. 

Although the Boerne Stage Road bridge is not currently open to the public, it soon will be! We expect the bridge to be open to traffic around the 4^th quarter of 2020. 

To help you understand the size of this bridge, check out these fun facts:

Click Here to check us out on Twitter where all our up to date alerts can be found.

TxDOT continues to emphasize its focus on safety, especially throughout this construction process. Please continue to watch out for construction signs and closures of any sort.   

I-10 at Leon Springs is almost done....

Morning traffic in Leon Springs this morning was, well, slow.
We got your emails, calls, tweets and online submissions - all of them. Rather than respond individually (we don't have the personnel or the time to do that), we're hoping you'll circulate this post to let folks know what's going on. Rather than circulate email addresses and coordinate a cut-copy-paste form email complaint via your NextDoor or Facebook pages we ask you post this. We want you to know you've been heard, but we also want you to know we have answers. This post should address each of the major questions you're asking.


What happened
Late last week Texas Sterling Construction opened a new eastbound entrance ramp to I-10 from Boerne Stage Road. With the new on-ramp, located near the 10 West commercial development, crews are working to convert the old on-ramp into a new exit ramp for Dominion Drive.

This is the schematic we presented on this project before it began.

While our folks are building that new exit ramp we'll have the left lane of the frontage road closed near the HEB. We'll also keep the new west-to-east turnaround closed to minimize traffic conflicts with the reduced frontage road. This closure will last until the new ramp is ready to reopen, which should be around the end of the month.


Why?

Without the closure as it now is, you'd essentially have three lanes on the frontage road coming from Boerne Stage Road merging to a single lane in a very short distance. That simply doesn't make much good sense. What we have now allows for two lanes to merge to one by time traffic reaches the work area. That frontage road at the work area - that is, the area we're building the new exit ramp - has to be limited to a single lane to provide a safe work area while crews are tying in the new ramp to the existing frontage road.
To the credit of Texas Sterling Construction, most of the structural work to build this ramp has already been done. The process to get the ramp finished and opened should be relatively quick - right now we're planning to have that ramp opened up (and the frontage road lanes with it) by the end of March.


Read that again, please

Let us reiterate: we should have traffic in its final configuration by the end of March. Twenty-seventeen, just for those of you who question what year we'll be done. Though it's pretty wet this week we should be able to have traffic where it should be project-wide.

Unimpressed? We get it - this project has been going on for a while. It's been compounded for those who have survived the work at Ralph Fair Road and the work on Boerne Stage Road, in addition to another couple of smaller municipal projects in the area. If you live in Leon Springs or along Boerne Stage Road, you've likely been battling construction zones for the better part of the last five years.

We're telling you it's almost over - literally a few weeks away. At least, until we get to work on those new main lanes set to get built starting this year. But that's another post altogether.

Why no post in advance?

Honestly, there's little to excuse on this. Our communications staff knew this would be coming, but has been tied up doing some other stuff. That's no helpful, and it's not a valid reason to fail to have a post like this out before the traffic changes.

It may be a lot too little too late, but we apologize. We'll work to do better. As an agency, we've been tasked by the governor to do more with less - clearly that didn't happen here. We will figure it out and make it happen.

We do credit our project staff, however: they had notification of the change posted with digital message board prior to all this shaking up.

Can something be done to provide immediate relief?

This is a loaded question. The good news: this is very temporary. As we've reiterated above, the situation will only last through this month. With one week of that being Spring Break, we're hoping the traffic impact is kept as small as can be.

Can we open up an extra lane, though? No. That we can't do. The lane restrictions we've got in place today are necessary to complete the project safely, and that's what we're aiming to do.

What about signal timing?

We are working with folks from the city of San Antonio's Traffic and Capital Improvements section - they are the group that handles signal timing at this location. We're making sure the signals are adjusted to allow the best traffic flow possible during these next few weeks.

An officer could help by directing traffic...

We'd like to thank everyone who suggested this. We're not sure how much it will help, but you should see an officer on location in the morning and through the rest of this week. We'll evaluate Friday how much of a help this has actually been.

The biggest issue we're seeing is people who aren't making appropriate turns. Lane-to-lane changes are absolutely critical to making this area operate at the highest efficiency, and if that's not happening the whole thing falls apart. If that sounds a little like we're trying to share the responsibility for an efficient transportation system with you, the driver ... well, then the point has been made.

Once the lane-to-lane turn (which is taught in literally every drivers education class in the country) is made, drivers will need to employ the zipper merge to continue a good flow of traffic. These aren't advanced traffic maneuvers here, and our engineers assume drivers will be able to safely perform these basic maneuvers when they set up a traffic control plan.

Why discuss this now? Because the point of the officer on site in the morning will be to make sure traffic is doing this - the lane-to-lane movement, the zipper merge, all of it. They'll also make sure you're not blocking the intersection by trying to squeeze in before the red light.

If you're in the intersection and stopped when the light turns red, you're doing it wrong.

It's unbearable/dangerous/painful/horrible/killing us

Typical traffic during peak hours in other US locations....

We've heard other superlatives about this as well, but that heading just about sums it up. If it can be said, it's being said. This is, after all, the trafficopalypse of Leon Springs.

And no, we're not making light of it. We're simply trying to let you know we get it.

To the point of safety, we'll reiterate the situation is not dangerous. Were there frustrating delays this morning? Most definitely. Our field staff were on site observing what was happening and are making appropriate adjustments (see above). But a dangerous situation? No - that's not created by this. It's created by impatient drivers who make poor choices. Again, we're talking about shared responsibility here. We are owning the fact it's frustrating. We're also asking the drivers to own the fact they create the hazardous situation.

Did TxDOT crews force those cars to drive along the median to skip by traffic? Nope. Did TxDOT crews direct traffic onto parking lots, cutting through properties? Not one bit. We don't make those choices. To suggest we do strips the responsibility of safe driving from the drivers themselves, and is faulty logic.

Again, we're owning that the frustration of traffic delays is on us. We own that we didn't get proper notice out. We are working on a fix. We are trying to finish construction and we've whittled away the capacity of a roadway. For a three-hour period of time during the day it's pretty rough going, and we absolutely believe assertions of ludicrously long commute times. We're trying to solve that while maintaining the integrity of our safe work zone.

We simply need drivers to own their own behavior while we're at it.

Notes for those who are late

An odd request we got from more than a couple of folks is to provide a written note for kiddos late for school because of the traffic mess.

We're not sure we have the authority to do this, but we hope this blog post will help explain the situation for a day or two. We believe that, like other traffic situations like this, things will improve within a few days as folks get used to the traffic situation. The weather isn't helping much this week, either, and traffic generally flows a little easier when the road is dry.

However, if you need a late note for your teacher or boss and if this page works, feel free to use it. Don't have your boss or teacher call us, please - that's overkill. Just give them the link to this blog post and let it speak for itself.

Mail Bag: Lots of 1604 questions, 410-151, frontage roads and more

On Loop 1604 South between Wiseman and Potranco, there is only one left turn lane onto Wiseman heading east and Potranco heading east. Can you make the middle lane a left turn/ straight ahead option lane? There is a big backup on 1604 because there is only one left turn lane onto the these two streets.

- Jaime
The short answer to your question ... is no, we can't make that left through lane an optional left/through lane.

But we're not always about brevity here. We like to explain things, and you're here because you want to hear (ahem, read) what we have to say. Right?

The biggest reason for not going with the optional left-through lane (which do exist on Wiseman and on Potranco, by the way) is signal phasing. There's a whole manual for this (which you can read, if you want). These intersections are currently five-phase intersections, meaning the signals change five times each cycle. It works to maximize the flow of traffic in all directions. The five phases are:

1. Southbound Lp 1604 (with left turn)
2. Southbound and Northbound Lp 1604 (no left turns)
3. Northbound Lp 1604 (with left turn)
4. Eastbound Wiseman/Potranco (with left turns)
5. Westbound Wiseman/Potranco (with left turns)

The cross streets have that optional left-turn lane ... the major street does not. That's by design! If we were to add the optional lanes to Loop 1604, we'd have some issues and you'd actually see greater delays. Here's why:

1. Southbound Lp 1604 only
2. Northbound Lp 1604 only
3. Eastbound cross street
4. Westbound cross street

By doing this you're lacking the major traffic movement with this arrangement - that extra phase of traffic where the through traffic is allowed to flow through the intersection. Sure, by just looking at things we'd only have four phases ... but that means you're looking at 20-30 fewer seconds given to that through traffic for each cycle. That traffic would instead simply stack up on queues on the main lanes, bogging down traffic on Lp 1604 even more.

That's why we don't do an optional left-turn lane on any location comparable to Loop 1604 here (think of Loop 337 in New Braunfels or Northwest Military at Wurzbach Parkway).

Here's the good news: you may have noticed we're working on the overpasses at Wiseman, NW Military and Potranco. It'll take some time to get to where those overpasses are in use, but they are your long-term solution. By the way, when we have those overpasses in we'll be able to employ your suggestion and move to a four-phase cycle (which is standard for expressway intersections).

One issue that seems to be ignored is the lack of a good connection for people leaving AR wanting to head north on 1604. The best way now is Wiseman, out the "back" of the area, although it is generally backed up at rush hour.
It appears to me that a simple clover, eastbound just pass the overpass, onto 1604 headed north, would solve the problem. There doesn't appear to be any right-of-way issue, when might this project be put in place?
- Richard
The issue wasn't ignored at all; the current strategy is to route traffic down to Wiseman like you're doing today. When the project was studied and designed the demand (and projected demand) for that move wasn't very high. Remember these plans go back over seven years, so a lot of what you're seeing now wasn't known of during those plans.
Once we were ready for construction, financial constraints kept us from adding more features to the project (and bridge work is really expensive).
The current option will improve dramatically when the overpass at Wiseman is constructed and, as you know, we're working on that now. When that's done (the project is set to wrap up in 2019) we'll take a new look at traffic movements to determine needed improvements in the future.


You posted some information on your blog sometime around October 2015 regarding a lane being eliminated on the frontage roads of the I-410 just north of TX-151 due to construction work. It said that work would be completed around 2017. I know there is still construction work going on around this area, however I would like to know if this lane elimination is still there or if it has been lifted. I have also pasted in the information that was shown on the blog. Thank You.
- Jay
Those frontage road lanes is still eliminated, and we're still working to fill the promise of having that lane reopened this year. That will happen when we've got the new ramps finished - a task on this project that's prioritized right now. The closures are designed to help crews widen the frontage roads and the main lanes, fitting them to new ramp configurations that are being pushed to be in place this summer (if all goes well).


Why is there no plan for an east bound exit for Boerne Stage Road? Everyone going to HEB or Walmart has to sit through the Ralph Fair stop light. I'm not surprised the bridge needed expansion but a lot of that was due to two streets worth of traffic forced to go through the same exit and light.
Could you please let me know why this is the plan?
- Reid
Right now it's really a matter of geometry. You're familiar with the area; you know the on-ramp from Ralph Fair Road (which gets more than its fair share of use) takes up most of the space between Ralph Fair Road and Leon Creek. Yes, there's a big gap between Ralph Fair Road and that on-ramp, but that's filled by the auxiliary lane allowing turnaround traffic to blend with traffic off the bridge - preventing us from moving that entrance ramp anywhere.
Those unfamiliar with what's going on out there can check out our schematic of the area here.
It's a tough situation, for sure - but not one that has been taken lightly by our folks at all. The situation will likely improve for you when we convert that frontage road between Old Fredericksburg Road and Ralph Fair Road to one-way; it'll open up some capacity along the frontage road and improve the signal operations a bunch.


We are new to the area and keep hearing rumors about SH 211 extending to Culebra. I saw something that there is a project out there that has been on and off for years. Is there anything in the future for this effort?
- Matthew
This is a discussion that's been had by the Alamo Area MPO, Bexar County and us quite a bit over the last several years. The effort is currently in the hands of Bexar County. They have information posted online here.


Bitters Road between Blanco and 281 is down to two lanes and it is a nightmare for traffic, particularly for parents and school buses who have to use Bitters to reach Hidden Forest Elementary. I have not seen any public notice about the scope of this project, although there has been intermittent resurfacing on parts of the road. What's going on right now and how long is it going to take?
- Haley
Haley wrote this in a few weeks ago. The work to which she referred was being done by the city of San Antonio.
Y'all, we know it can be confusing regarding who is in charge of what road. Heck, we get it wrong from time to time. A good rule of thumb: if it has an FM (Farm-to-Market) road designation, it's a TxDOT road. These designations feature the big white boxes with black numbers you'll see on the large green directional signs when you're running down the Interstate highways. If it doesn't have that designation, it's not ours.
If it's not ours and it's in the city limits, it belongs to the city of San Antonio. If it's beyond city limits, it goes to Bexar County Public Works.
It's tough to keep straight for us all, but we try to manage. We have cheat sheets that help, too!
All that said, the city had responded to others asking similar questions and should have had the issue resolved a while ago.


So since the new on ramp has opened on 1604 and Bandera headed west, I've seen many, many people leave the Stonefield Place street and interrupt traffic to get on the highway. The street is passed the entrance ramp so they have to drive up and cross over the 3 lanes to get on. I've seen people almost get hit several times in the last week alone. Any way something could be done to alleviate this?
- Leah

Don't let this be your commute. Be safe. Drive smart.

Unfortunately there aren't a lot of options to deal effectively with these very rude, very selfish, very dangerous drivers. And that's what they are - rude, selfish and dangerous. They are putting their own wants ahead of the safety of all of us on the road, aren't they?
Sadly, Leah, this is a driving behavior displayed all over the city. What's more, it's not even against the law (as Texas Highwayman points out) in Texas, though it is elsewhere. Here it's just an obnoxious lane change. Just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, though, and this sort of mentality has simply got to be eradicated. At this location specifically, going through that signal at Bandera only takes a few extra minutes and could extend life expectancy of they motorist by years. Decades, even. That's a heck of a return-on-investment!

We design and build the roads and include with our building a set of instructions (pavement markings, highway signs...). When those instructions are not followed, the results are almost always disastrous.
Update: Looking at this location a second time based on feedback from Texas Highwayman, we need to point out this movement is, in fact, an illegal movement. Coming out of Stonefield to get to the entrance ramp to northbound/eastbound Loop 1604 means crossing the "gore", which is absolutely illegal. And unsafe. And selfish. And reckless. And everything we mentioned above.
We can try to install some sort of barrier to stop this - like the Tuff Curb and delineator paddles we're planning to put in on Alamo Ranch Parkway near Westwood Loop, but this shouldn't be a necessary strategy.
Let us be clear: this reckless, dangerous, selfish, childish, rushed and illegal driving behavior exists all over San Antonio. We stripe the roadway to let folks know this is unacceptable, but are criticized because drivers completely ignore the striping. This leads to pressure to put up these positive barriers - which we can absolutely do, when needed - at a higher cost to you, the taxpayer, and at an absurd cost to repair, replace and maintain as we go. To see what we mean, take a look at US 281 north of Loop 1604, where we've installed these curbs and paddles to stop selfish and disrespectful drivers from doing the same thing up there. We've had to replace those paddles routinely, as drivers ignore them and figure the damage to their own car is minimal, so they simply drive over them.
Installing a small concrete curb isn't an option, either - those are only to be used on roads with posted practical speeds under 45 miles per hour. The frontage road here is now posted at 50, and drivers are often exceeding that posted limit.
This gets us to the point of actual solutions for you, Leah. Option one: tell your neighbors to stop being so dang selfish, rude, dangerous, reckless, careless and more. Option two: encourage your local law enforcement agencies to up the enforcement on this maneuver, writing tickets for those who do it.
In the interim, we'll pass along some comments on this issue to our engineers for a fix.

Any idea when construction to widen Loop 1604 from I-10 to FM 1346 might begin? Thanks!
- Todd
Right now that's included in our long-range wish list and is penciled in for the year 2020. To be honest, that mark will likely move - it's placed on the list for the year 2020 so it's considered and scored for prioritization. We are working on it, but at the moment we have other demands to fill.

Mail Bag: 151 direct connector, turn lanes at Boerne Stage Road, 281-46 progress

It's been a while since our last Mail Bag post, so we're sifting through the questions now. We hope to have another round of questions answered next week - keep telling us what you want to know!

In the March 16 post you stated, "the direct connector for southbound Lp 1604 to eastbound Hwy 151 is the most visible piece of the intersection improvements, and is on pace to be ready for use this fall." Does this intersection have an estimated completion date and any word on the southbound 1604 to eastbound 151 connector opening early still?
- Kevin
Great question, Kevin. Some of us have been asking the same thing as May rain storms really pushed back work across the district.
The overall completion for this intersection has a deadline of early 2017, but is still on pace to wrap up before the end of the year. As for the new direct connector, it's clearly not going to open by the end of June. By the end of summer, though? That's a distinct possibility.

When will you stripe the two left turn lanes onto Beorne Stage Rd? Right now it's quite likely someone in the right turn lane won't go far enough out not to clip the inside turn lane.
- Chris
This is a problem, quite frankly, even where we have the final striping in place. In many states, it's the law to turn lane-to-lane. That is, if you start in the far left lane to turn left, you had better land in the far left lane of the road you're turning onto.
For whatever reason, Texas law isn't written the same. (By the way, we're not advocating any law here - just pointing out what drivers from other states experience.)
The bottom line: drivers here are woefully unaccustomed to the safe practice of turning into the same lane from which you've turned. Frankly, drivers need to take the responsibility and catch up with best practices implemented by drivers across the nation. But that aside, those pavement markers are darned important.
We'll make sure those are in place and maintained properly moving forward for you!

Now that you've addressed the no right turn rationale on BSR, can you attempt to explain the dual turnaround lane configuration at RFR? The issue is that you have two lanes of the feeder set to turn left onto RFR in addition to the dedicated turnaround lane. The left most left turn lane, the left turn only, turns directly into another left turn only lane making it another turnaround. The middle lane on the feeder that is straight or left turn is directed into the middle lane which is straight through the light into Rialto Village. This center lane that is straight or left always backs up with the people going straight through, so a lot of us turning left will use the left lane, and just cross the other two lanes to turn right to head north on the feeder. The issue is that sometimes there is someone actually turning left from that center lane.
- Dan
A lot of this has to do with what you'll have, final product, when we're all done with the frontage road and new overpass work between Ralph Fair and Fair Oaks (actually, turning that optional lane into an optional left/straight lane was a modification of the original plan, based on public input). Remember when we're all done you'll not be turning left on Ralph Fair to turn right onto what will then be the eastbound (only) frontage road.
We're also trying to take into account the future development at that location. While you're right that the left-left option effectively creates a dual turnaround, folks coming from the actual turnaround shouldn't be trying to skip across a few lanes to reach the Whataburger right there. Those folks should use the left-left lanes you've mentioned.
So we really do have a method to the madness.
That said, we can take a look at the layout and have our engineers try to find a way to address the issues you've brought up.

When will the turn-around at 281/46 be completed in Comal county? Why has this project progressing at such a slow rate?
- Donald
For those not familiar with this project, this is the construction of new turnarounds for US 281 at Hwy 46 in Bulverde. The contractor out there is CRG, and should have finished up about a year ago. To be frank, since this project started an entire commercial development - including a Wal-Mart store and its surrounding infrastructure - has been constructed.
Unfortunately we don't have a good answer for why the project has progressed as slowly as it has. We've been working to encourage CRG as much as we can, including assessing liquidated damages for late completion of the project.
The good news: our current schedule shows we should be all done out there before the start of the school year.

Mail bag: I-10 stuff (Leon Springs), bandit signs, I-35

I have a question about the northbound I-35 exit for Rittiman Road: Will the new exit be open before the current exit is closed?
-Marshall
That is the plan. We'll have more details for you later this week, though - the goal is to post some long-needed details on that project. Stay tuned!


When will the additional east bound access road lanes be opened between Ralph Fair and Boerne Stage Road? The closing of the road into Leon Springs on the west bound side of I-10 is creating a terrible situation on Ralph Fair that could be mitigated by opening additional lanes on the east bound frontage road from Ralph Fair to Boerne Stage Rd.
-Justin
We addressed this question (and others) in an earlier post; that said, your note predated a few of the solves we've already implemented. We've got another coming later this month with the conversion of the frontage road between Boerne Stage and Dominion Drive to one-way. Look for more on that work later this week as well.

Every day I see people turning right from eastbound Shaenfield Road onto the 1604 southbound frontage road from the middle lane of Shaenfield. Would it be possible to get some temporary lane markers or increased patrols from SAPD to prevent this?
-Zane
Zane, you're one of several to bring this issue to our attention. We're working on adding signs to delineate lane assignments. As for getting law enforcement involved, that's always best coming from you than it is coming from us.

I have two questions: First, why were two new construction trailers installed at the westbound access road just beyond Ralph Fair Road (in front of the Valero station) this week?
Second, is there any news regarding the plans for the overpass construction on I-10 at Old Fredericksburg Road (between Ralph Fair and Fair Oaks)?
-Jeffrey
Jeffrey, your two questions are perfectly related. Those two trailers are the new field office for the project along I-10 between Ralph Fair and Fair Oaks. That project is set to start next month; once we get closer to work on this project (we're building a new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road then converting the frontage roads to one-way) we'll have something to post here.


Is the WalMart by I-10 and Boerne Stage Road planning on opening before construction is finished? The traffic is already terrible as it is, and I can't see WalMart opening and it not being even worse! Also, what are the plans to make traffic less of an issue in the mornings and evenings once construction is complete? I can't see adding a new on-ramp reducing the terrible traffic that's caused during rush hour.
-Gerard
Wait, there's a WalMart being built out there? Seriously? Just kidding. We're very aware of the development. Yes, it'll impact traffic when it opens. Yes, it'll open before our project is finished up. We are taking that into consideration as we continue work. We can't stop (or even delay) WalMart; we're doing about all we can to push our contractor to work on the job. They're doing a tremendous job, too - they're pouring every resource they can into getting this project complete.

There is a pretty serious issue with the eastbound frontage on I-10 just before Boerne Stage Road. Two days ago traffic was diverted from the right lane to the left lane to facilitate bridge work. The issue is with the recently completed bridge work that's now open. The contractor has not evened up the road surface with the bridge decking. There is a large gap that will end up damaging tire/wheels/suspensions/alignments. This is dangerous, and needs immediate attention.
-Matt
Matt, we'll take another look at the issue and see if it's not already solved. Hopefully it is, but we'll make sure.

I am a realtor and had a couple signs outside the gate of a community along Hausman Road between 1604 and Bandera Road. I am told that someone saw TxDOT remove the signs. If this is true, whom may I call to get my signs back?
-Deb
Deb, those signs are what we call "bandit" signs. They're actually unauthorized and not supposed to be in the right-of-way. They get really bad this time of the year with elections, so our guys go out and remove as many as they can from the right-of-way.
Little-known fact: it's actually against the law to post any unauthorized sign in the public right-of-way. Lots of folks do it, so you're not alone.
If your sign is still intact (our crews try to not completely thrash them when they remove the signs) it's being held at our Bexar Metro Area Office. Give them a call at 210.623.4431. If you're looking for a sign from the other end of town, call our East Bexar folks at 210.633.1402.

Mail Bag: Boerne Stage Road, graffiti and Wurzbach Parkway

Note: we've got dozens of questions to get to through the Mail Bag; we'll get them answered in the order in which they are received, and answer as many as we can at one time. Keep checking back if you've submitted a question!
 (There is) Graffiti on the one-way sign on the access road of 1604 heading east between Braun Road and Bandera Road. The sign is in front of the Stonefield Estates subdivision.
- Rachel


To start, we'll let our maintenance guys know (if they've not already addressed this) and make sure they can get it cleaned up. Often we can't clean it and have to simply replace the sign; it's frustrating and really expensive.

Beyond that, "there's an app for that" ... done by the city of San Antonio. It's pretty cool. You see graffiti, you take a picture of it and enter it into the app. Not only will the request for cleanup be sent to the proper agency, but it will help put a stop to the graffiti altogether.


When will the Boerne Stage Road project be completed? Nobody seems to be working on the project. Please advise.
- Holly

The Boerne Stage Road project is a Bexar County project; we don't have the details on the job. However, we do have an active project along I-10 right there, and we've posted an update on that project pretty recently.
If you're asking about the Boerne Stage Road expansion, get in touch with the county - that's your best bet.


Wondering what the plan and purpose is for the current construction on Culebra road at 1604.
It sure is causing some traffic headaches.
- Cody
There are two projects currently impacting traffic at Loop 1604 and Culebra, but the latest project is likely the culprit for your headaches.
The first project, an effort to expand Lp 1604 to an expressway between Bandera and Culebra, impacts traffic coming from Culebra onto northbound Lp 1604 - particularly during the afternoon traffic rush. That work will eventually make everything better for traffic on Culebra by allowing southbound Loop 1604 traffic bypass Culebra (using a Reverse Diamond or Super X ramp configuration).
The newer project adds raised concrete medians to the middle of Culebra Road between Loop 1604 and Grissom Road. This is a safety project, pure and simple, with the goal of removing what are called conflict points along the route and is part of an effort to prepare Culebra Road inside Loop 1604 to be turned over to the city. The plan eliminates a number of left-turn options, except at cross streets and some select other locations, in favor of maintaining a continuous flow of traffic along the route. It's consistent with what's done in a number of locations across the city, including (for instance) Callaghan Road or San Pedro.


Is there a projected date when the Wurzbach Parkway will be completed?
- Ed
Ed, you're one of dozens of folks who've submitted similar messages; your note also betrays just how long we've been sitting on these questions to get this post finished!
If you've not heard by now, here's the good news: the eastbound lanes of Wurzbach Parkway opened yesterday (that's September 15) at about 3:50 p.m. There's a ton of great news coverage out there on it; check here, here, here or here. Or here. And there's this one, run before opening.
We also broadcasted the opening of the new eastbound lanes via live video feed, which went over Twitter through Periscope (and if you don't have a clue what those are, well ... neither did we until a few months ago).
The bottom line: eastbound lanes are now open. Westbound lanes are targeted to open Sept. 23. We still have work on US 281, with the new northbound exit to Wurzbach Parkway and the turnarounds at Nakoma - which should all be finished by early October.

I-10 at La Cantera is a mess Saturday mornings because of the heavy traffic heading into Fiesta Texas around opening time. Is there anything that can be done to alleviate it now and the future? I know it's only during summer peaks tone but it makes it impossible to travel westbound on I-10 from 9 a.m.-noon.
- Christina
Christina, we're sorry for not responding to this one sooner - this note was sent well before the end of summer as the end-of-summer crowds were flooding the area for a last chance at some fun at one of our local amusement parks.
We actually already do take some huge precautions to help the situation at the intersection of I-10 and La Cantera, including the use of police officers (SAPD) to direct traffic at the intersection. Unfortunately, the backup stems not from the intersection or the ramps in the area, but from the bottleneck that's at the gates to the park. No matter what we do, traffic will only move as fast as folks can pay for their parking permits.
But know that we're always looking at the issue. We've tried some interesting stuff in the past, including routing traffic (as much as we can) to Camp Bullis to stack up the traffic queue for that amusement park along the eastbound frontage road.
It helps, but as you've noted the solution we've got isn't perfect. The good news is you can typically get around the snarl by using Loop 1604 to Vance Jackson, heading north through The Rim, then rejoining I-10 near Home Depot.

Leon Springs work

With two projects moving simultaneously, there are more than a few moving parts between Dominion Drive and Ralph Fair Road along I-10. Here's a look at a few items of note:

Frontage road between Boerne Stage and Aue roads

Last week a portable changeable message sign advertising the temporary conversion of the frontage road between Boerne Stage Road and Aue Road to one-way was posted. The message stated the conversion would happen Monday - and that didn't happen.

The conversion will allow crews to reconstruct the bridge over Leon Springs, which will be built in halves. When that work is finished, the road will revert - permanently - to two-way. This is expected to begin (as of the current schedule) in August. The changed schedule is the result of pending utility relocations - a water line needs moved before work on the bridge can begin. Once we have a better grasp on the actual schedule, we'll post a notice right here.

Eastbound entrance ramp from Ralph Fair Road

We've gotten a multitude of calls and emails asking about the "new" eastbound entrance ramp from Ralph Fair Road. Some of these emails beg for some explanation so we're all on the same page. Honestly, this communication break-down is on our end for not showing exactly what's happening.

First, and foremost, the ramp you're using now is a temporary ramp. It's only going to be in operation a short while. The intent here is to allow crews with Texas Sterling Construction to reconstruct the permanent ramp (in the old location) so it is fit to the new one-way configuration of the eastbound frontage road.

So, this change isn't permanent.

The barrier that's out there is required to maintain project area safety. That said, engineers are re-evaluating the placement of the barrier in the field. If adjustments can be made, they will be. Because of the speed of the roadway we cannot use shorter barrier (that low-profile barrier is only rated for roads with top speeds of 45 miles per hour).

Bottom line: we're taking a long, hard look at this. But what we've got out there is temporary as it stands, and we're pushing the contractor to finish the permanent ramp quickly to get folks back onto the ramp they're intended to be on.


Ralph Fair Road bridge

The bridge is nearly finished. In fact, we're waiting for just a few touch-ups to wrap the project up and should have everyone in final configuration by the end of the month. Mostly, we're waiting for striping to get all the lanes painted to their final configuration.

For those wondering what the lane arrangement will be, here's the final layout:

This cross section shows the lane layout of the new Ralph Fair Road bridge, seen from the vantage point of the Walgreen's at the intersection of I-10 and Ralph Fair Road.

Here's the rub, though: we won't be able to put the bridge into its final final configuration until Texas Sterling finishes the work on the eastbound frontage road between Ralph Fair Road and Boerne Stage Road. Right now we've only got one lane on that frontage road, so we can't very well have two left turn lanes! On a temporary basis the southbound center lane of Ralph Fair Road, which will eventually be an optional left/straight lane, will be a thru lane only.

I-10 projects ... a whole slew of work

I-10 through the San Antonio area is currently the most worked-on roadway in the San Antonio area. From Boerne to Seguin, we currently have six major active projects with another handful of smaller jobs to do landscape or some element of repairs.

We have another half-dozen projects waiting in the wings, with two set to start in the next year.

Here's a brief look - a snapshot (or, more appropriately, snapshots) of what we've got going on.

I-10 frontage road (Boerne)

Zimmerman Construction has been at it for about three months now (maybe four), and they've still got another four months to go. The $4.3 million project adds a westbound frontage road between U.S. Hwy 87 and Texas Hwy 46 while moving the exit ramp to Hwy 46.

Zimmerman is hard at work to build a new westbound frontage road approaching Hwy 46.

I-10 at Scenic Loop Road (Boerne)

A recent public meeting showed what we plan to do at this intersection. The end goal is to improve the I-10 overpass bridges at Scenic Loop Road, and to greatly - drastically- improve the intersection under those overpass bridges. That work is set to begin late 2015 or early 2016. We have not yet put bids on that project; we're hoping to do so by early fall this year.

When finished, this intersection will allow for a much smoother flow of traffic to accommodate growth on the south part of Boerne.

I-10 at Fair Oaks Parkway (Fair Oaks Ranch)

Another project that's on the drawing board and set to come along in the near future, this replacement and expansion of an overpass bridge is on our schedule to be let for bids late 2016. The goal of the job is to expand the Fair Oaks overpass bridge to at least five lanes (it's currently got two) and further facilitate an ongoing effort to convert frontage roads along I-10 to one-way. Once work begins, likely early 2017, the project would wrap up in about a year and a half.

The Fair Oaks Pkwy bridge will be replaced with a much - MUCH - wider bridge to meet the growth that's come in the area.

I-10 between Ralph Fair and Fair Oaks

Using funds generated by voter-approved Proposition 1, TxDOT will add a new overpass on I-10 at Old Fredericksburg Road while converting frontage roads between Ralph Fair and Fair Oaks to one-way. This project lets for bids next month, and work should begin by the end of the year. Once work begins, the project duration is anticipated to be about three years.

I-10 managed lanes

The Alamo Regional Mobility Authority is working with TxDOT planners for this project, which is likely to begin construction by the end of 2016. At this point, things are still in the review and planning process.

Ralph Fair Road bridge

Paving at the intersection of Ralph Fair and I-10 has been slow going, but that's all we really have left to do. Overnight work is being used to make this happen to minimize the impact on traffic. Once that final surface of asphalt is on the ground, we'll have things opened up in full.

The intersection of Ralph Fair Road and I-10 was set to be paved this week; that work has been pushed due to conflicts with adjacent projects. Overall completion should come before the end of the month.

I-10 between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive

Well underway after only four months of real work, Texas Sterling Construction is still running at or ahead of schedule. Due to some conflicts with work done by neighboring projects, some of the planned work this week - particularly along the westbound frontage road west of Boerne Stage Road - has been rescheduled. That work will temporarily convert the frontage road between Boerne Stage and Aue roads to one-way (westbound) while crews replace the bridge over Leon Creek.

While most of the work between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive is focused near Boerne Stage Road, a new turnaround and the frontage road conversion will impact traffic right at Dominion Drive.

I-10 Huebner

At this point, the work is confined to the final surface of asphalt and punch list. Overnight closures are being used for that paving work, and the punch list tasks are being done wherever and whenever possible.

Webber Construction has instructed Angel Brothers Construction, the subcontractor responsible for paving the project, to remove paving equipment from the new east-to-west turnaround at UTSA Boulevard so the turnaround can be opened up immediately; Angel Brothers has been using the turnaround as a staging area for several months, and no additional work is necessary to have the turnaround open.

Overall completion on this project is on pace to happen before school starts.

I-10 East San Antonio

The final layer of asphalt is on the ground, and all that's left at this point is final striping. That's been done, for the most part, and the project is at a point where we're just about finished up. The good news is you shouldn't see any more major closures out here.

Fresh asphalt plus fresh paint equals pretty much finished project!

I-10 at Probandt

This isn't an active construction project, but a maintenance job. The westbound entrance ramp from Probandt has been shut down since May and will continue to be closed until this fall. The reason is a drifting slope; that is, the slope that's holding up guardrail and part of the road surface has started to erode aggressively, creating a safety issue. Until the slope is repaired and stabilized, the ramp will remain closed.

The ramp isn't closed to allow for construction; it's closed for safety reasons. It will be reopened when work to repair a slope is finished.

I-10 frontage roads (Seguin)

Over the last couple of years the need for frontage roads along I-10 through Seguin has become increasingly pressing. That included last year's completion of a new westbound frontage road between Hwy 46 and FM 464, and includes a $33.4 million project to construct frontage roads between Hwy 46 and Business 123.

When LANE Construction is finished with their work, a frontage road will run down the middle of this land.

Mail Bag: Highway signs, spare material on projects, closure announcements and more

I remember reading years ago on the Texas Highway Man Web site that one of the things the eponymous Highway Man wished he saw more of in the San Antonio district was more interchange sequence signs. I can think of maybe 3 or 4 I know of in the city, but admittedly, I don't see nearly as many here as I did when living in Houston (or visiting Dallas or Austin), and I'm curious: what is the reason the San Antonio area freeways have seemingly few of these signs?
- Donald

First of all, thanks for referencing the Texas Highway Man. If you're looking for a reliable third party to let you know the ins and outs of what we do, that's the place to go. While the site is in no way affiliated with the Texas Department of Transportation, the information there is typically right on target.

For those who don't know what Donald is talking about with sequence signs, here's a look:

A sequence sign on US 75 - "Central Expressway" - north of downtown Dallas.

Basically, sequence signs are those you'll typically see in an urban area showing you a list of upcoming exits, with the mileage before each exit.

Per our own Texas Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the rule of thumb is to use what's called advance guide signing - where we use a single sign, or two side-by-side signs, to warn drivers of an upcoming exit - unless the exits are very closely spaced. Our practice in San Antonio is to use the advance guide signs rather than sequence signs because most of our exits are spaced at least three-quarters of a mile apart.

It's our position in San Antonio that advance guide signs convey much simpler information versus the more complex info sets found on sequence signs.

What were the results of the variable speed limit pilot program on north Loop 1604?
- Mark

To find an answer to this question, we reached out to our traffic operations division up in Austin. The study results are in hand and are being prepared for publication right now - but they're not ready yet. Once those results are ready, they should be sent out via news release and readily available on our Web site. You'll also likely see a post on the topic right here, when the time comes.

What will become of the uprooted oak trees resulting from the expansion of Spur 53? That's an awful lot of firewood.
- Gary

This is a question that will give a glimpse into how the business of road-building works, and provide a solid answer to boot! Love questions like this....

As with any project, the contractor retains ownership of material (i.e. dirt, trees, etc.) removed from any contract. Whatever they do with that material is really their choice. This actually acts as an incentive for some contractors who aggressively bid projects, saving us a tremendous amount of money on the cost of construction. When a contractor aggressively bids on a project and under-bids competitors (often leaving potentially available money on the table), they are able to make a profit and earn the money to stay in business by appropriately finding a profitable way to dispose of the materials taken off the construction site.

That means that, if there's something you're interested in getting from the construction site (again, any site) you should coordinate that through the contractor. Just be aware that many contractors are dependent on that material to turn some sort of a profit. That may sound ridiculous with the dollar amounts we talk about (this project on UTSA Boulevard is a $9 million project, for instance), but the contractors are typically operating on a razor-thin profit margin for each project.

Now that a turn lane from eastbound Boerne Stage Road onto the eastbound I-10 access road is open, can something be done to make drivers stop or even just yield like they should? Accidents WILL happen there - the drivers are just not yielding.- Tim

First, it's good to hear there's some progress in the area that's helping. We know that project (Boerne Stage Road) isn't a TxDOT project (it's a Bexar County job), but it's right there next to ours. The county has done a fair job on the project, and it's near time to complete their work out there.

As for our project, the one thing that might help - an acceleration lane for that traffic to turn right onto - isn't in the cards. The best we can do is educate drivers on what the traffic configuration means to daily drivers. From there, the best option is to get law enforcement agencies to enforce things like yield signs or stop signs. Without that enforcement, folks simply don't seem to want to follow the rules. Our advice: take this one up with the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

There is a sign at the intersection of Wurzbach Pkwy and West Ave that has PA on it. What does PA stand for? When I lived in the north PA stood for Pennsylvania. You have us northern transplants confused. Please let me know!
- Jean

There's a really quick way to answer this one ... and since it's asked often, it's worth adding here: PA is TxDOT-ese for "Parkway". For Wurzbach Parkway, the state highway designation is "Parkway 1502".

In Texas, we use a number of state highway designations. We have the Interstate highways (NOT Interstate Highways - note the difference in capitalization!) like I-10, I-35, I-37, I-410 (Also note ... NOT "IH Whatever" ... Just a simple "I-" before the number!). We have U.S. Highways (like 281, 90, 87). We have Texas Highways (like 46 and 16). We have State Loops (like Loop 1604). We have State Spurs (like Spur 53, Spur 536 and Spur 371). We have Farm-to-Market (FM) roads, and we have Ranch-to-Market (RM) roads.

By the way ... the difference between the FM and RM designation is all geography. Generally speaking, west of U.S. 281 in our state, the roads are RM roads. East of U.S. 281, the roads are FM roads.

Each of these roads is owned, developed and maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation. If a road doesn't have one of these state highway designations, it's probably not maintained by us in any way.

Please check your dates. July and June appear to be randomly mixed on the July 2 (lane closures) post.
- Anonymous

Thanks for bringing this to our attention! Many of the lane closures each week are repetitive, so we do a lot of cut-copy-paste and then edit. There are some things that slip through the cracks, and on July 2 a lot of stuff slipped through. The issue was corrected for the July 10 post.

How come there was no notice of the closure of lanes on 1604 between Shaenfield and New Gulibeau?
- Zane

Well, Zane, the closures along that area were announced right here on the blog the week prior to these closures. There was some additional work, mostly at night and primarily around the turnarounds north of Shaenfield. Those closures were announced to us a little too late to get posted on the blog.

While these late closures are annoying (for all of us), they were very minimal. When they happen we get after the contractor and subcontractors responsible and they do better for us. That's what we'll do in this instance.

I-10 project update(s)

Next weekend (May 8-11) Webber Construction will close the westbound exit to DeZavala Road to repave the road surface. This closure will take the whole weekend - traffic headed from the Medical Center/Crossroads/Downtown area to DeZavala Road will take the UTSA Boulevard exit and use the turnaround. That, or folks can exit Huebner Road and go through the intersection.

They'll have the exit reopened in time for the Monday morning commute.

With that major piece of information out of the way, let's take a look at what's happening along I-10 otherwise....

I-10 Boerne Stage Road

This project will convert the frontage roads between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive to one-way. Part of this involves constructing a new frontage road leading up to Boerne Stage on the westbound side, leaving the road through Leon Springs to be a city street for business access.

Just about anyone driving through the area can tell what our focus is at the moment: we're building that new segment of frontage road. It runs straight through the old park-and-ride lot and includes a new west-to-east turnaround at Boerne Stage. Texas Sterling Construction is working hard on these items - as well as some work on Boerne Stage Road itself under I-10 - as other items progress.

We're building a new park-and-ride lot along the westbound frontage road about halfway between Boerne Stage Road and Ralph Fair Road. Texas Sterling says it will be finished and ready for use by mid-May.

What can't be easily seen is the struggle we're having to get some utilities cleared of our work. One of the private utilities in particular seems to be in our way, and we're doing what we can to get that utility company on site to move their lines as appropriate. Once those are out of the way, the already heavy work at the intersection of I-10 and Boerne Stage Road will intensify. Between now and then, expect to see other utilities moved around - including gas lines and water lines. Most of that work is already done, but we do have gas lines about to be moved through the month of May.

Another area of focus is a new east-to-west turnaround at Dominion Drive. Subcontractors are beginning the preparation work to expand the frontage road to accommodate the turnaround. This may require closing some sidewalk access (particularly under I-10) while crews get going. The good news for folks who live or work or play in the area is the expansion is all on the inside of the frontage roads - that is, in the area between the frontage roads and the main lanes. We are told the impact to the properties near this intersection will be extremely minimal.

As for work requiring closures, the biggest thing coming up is next week (currently scheduled for the night of May 6) as the electrical subcontractor works on the traffic signals at Boerne Stage Road and the I-10 frontage roads. While most of that work will be limited to the intersection right there at Boerne Stage, Texas Sterling will also have some work along the frontage road on the westbound side of the highway that night. The frontage road on the westbound side of I-10 will completely close the night of May 6 between Dominion and the Boerne Stage Road exit ramp while crews put drain structures across the road. Traffic will use the two-way frontage road on the eastbound side of the highway.

The signal work should only take a single night and the impact should be minimal. Once that work is done, signals will be on temporary (wood) signal poles hanging from wires. The permanent signals will be built when we get near the completion of the project mid-2016.

The drain structure work could require several nights, so expect to see that full closure of the frontage road repeated nightly for several nights.

I-10 Huebner

To answer the question on everyone's minds, right out of the gate: the turnarounds at DeZavala Road will be in use - daytime only - by the end of the week. That's what the good folks with Webber Construction are telling us. Overnight they'll need to close the turnarounds for work still, but they'll have them open for daytime traffic.

The new east-to-west turnaround at UTSA Boulevard will be ready and open by mid-May.

Beyond those items, Webber's primary focus is getting the road resurfaced. Nightly closures on the main lanes and on the frontage road - and the weekend closure of the DeZavala ramp mentioned above - will facilitate this. When everything is done, the road will be MUCH smoother than it is now, and we'll have all the striping blackout gone with nice, clear pavement striping through the whole project.

But that work is only really happening overnight.

Durinng the days Webber has crews working on the minor items - concrete work, railing and barriers, painting, sign installation ... mostly busywork the bulk of us driving through the work zone wouldn't notice without keeping a sharp eye out. More noticeably, you'll see some dirt work and grass being laid in the median area where required.

Webber says they are on pace to finish the project and be totally off the job by mid-summer.

Answers on I-10 (northwest SA)

We now have several active construction zones along I-10 in northwest San Antonio/Bexar County. With a few questions out there floating, it's time to get some answers out there to catch the questions.

I-10 Huebner 

We get two common questions on this project: the first addresses the pavement surface and the second addresses the turnarounds at DeZavala Road.

The turnarounds at DeZavala Road remain a priority, and we're working with Webber Construction to have them reopened as quickly as we can. The wet weather experienced through the area over the last four months (it's been one of the wettest years in memory to date) has slowed work across the 12-county district, and that's held true on I-10 at DeZavala. Much of the work needed near the turnarounds has been pushed a few times for weather.

That said, there's not much left to do before we should be able to allow the turnarounds to reopen. The question we're asking and going to Webber Construction with is whether we can open up those turnarounds before all the work at the intersection is finished. This is an involved discussion - the idea is to have the turnarounds open during the day and closed for work overnight. The hitch is many of the materials needed to do the work remaining, and the crews involved, are scarce overnight.

Bottom line: we're working on it. With an estimated overall completion date of summer 2015, the time between now and opening the turnarounds is wearing very thin.

As for the asphalt surface ... no the final product is not currently out there. We still have a final layer of surface asphalt to lay down, particularly on the main lanes. Webber was doing this work earlier in the month, but a prohibition of closures on the main lanes during Fiesta has halted progress. This prohibition has come at the insistence of city leaders, and we're doing our best to be a good partner in things. Once Fiesta wraps up this weekend, we'll turn Webber loose on the main lanes again and they'll use overnight closures to lay that final surface lane-by-lane.

Ralph Fair Road

This project is nearly complete. Crews with Sundt Construction have a goal of opening all lanes of the Ralph Fair Road bridge over I-10 by the end of May. As activities around that bridge slow down, crews will focus on the eastbound frontage road between Ralph Fair Road and Boerne Stage Road.

One common note we're getting is about potholes along this eastbound frontage road. Our inspectors and engineers are routinely patrolling the area, as are representatives of the contractor. We do have some issues with the pavement at the edge of the road, but what's out there right now are not actual potholes. They're not in the wheel path, either. We are monitoring the situation and will have it addressed as a byproduct of reconstructing that segment of the road. That reconstruction - or, at least, rehabilitation and resurfacing - will be the last major work to do on this project before we are completely wrapped up.

Boerne Stage Road

The project converting frontage roads to one-way between Dominion Drive and Boerne Stage Road has begun, with most of the activity off and away from the active lanes of traffic near Boerne Stage Road.

We have a utility delay (those are becoming all too familiar...) on this project, with a private company scheduled to move lines out of the way in the next few weeks. Until then our contractor, Texas Sterling Construction, is hard at work doing what they can in other areas of the project. Much of this is between the existing westbound exit ramp to Boerne Stage Road and Boerne Stage Road itself - particularly in the grassy area on which we are building a new frontage road (which will pull traffic from I-10 to Boerne Stage Road off Old Fredericksburg Road, freeing up that little corridor for a better flow of commercial traffic).

The overall project duration for this job is about a year and a half, so we're working to finish the job by the end of 2016.