I was wondering when the median cables on I-10 between the Bexar County line and Leon Springs would be repaired. Quite a few are down or are bent. When they are like that is does not seem to protect like they are supposed to. Thank you.
- Michael
Michael, thanks for your note. We have similar issues with our new cable median barriers along Hwy 151 as well - they've become victim to car crashes. We are issuing work orders as quickly as we can to get these barriers repaired.
Just how important is the safety of the Schertz residents during the construction of these sidewalks (along FM 3009)? How rude can the construction crew be and how much screaming are they allowed to do at pedestrians who are trying to walk to work safely? My son, walked on the dry sidewalk for safety reasons, was screamed at to get off, and almost hit by two cars. The construction along the entire length of FM 3009 is so messed up, no safe place for people to walk safely along the road now exists. At least before the sidewalks began it was possible for people to walk to work and not be hit by oncoming traffic. Now the only options are to get hit or get screamed at. Your construction crew have no right to be screaming at anyone. Let them work in the street so the pedestrians may safely walk. They owe many, many apologies! Even as a driver who had to pull over into one of the closed lanes I was yelled at. We don't need sidewalks this badly, if this is how we have to get them. Send your crew packing!
- Therese
Therese, thank you for writing. I hope you'll note we did our best to keep your whole message to us intact - we want to be fully transparent here. We did edit for clarity of your issue.
Let us first apologize for the way it appears you've been treated. We will discuss the matter with our contractors - they need to be better ambassadors than that. Courtesy should be held at all times, by all parties.
That said, we should address a few issues. First, at no time should any vehicle ever pull into a lane closed for use as an active construction zone. This is a serious safety hazard. While drivers who do so absolutely do not deserve to be verbally accosted, they are rightly asked to move along by construction crews. Let all other drivers take note: pulling over into a closure area is unsafe and should never be done. Look for an empty parking lot to pull into if you're looking to pull over for any reason whatsoever.
Prior to this project starting no safe route to walk along FM 3009 existed. The purpose of this project is to create one. While concrete may appear to be dry, it was likely a fresh pour from the prior day or two. While walking on the sidewalk may not leave footprints, it's still not an opened sidewalk. It's part of an active construction zone and is dangerous to walk in.
To be clear: no pedestrian should ever walk in or through an active construction zone except where a specifically marked pedestrian detour route has been laid out. In this case, no pedestrian detour route was put into place because the area had no prior pedestrian facilities. That said, we can look into options to help that situation out so your son can reach his destination as intended.
Any plans to relieve the congestion on FM1560 between Bandera Road and Shaenfield Road?
-Zane
In a word: yes! The problem is funding. While we don't have anything programmed for that area right now, we do have this on our radar. In order to accomplish that we'll need to acquire right-of-way and go through the whole process of designing and public meetings ... we're a few years away.
Here's the good news: the work on Lp 1604 is only a few short months from finishing up, and a lot of the excess traffic that's on FM 1560 to escape the construction delays will return to a much more efficient Lp 1604 at that time. While that should help, it won't solve anything.
Which is why we're working with the city of Helotes to find a way to expedite work that otherwise may wait five years or more.
Regarding the eastbound I-10 on-ramp from Scenic Loop Road, the ramp seems too short and barricades block the shoulder so merging traffic doesn't have space to speed up. Can anything be done to help?
- Resident
Truthfully, the ramp hasn't changed in length whatsoever - it's been untouched in our traffic control plan for the reconstruction of that intersection. The concrete traffic barrier was placed at that location due to a drop-off that would be a serious safety issue, so moving the barrier isn't a viable solution. That said, we'll keep a watchful eye out to see if there are any issues we can address during the construction phasing to improve the area and ensure drivers are able to adequately speed up to the posted limit of 70 miles per hour prior to needing to merge.
I realize that it's always been two lanes of Boerne Stage Road under I-10. That's the problem: two lanes is not enough with current traffic loads. When does TxDOT plan to open up all four lanes under I-10? That would greatly relieve the current traffic nightmare there.
- Andy
You're absolutely right, Andy. Having all four lanes open will help. That's why we're building them! We're hoping to have some more lane configurations open up along that whole project next month. We'll have more on the blog next week to describe what all is happening and what folks in the area may expect.
What's going on with the traffic light at New Guilbeau and 1604? Why was it out for so long?
-Zane
For those not familiar with the area, Zane is referring to a malfunction of the signal control box that occurred late Monday and wasn't fixed until mid-morning Tuesday this week. Such a delayed response is highly uncharacteristic, and is partly due to the project staff not even learning about the malfunction until Tuesday morning. Once the malfunction was discovered by project personnel they had crews in place to address the issue within a few short hours.
Several folks - some of us here at TxDOT included - were caught in the traffic delays and spent as much as 45 extra minutes to get through New Guilbeau Road that morning.
The good news: lesson learned. We were able to get officers on site relatively quickly Tuesday morning to direct traffic. What's more, we've got methods in place to be more diligent about inspecting these signals, even during holidays. We shouldn't see this problem again.
Better news: we should all be driving on the overpasses and expressways before the school year lets out, so this sort of thing won't be such an impact should it happen again in the future.
Will there eventually be a better way to get on Wurzbach Parkway going east from 281? Right now, you have to do the turnaround to get to the east entrance.
- Pam
Pam, you must be talking about the southbound US 281 to eastbound Wurzbach Parkway movement. Honestly, no - this is the configuration we've had planned for years. Because of the proximity to the airport we can't build the much taller direct connectors (requiring at least two additional levels of roadway, increasing our elevation by some 60 or more feet) that would ease that movement. What's more, we simply don't have the $500 million in the bank to construct direct connectors for Wurzbach and US 281.
So, for the foreseeable future (10 years or more), the current arrangement is what we'll have out there for you - just as we'd discussed from day one with the project.
Showing posts with label FM 3009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FM 3009. Show all posts
Thursday, February 18
Tuesday, November 10
New project: sidewalks along FM 3009
Dan Williams
Company began construction this week of new sidewalks along both sides of FM 3009 between I-35 and FM 78 in Schertz. So far, folks may be noticing the pink and orange marker stakes along the road to mark the location of the
planned sidewalks.
The $3.2
million project will take about a year to complete. Most of that came from
Category 7 mobility funds managed by the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning
Organization, which selected the project based on strong support from the city
of Schertz. A little more than $400,000 comes from Category 1 funds managed by
the local TxDOT district.
Crews are
limited to working between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays to
minimize the impact to livelihood through the area. These hours should keep
crews out of the rush hour traffic while also avoiding night work that could
prove disruptive through the residential areas along this 3.1-mile stretch of
FM 3009. Work will be happening on both sides of the road simultaneously.
Work will
begin near I-35 on the southbound side of the road and near FM 78 on the
northbound side. Drivers in the area can expect the right lane in each
direction to close as needed. Dan Williams Company is committed to keeping one
lane open in each direction.
Tuesday, June 10
I-35 Selma project update
No project currently active in the San Antonio district elicits more inquiries right now than does the improvement of I-35 between Loop 1604 and FM 3009. The project is in its 20th month of activity and is winding down to total completion.
Posts on the project earlier this year promised the project would be finished "by the end of the school year". At the time those declarations were made, that was indeed the target. Well, the school year has ended ... and work continues.
Complications with equipment and resources, coupled with questions regarding the design of the center median barrier near Cibolo Creek, have pushed our overall completion back a little more than a month beyond what was expected.
So ... what's being done and what is left to do? Let's break it down area-by-area....
Exit and entrance ramps
The northbound exit ramp to Olympia Parkway was the last exit to be finished up, and was completed in the last week or so. As for other ramps on the project....
The ramps between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway have long been adjusted for efficiency. The northbound dual-lane exit to FM 3009 is finished. The northbound exit to Forum Parkway - the braided ramp running over the ramps from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35 - is finished, as are the ramps from Loop 1604 running underneath.
Main lane resurfacing
This was a particular portion of the project that needed to be done in order to help with the glare issue we had on the lane striping. Daily commuters will be familiar with the way the sun hit some of the old and new striping at certain times of the day. This glare led to some confusion about actual lane alignments from time to time. We tried a number of solutions to the issue, but ultimately it's the resurfacing work that provides the real fix.
With the main lanes resurfaced - which is being finished up right now, and will last through next week - the new lane striping will clearly delineate the lanes at all times of the day.
So, what kept us from doing this sooner? The center median barrier. We needed to have that finished before we could lay the final surface of asphalt, and we ran into a few snags in the process of finishing that last stretch of barrier near Cibolo Creek. Now the barrier is done, we're in business and finishing up.
Frontage road resurfacing
We're all done with this! In fact, crews have recently removed all of our portable barrier and traffic is flowing freely.
Turnarounds
Ah, the turnarounds. We have four turnarounds on this project. The first was on Loop 1604 at Lookout Road, and it's been done for about a year. We have a south-to-north turnaround at FM 1518, and we have two turnarounds at FM 3009.
Well, the north-to-south turnaround at FM 3009 was finished and put into use earlier this year. The thought at the time was the contractor would then be able to focus on the south-to-north turnaround, but the concrete crews involved with that work were needed elsewhere.
With little else remaining to complete, crews are now working on the remaining turnaround at FM 3009, and some are also working on the turnaround at FM 1518. The contractor's remaining crews are dedicated to these areas, and we expect them to wrap up in July.
Posts on the project earlier this year promised the project would be finished "by the end of the school year". At the time those declarations were made, that was indeed the target. Well, the school year has ended ... and work continues.
Complications with equipment and resources, coupled with questions regarding the design of the center median barrier near Cibolo Creek, have pushed our overall completion back a little more than a month beyond what was expected.
So ... what's being done and what is left to do? Let's break it down area-by-area....
Exit and entrance ramps
The northbound exit ramp to Olympia Parkway was the last exit to be finished up, and was completed in the last week or so. As for other ramps on the project....
The ramps between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway have long been adjusted for efficiency. The northbound dual-lane exit to FM 3009 is finished. The northbound exit to Forum Parkway - the braided ramp running over the ramps from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35 - is finished, as are the ramps from Loop 1604 running underneath.
Main lane resurfacing
This was a particular portion of the project that needed to be done in order to help with the glare issue we had on the lane striping. Daily commuters will be familiar with the way the sun hit some of the old and new striping at certain times of the day. This glare led to some confusion about actual lane alignments from time to time. We tried a number of solutions to the issue, but ultimately it's the resurfacing work that provides the real fix.
With the main lanes resurfaced - which is being finished up right now, and will last through next week - the new lane striping will clearly delineate the lanes at all times of the day.
So, what kept us from doing this sooner? The center median barrier. We needed to have that finished before we could lay the final surface of asphalt, and we ran into a few snags in the process of finishing that last stretch of barrier near Cibolo Creek. Now the barrier is done, we're in business and finishing up.
Frontage road resurfacing
We're all done with this! In fact, crews have recently removed all of our portable barrier and traffic is flowing freely.
Turnarounds
Ah, the turnarounds. We have four turnarounds on this project. The first was on Loop 1604 at Lookout Road, and it's been done for about a year. We have a south-to-north turnaround at FM 1518, and we have two turnarounds at FM 3009.
Well, the north-to-south turnaround at FM 3009 was finished and put into use earlier this year. The thought at the time was the contractor would then be able to focus on the south-to-north turnaround, but the concrete crews involved with that work were needed elsewhere.
With little else remaining to complete, crews are now working on the remaining turnaround at FM 3009, and some are also working on the turnaround at FM 1518. The contractor's remaining crews are dedicated to these areas, and we expect them to wrap up in July.
Thursday, April 10
I-35 Selma nearing completion
The next shoe to drop on the I-35 Selma project is the south-to-north turnaround at FM 1518, which could open up as early as April 18. Crews are working on curbs and sidewalks now, with asphalt scheduled to arrive next week. With asphalt and striping in place, the turnaround should be ready to open up.
Project managers with Dan Williams Co. are still hopeful to have the whole project finished and done around the end of the school year.
 |
| Concrete crews are busily getting the south-to-north turnaround at FM 1518 ready for use. |
The turnaround at FM 3009 has a bit more left to do before it's ready to open; the concrete islands at the intersection are finished now, but some repairs are needed and the concrete pads surrounding the structure need finished. A full crew has been dedicated to the work for the last several weeks, and project bosses hope to have the turnaround open by early May.
 |
| A full crew has been dedicated to the remaining turnaround at FM 3009 for the last several weeks. This crew will continue to work on the structure, and hope to have it opened by mid-May. |
The lingering major tasks, then, are at the northbound exit to Olympia Parkway (while one lane is active and open, widening work remains), some concrete median barrier (an issue with steel reinforcement bars have delayed that work a few weeks) and the final layer of asphalt on all main lanes between the Cibolo Creek bridge and Loop 1604.
 |
| The right lane of the northbound Olympia Parkway exit ramp is open; work continues on the left exit lane. When this work is done, we'll have two lanes exiting to Olympia Parkway. |
Thursday, January 30
I-35 SAMMC, I-35 Selma projects plugging along
The intent today was to post a video of the I-35 SAMMC project, showing the detour route on the northbound I-410 connector to northboung I-35 ... but the camera doesn't want to work, so that didn't happen. That also means there's no available up-to-date pictures of the project (nor are there any of the I-35 Selma project), so we'll have to stick with the good, old-fashioned art of writing....
I-35 Selma
Paving crews are working on specific locations on Loop 1604 (between Pat Booker Road and Lookout Road), working in the shoulders and generally leaving travel lanes alone. That's going to change Tuesday, Feb. 4, when crews repave the frontage road from about the IHOP restaurant to the Red Robin restaurant.
For that work the frontage road will close for the full day - project managers responsible for the paving are saying it will take a full 10-hour shift to accomplish - and traffic will be diverted onto the Loop 1604 entrance ramp. Drivers looking to get to stores at The Forum at Olympia Parkway may still enter the shopping center at the IHOP.
Meanwhile, the general contractor is keeping his focus on the exit and entrance ramps he's working on. This includes the northbound exit ramp to FM 1518, which is closed right now and targeted to be reopened in March. Traffic headed to FM 1518 has been using the Olympia Parkway exit and doesn't need to pass through traffic signals to reach its destination.
Other ramps impacted by work are the northbound exit to Olympia Parkway, which remains open while crews work in the shoulder area. One lane of the northbound I-35 frontage road is closed for this work, which is adding a lane to the exit ramp. The other ramp being worked on is the southbound entrance ramp from Evans Road. That entrance ramp is closed, but traffic is able to enter the southbound main lanes of I-35 before reaching Forum Parkway and without going through additional intersections.
Once these three ramps are finished, crews are expected to move to the remaining priorities on the project - including the south-to-north turnaround at FM 3009 and sidewalks. Meanwhile, concrete crews are staying busy building concrete traffic barrier at a handful of locations along the project.
I-35 SAMMC
The first thing to know about this project - and, really, the most important thing to know - is the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour. TxDOT staff driving the area set cruise control at 55 MPH and watch cars blow by at rates of speed higher than 70 MPH.
Again: The posted speed limit from Randolph Boulevard to George Beach is 55 miles per hour. San Antonio Police Department and other law enforcement agencies are routinely patroling the area, and they will let you know the speed limit has dropped. That message may cost you some money; this message is free. Decide now which one you'd rather pay attention to....
That's not the only change to traffic in the area. The speed limit change is "old news" ... we announced that back in mid-November. More recently we've put in place a "detour" route on the northbound I-410 connector to northbound I-35.
The connector feels a lot more like a main lane, really, because it stays at ground level. It doesn't bridge over much of anything; it is, however, just a single lane. It always has been, in fact. In that respect, we haven't changed anything about what traffic experiences out there. We still have a single lane connecting northbound I-410 to northbound I-35.
However, we closed the entrance ramp near Greatfare Road. It's the ramp that captures traffic from Binz-Engelman and the industrial facilities in the area. The traffic load on the ramp is relatively minor - mostly truck traffic during off-peak hours - but the elimination of the ramp has, for now, made a huge difference in the efficiency of traffic flow. We'll call it addition by subtraction for the time being.
Beyond that, we've got excavators preparing to expand the southbound main lanes at Rittiman Road; we've got crews building up the support structures for the future connector from southbound I-35 onto southbound I-410; we've got crews clearing the way and building support structures for ramp improvements near Randolph Boulevard. At this point the work is moving on pace to finish the project as projected at the end of 2016.
For now, though, TxDOT staff on the project and the workers building the road have one united plea for drivers: Please slow down and drive more carefully.
This means putting away the cell phones and paying attention to what's happening. We've had a number of crashes in the area - almost all due to the speed of drunk or unattentive drivers - that could easily have become extremely tragic. In one case, a car was discovered crashed into some steel bars crews work with daily. Those steel bars were some 50-60 feet away from the roadway, which was a 45 MPH curved ramp. The driver would have had to be traveling at an extreme rate of speed or would have had to deliberately try to hit the rebar in order to accomplish what was done.
The scariest part of that? Had the crash not happened during the very early hours of morning - had the crash occurred during regular working hours - no fewer than two workers would have likely been hit by the car.
Please remember: these work zones are our office. We have the same desire everyone else holds to return to our families safely each day after work. Please help us accomplish that goal by slowing down and paying close attention. Don't tolerate drunk driving, and don't allow anyone to text while driving.
I-35 Selma
Paving crews are working on specific locations on Loop 1604 (between Pat Booker Road and Lookout Road), working in the shoulders and generally leaving travel lanes alone. That's going to change Tuesday, Feb. 4, when crews repave the frontage road from about the IHOP restaurant to the Red Robin restaurant.
For that work the frontage road will close for the full day - project managers responsible for the paving are saying it will take a full 10-hour shift to accomplish - and traffic will be diverted onto the Loop 1604 entrance ramp. Drivers looking to get to stores at The Forum at Olympia Parkway may still enter the shopping center at the IHOP.
Meanwhile, the general contractor is keeping his focus on the exit and entrance ramps he's working on. This includes the northbound exit ramp to FM 1518, which is closed right now and targeted to be reopened in March. Traffic headed to FM 1518 has been using the Olympia Parkway exit and doesn't need to pass through traffic signals to reach its destination.
Other ramps impacted by work are the northbound exit to Olympia Parkway, which remains open while crews work in the shoulder area. One lane of the northbound I-35 frontage road is closed for this work, which is adding a lane to the exit ramp. The other ramp being worked on is the southbound entrance ramp from Evans Road. That entrance ramp is closed, but traffic is able to enter the southbound main lanes of I-35 before reaching Forum Parkway and without going through additional intersections.
Once these three ramps are finished, crews are expected to move to the remaining priorities on the project - including the south-to-north turnaround at FM 3009 and sidewalks. Meanwhile, concrete crews are staying busy building concrete traffic barrier at a handful of locations along the project.
I-35 SAMMC
The first thing to know about this project - and, really, the most important thing to know - is the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour. TxDOT staff driving the area set cruise control at 55 MPH and watch cars blow by at rates of speed higher than 70 MPH.
Again: The posted speed limit from Randolph Boulevard to George Beach is 55 miles per hour. San Antonio Police Department and other law enforcement agencies are routinely patroling the area, and they will let you know the speed limit has dropped. That message may cost you some money; this message is free. Decide now which one you'd rather pay attention to....
That's not the only change to traffic in the area. The speed limit change is "old news" ... we announced that back in mid-November. More recently we've put in place a "detour" route on the northbound I-410 connector to northbound I-35.
The connector feels a lot more like a main lane, really, because it stays at ground level. It doesn't bridge over much of anything; it is, however, just a single lane. It always has been, in fact. In that respect, we haven't changed anything about what traffic experiences out there. We still have a single lane connecting northbound I-410 to northbound I-35.
However, we closed the entrance ramp near Greatfare Road. It's the ramp that captures traffic from Binz-Engelman and the industrial facilities in the area. The traffic load on the ramp is relatively minor - mostly truck traffic during off-peak hours - but the elimination of the ramp has, for now, made a huge difference in the efficiency of traffic flow. We'll call it addition by subtraction for the time being.
Beyond that, we've got excavators preparing to expand the southbound main lanes at Rittiman Road; we've got crews building up the support structures for the future connector from southbound I-35 onto southbound I-410; we've got crews clearing the way and building support structures for ramp improvements near Randolph Boulevard. At this point the work is moving on pace to finish the project as projected at the end of 2016.
For now, though, TxDOT staff on the project and the workers building the road have one united plea for drivers: Please slow down and drive more carefully.
This means putting away the cell phones and paying attention to what's happening. We've had a number of crashes in the area - almost all due to the speed of drunk or unattentive drivers - that could easily have become extremely tragic. In one case, a car was discovered crashed into some steel bars crews work with daily. Those steel bars were some 50-60 feet away from the roadway, which was a 45 MPH curved ramp. The driver would have had to be traveling at an extreme rate of speed or would have had to deliberately try to hit the rebar in order to accomplish what was done.
The scariest part of that? Had the crash not happened during the very early hours of morning - had the crash occurred during regular working hours - no fewer than two workers would have likely been hit by the car.
Please remember: these work zones are our office. We have the same desire everyone else holds to return to our families safely each day after work. Please help us accomplish that goal by slowing down and paying close attention. Don't tolerate drunk driving, and don't allow anyone to text while driving.
Wednesday, January 8
Northbound exit to FM 3009 to close Sunday
Sunday night Dan Williams Co. will close the northbound I-35 exit to FM 3009 in to rebuild the exit ramps and finish work on the northbound frontage road.
The northbound entrance ramp from Schertz Parkway will also close. The ramps will be reopened in time for the morning commute Monday, Feb. 3. Traffic headed to FM 3009 will use the Schertz Parkway exit and follow the frontage road. Traffic from Schertz Parkway will go through the intersection of FM 3009 to reach northbound I-35.
Crews are rebuilding the exit to better align with the new entrance ramp from FM 1518. An additional lane will be added to the exit.
The closure is tied to a milestone allowing the contractor just three weeks to finish work while rewarding efforts to reopen the ramp early. Project supervisors have indicated they’re targeting the maximum incentives. Cold temperatures could impact some of the work as crews lay asphalt or pour concrete, but the polar vortex moving out of the area project supervisors are confident temperatures will remain warm enough to complete the work without delay.
This closure represents the second major milestone on the project. The first major milestone was the construction of the braided exit ramp on northbound I-35 to Forum Parkway, serving the major shopping center of the metro area’s northeast side. That work was completed in November.
The northbound entrance ramp from Schertz Parkway will also close. The ramps will be reopened in time for the morning commute Monday, Feb. 3. Traffic headed to FM 3009 will use the Schertz Parkway exit and follow the frontage road. Traffic from Schertz Parkway will go through the intersection of FM 3009 to reach northbound I-35.
Crews are rebuilding the exit to better align with the new entrance ramp from FM 1518. An additional lane will be added to the exit.
The closure is tied to a milestone allowing the contractor just three weeks to finish work while rewarding efforts to reopen the ramp early. Project supervisors have indicated they’re targeting the maximum incentives. Cold temperatures could impact some of the work as crews lay asphalt or pour concrete, but the polar vortex moving out of the area project supervisors are confident temperatures will remain warm enough to complete the work without delay.
This closure represents the second major milestone on the project. The first major milestone was the construction of the braided exit ramp on northbound I-35 to Forum Parkway, serving the major shopping center of the metro area’s northeast side. That work was completed in November.
Thursday, January 2
2013 in review....
When 2013 began three major projects sat in limbo after the
financial collapse of one of the department’s most oft-used road builders while
a flurry of major projects awaited a start date.
Those three stalled projects – including two segments of Wurzbach Parkway and the I-10 Huebner project – resumed in the spring after being released by a bankruptcy court and new contractors were selected by the projects’ bonding company. Most of the early work done on each project was maintenance – the projects needed to be cleaned up and inventory taken.
Just as the year came to a close, victory! The first segment of Wurzbach Parkway, running from Blanco Road to West Avenue, opened for traffic. Yes, an issue with the bridge deck surface is holding us back from opening the Blanco Road overpass just yet … but we got that segment of the parkway opened and operational. The bridge deck surface issue, by the way, is about ride quality and not structure. We’re trying to provide the best-quality product we can, and this is a major topic of conversation between TxDOT leaders and the responsible bonding company.
Work continues on the eastern segment, also slowed by the Ballenger Construction bankruptcy; we hope to have the stretch from Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore opened by the end of summer. With major road builder Webber Construction working on the I-10 Huebner project, we’re assured the project should be substantially completed by early 2015 (which is amazingly not far off the original completion target).
With all that said, let’s take a look at a few of the successes enjoyed by TxDOT during 2013.
Traffic signals
In January we turned on McMullen County’s first-ever full traffic signal. The intersection of state Highways 16 and 72 was fitted to a traffic signal that offers protected left-turn lanes and traffic control for two major corridors for the booming Eagle Ford Shale energy traffic.
Later in the year we turned on a new signal at the intersection of state Highway 46 and Rudeloff Road just north of Seguin. More than 21,000 vehicles pass through that intersection each day, with many using Rudeloff Road to reach the local airport. The signal replaces two-way stop signs and has improved safety at that critical intersection – and has improved the gateway to the Guadalupe-Comal community for those who commute via aircraft.
Finally, as part of a major project up in north Comal County, we built and turned on a signal at the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and Rebecca Creek Road (in Spring Branch). That signal has already added a huge amount of safety to the intersection and will prove critical when our work to convert Highway 281 to a divided highway is finished by the end of 2015.
Finished projects
2013 was a year of continuing efforts. About a dozen projects were completed through the year, each surrounding sidewalk improvements or road resurfacing. The biggest project to wrap up was the “hot-in-place” resurfacing project on I-37 on the south end of Bexar County.
In terms of our most major projects, last year was one of those years where we simply continued that which we started. And, in fairness, we started quite a bit of projects through the year.
Started projects
More than $221 million in contracts were awarded with work starting during 2013. Now, that’s just the actual contract amount, not total project costs (contract amounts do not include design and other costs associated with a project before it even starts). These projects range from adding capacity to the highway to reconstructing frontage roads to landscaping improvements. Here are a few highlights:
Seguin Avenue (New Braunfels): Austin Bridge Company is rebuilding a UPRR bridge and widening the main entryway to downtown New Braunfels. The icing on the cake here is the fact Austin Bridge is the same company that built the original UPRR bridge as part of the Works Progress Administration program back in the 1930s. Work started in January and will wrap up late spring 2014.
U.S. Highway 281 (Spring Branch): Hunter Industries started this 30-month project that turns a country highway into a four-lane divided highway in February and is already about halfway through the work, putting them on pace to potentially finish the work before the end of 2014. There are several factors that may impact that, however, including the fate of the Spring Branch Post Office.
FM 306 (Comal County): Another project by Hunter Industries, this is two-year project that’s also just more than halfway done. It started in March. While building two overpasses to separate the road traffic from UPRR railroad traffic is a major portion of this work, we’re also expanding the road to a four-lane divided highway.
I-35 SAMMC (northeast San Antonio): Thanks in part to a $20 million boost from the Department of Defense, Lane Construction was able to begin work expanding and adjusting I-35 between the two I-410 interchanges, near San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). Work started in November.
Fred-Med (Medical Center): One of the more anticipated projects in San Antonio is a “grade separation” project at the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Medical Drive. The project had been initially slated to begin early 2012, but was pushed back by utility adjustments and issues with a previous contractor. This summer the contract was awarded to Texas Sterling Construction, who began work in September. They are on pace to finish the project on time, by early 2015.
I-10 resurface and restripe (near Crossroads): This three-month project flew largely under the radar, but added a lane in each direction for folks driving between I-410 and Wurzbach Road on the northwest side of town. Clark Construction is nearly finished, and should be wrapped up within the next few weeks (weather permitting!).
I-10 Seguin: This conversion of the frontage road along I-10 between Highway 46 and FM 725 is being done by Angel Brothers Construction and is entirely funded by local sources. Not only will this nine-month project, which started in October, make the area safer, but it will add to the growing economic corridor of the blossoming town.
Major milestones
The biggest milestone in the news this year was that of the northbound I-35 exit to Forum Parkway, which was closed near the beginning of the year to be reconstructed. We took what was a zipper-weave ramp with exiting and entering traffic merging with one another, competing for road space, and turned it in to a braided ramp with exiting traffic bridged over traffic entering northbound I-35 from Loop 1604.
Nearly six weeks after closing the ramp, the contractor discovered some design issues holding them back from building. Resolution of those issues pushed deep into our summer months, and when the contractor returned attention to the ramp they pushed hard to finish in time for the Christmas shopping season (the new exit ramp is a major route to The Forum at Olympia Parkway). That time frame was successfully met, and Santa helped us open the ramp the day before Thanksgiving.
The first of three major milestones on the I-10 Huebner project kicked in when lanes on I-10 over Fredericksburg Road were closed for about two months while Webber Construction rebuilt the bridge deck surface, forcing one of the lanes of main lane traffic to use the frontage road. To the credit of the contractor, that work was finished and the main lanes reopened three days earlier than the original 70-day target.
Out of the blue
A recap of the year wouldn’t be complete without recognizing the quick work and assistance of contractors who responded – with astonishing haste, no less – to emergency situations this year. Most notably, this includes an unused bridge over U.S. Highway 281 that was hit by a truck this summer.
The crash caused a closure of some main lanes on U.S. 281 that lasted several days, and the total closure of the highway for a weekend. Hunter Industries was able to complete the work to repair the bridge and clean up the mess in less than 30 hours, though they had more than 72 to finish the work.
On I-35 between Schertz and New Braunfels a garbage truck hit the underside of an overpass, causing structural concerns for a lane of the northbound I-35 main lanes. Hunter again came to help, offering equipment to assist in the short-term. Dan Williams Construction finished the work fast, though – getting the crossing under I-35 reopened in a matter of weeks rather than months.
Looking forward
Over the course of 2014, we’re looking forward to completing the bookends of the Wurzbach Parkway project as well as finish the I-35 project through Selma and Schertz. If we get favorable conditions, we could wrap up work on FM 306 near Gruene and on U.S. Highway 281 in Spring Branch. We’ll finish the Seguin Avenue project being done by Austin Bridge and Road.
The Main Street bridge in Boerne should be finished soon, and Relmco is expected to get the expansion of Highway 39 in Ingram near completion by year’s end. We’ll wrap up work on an overpass for Loop 1604 at Marbach by mid-year as well.
Meanwhile, we’re starting a project to convert Loop 1604 to an expressway (overpasses!) between Bandera Road and Culebra Road in northwest San Antonio. That should kick off this spring, as will some smaller projects in New Braunfels.
Those in the Fair Oaks Ranch and Boerne Stage Road area will see significant upgrades to the frontage roads along I-10, with work on the Ralph Fair Road overpass starting this spring.
And that’s the year in review!
Those three stalled projects – including two segments of Wurzbach Parkway and the I-10 Huebner project – resumed in the spring after being released by a bankruptcy court and new contractors were selected by the projects’ bonding company. Most of the early work done on each project was maintenance – the projects needed to be cleaned up and inventory taken.
Just as the year came to a close, victory! The first segment of Wurzbach Parkway, running from Blanco Road to West Avenue, opened for traffic. Yes, an issue with the bridge deck surface is holding us back from opening the Blanco Road overpass just yet … but we got that segment of the parkway opened and operational. The bridge deck surface issue, by the way, is about ride quality and not structure. We’re trying to provide the best-quality product we can, and this is a major topic of conversation between TxDOT leaders and the responsible bonding company.
Work continues on the eastern segment, also slowed by the Ballenger Construction bankruptcy; we hope to have the stretch from Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore opened by the end of summer. With major road builder Webber Construction working on the I-10 Huebner project, we’re assured the project should be substantially completed by early 2015 (which is amazingly not far off the original completion target).
With all that said, let’s take a look at a few of the successes enjoyed by TxDOT during 2013.
Traffic signals
In January we turned on McMullen County’s first-ever full traffic signal. The intersection of state Highways 16 and 72 was fitted to a traffic signal that offers protected left-turn lanes and traffic control for two major corridors for the booming Eagle Ford Shale energy traffic.
Later in the year we turned on a new signal at the intersection of state Highway 46 and Rudeloff Road just north of Seguin. More than 21,000 vehicles pass through that intersection each day, with many using Rudeloff Road to reach the local airport. The signal replaces two-way stop signs and has improved safety at that critical intersection – and has improved the gateway to the Guadalupe-Comal community for those who commute via aircraft.
Finally, as part of a major project up in north Comal County, we built and turned on a signal at the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and Rebecca Creek Road (in Spring Branch). That signal has already added a huge amount of safety to the intersection and will prove critical when our work to convert Highway 281 to a divided highway is finished by the end of 2015.
Finished projects
2013 was a year of continuing efforts. About a dozen projects were completed through the year, each surrounding sidewalk improvements or road resurfacing. The biggest project to wrap up was the “hot-in-place” resurfacing project on I-37 on the south end of Bexar County.
In terms of our most major projects, last year was one of those years where we simply continued that which we started. And, in fairness, we started quite a bit of projects through the year.
Started projects
More than $221 million in contracts were awarded with work starting during 2013. Now, that’s just the actual contract amount, not total project costs (contract amounts do not include design and other costs associated with a project before it even starts). These projects range from adding capacity to the highway to reconstructing frontage roads to landscaping improvements. Here are a few highlights:
Seguin Avenue (New Braunfels): Austin Bridge Company is rebuilding a UPRR bridge and widening the main entryway to downtown New Braunfels. The icing on the cake here is the fact Austin Bridge is the same company that built the original UPRR bridge as part of the Works Progress Administration program back in the 1930s. Work started in January and will wrap up late spring 2014.
U.S. Highway 281 (Spring Branch): Hunter Industries started this 30-month project that turns a country highway into a four-lane divided highway in February and is already about halfway through the work, putting them on pace to potentially finish the work before the end of 2014. There are several factors that may impact that, however, including the fate of the Spring Branch Post Office.
FM 306 (Comal County): Another project by Hunter Industries, this is two-year project that’s also just more than halfway done. It started in March. While building two overpasses to separate the road traffic from UPRR railroad traffic is a major portion of this work, we’re also expanding the road to a four-lane divided highway.
I-35 SAMMC (northeast San Antonio): Thanks in part to a $20 million boost from the Department of Defense, Lane Construction was able to begin work expanding and adjusting I-35 between the two I-410 interchanges, near San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). Work started in November.
Fred-Med (Medical Center): One of the more anticipated projects in San Antonio is a “grade separation” project at the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Medical Drive. The project had been initially slated to begin early 2012, but was pushed back by utility adjustments and issues with a previous contractor. This summer the contract was awarded to Texas Sterling Construction, who began work in September. They are on pace to finish the project on time, by early 2015.
I-10 resurface and restripe (near Crossroads): This three-month project flew largely under the radar, but added a lane in each direction for folks driving between I-410 and Wurzbach Road on the northwest side of town. Clark Construction is nearly finished, and should be wrapped up within the next few weeks (weather permitting!).
I-10 Seguin: This conversion of the frontage road along I-10 between Highway 46 and FM 725 is being done by Angel Brothers Construction and is entirely funded by local sources. Not only will this nine-month project, which started in October, make the area safer, but it will add to the growing economic corridor of the blossoming town.
Major milestones
The biggest milestone in the news this year was that of the northbound I-35 exit to Forum Parkway, which was closed near the beginning of the year to be reconstructed. We took what was a zipper-weave ramp with exiting and entering traffic merging with one another, competing for road space, and turned it in to a braided ramp with exiting traffic bridged over traffic entering northbound I-35 from Loop 1604.
Nearly six weeks after closing the ramp, the contractor discovered some design issues holding them back from building. Resolution of those issues pushed deep into our summer months, and when the contractor returned attention to the ramp they pushed hard to finish in time for the Christmas shopping season (the new exit ramp is a major route to The Forum at Olympia Parkway). That time frame was successfully met, and Santa helped us open the ramp the day before Thanksgiving.
The first of three major milestones on the I-10 Huebner project kicked in when lanes on I-10 over Fredericksburg Road were closed for about two months while Webber Construction rebuilt the bridge deck surface, forcing one of the lanes of main lane traffic to use the frontage road. To the credit of the contractor, that work was finished and the main lanes reopened three days earlier than the original 70-day target.
Out of the blue
A recap of the year wouldn’t be complete without recognizing the quick work and assistance of contractors who responded – with astonishing haste, no less – to emergency situations this year. Most notably, this includes an unused bridge over U.S. Highway 281 that was hit by a truck this summer.
The crash caused a closure of some main lanes on U.S. 281 that lasted several days, and the total closure of the highway for a weekend. Hunter Industries was able to complete the work to repair the bridge and clean up the mess in less than 30 hours, though they had more than 72 to finish the work.
On I-35 between Schertz and New Braunfels a garbage truck hit the underside of an overpass, causing structural concerns for a lane of the northbound I-35 main lanes. Hunter again came to help, offering equipment to assist in the short-term. Dan Williams Construction finished the work fast, though – getting the crossing under I-35 reopened in a matter of weeks rather than months.
Looking forward
Over the course of 2014, we’re looking forward to completing the bookends of the Wurzbach Parkway project as well as finish the I-35 project through Selma and Schertz. If we get favorable conditions, we could wrap up work on FM 306 near Gruene and on U.S. Highway 281 in Spring Branch. We’ll finish the Seguin Avenue project being done by Austin Bridge and Road.
The Main Street bridge in Boerne should be finished soon, and Relmco is expected to get the expansion of Highway 39 in Ingram near completion by year’s end. We’ll wrap up work on an overpass for Loop 1604 at Marbach by mid-year as well.
Meanwhile, we’re starting a project to convert Loop 1604 to an expressway (overpasses!) between Bandera Road and Culebra Road in northwest San Antonio. That should kick off this spring, as will some smaller projects in New Braunfels.
Those in the Fair Oaks Ranch and Boerne Stage Road area will see significant upgrades to the frontage roads along I-10, with work on the Ralph Fair Road overpass starting this spring.
And that’s the year in review!
Thursday, December 19
First turnaround at FM 3009 to open Friday (and other I-35 Selma stuff)
A small tree that's hanging into the road on the westbound Loop 1604 access road between Pat Booker Road and I-35 will be removed by the end of the week to address a safety issue.
But that's not the biggest news on the I-35 Selma project; that distinction belongs to the FM 3009 intersection.
FM 3009
The north-to-south turnaround will open Friday, December 20 - four days before Dan Williams Company project superintendent George Mayfield promised. George says project manager Freddy Cole is the hero for the work; Freddy has been on-site with the crews, pushing for maximum productivity every moment crews were on site.
Over the last week the medians and pedestrian ramps were formed and poured, with work finishing up Thursday. The barriers were moved Tuesday and Wednesday, replaced by barrels. The final surface of asphalt was laid yesterday, and Thursday painters marked the roadway stripes.
The turnaround - and the lanes over FM 3009 - will be opened up in time for the Friday evening commute. This should be particularly good news to the folks at the city of Schertz....
While concrete crews have begun working on the south-to-north turnaround over the last few days, the heavy work on that turnaround will begin after New Year's. That turnaround should be open by the end of the first quarter next year.
Milestone Two
The second major milestone on the project (the first was the northbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway, finished up by Thanksgiving this year) calls for the contractor to reconstruct the northbound exit ramp to FM 3009. The ramp will gain a lane - making two exit lanes to FM 3009 - and will get some improvements to the drain structures at the site.
That work will require the ramp to be completely closed for the work, forcing traffic headed to FM 3009 to use the Schertz Parkway exit. That, or drivers can use the next available exit and turn around ... whichever suits the driver.
Dan Williams has three weeks to finish that work; that is, from the day they close the ramp, they'll have three weeks to have it reopened for use. When that ramp closes, the entrance ramp from FM 1518 will open. The entrance ramp will remain open for use.
Work on Milestone Two is slated to start in January. An exact date for that closure will be given when it's "set in concrete".
Loop 1604
Through the last week we've been working on resolving the pavement issues on the ramp from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35, requiring more closures than had been initially scheduled.
To those impacted by those closures, please accept our deepest apologies. Often those closures only lasted a few hours, and were needed to ensure a safe and secure drive.
Rather than patching the road as initially planned, pavers milled out some 10 inches of asphalt and repaved the ramp. Project personnel are confident this should adequately address the issues that had been encountered.
FM 1518
Dan Williams will close the intersection of FM 1518 at I-35 - the roads beneath the I-35 bridge - for a 24-hour period to build all the storm drain features at the intersection. That work will be done on a Sunday - right now supervisors are targeting Jan. 19 or Jan. 26 for that work.
With the intersection closed, cross traffic will need to use the access roads to Schertz Parkway or Evans Road to reach its destination.
But that's not the biggest news on the I-35 Selma project; that distinction belongs to the FM 3009 intersection.
FM 3009
The north-to-south turnaround will open Friday, December 20 - four days before Dan Williams Company project superintendent George Mayfield promised. George says project manager Freddy Cole is the hero for the work; Freddy has been on-site with the crews, pushing for maximum productivity every moment crews were on site.
Over the last week the medians and pedestrian ramps were formed and poured, with work finishing up Thursday. The barriers were moved Tuesday and Wednesday, replaced by barrels. The final surface of asphalt was laid yesterday, and Thursday painters marked the roadway stripes.
The turnaround - and the lanes over FM 3009 - will be opened up in time for the Friday evening commute. This should be particularly good news to the folks at the city of Schertz....
While concrete crews have begun working on the south-to-north turnaround over the last few days, the heavy work on that turnaround will begin after New Year's. That turnaround should be open by the end of the first quarter next year.
Milestone Two
The second major milestone on the project (the first was the northbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway, finished up by Thanksgiving this year) calls for the contractor to reconstruct the northbound exit ramp to FM 3009. The ramp will gain a lane - making two exit lanes to FM 3009 - and will get some improvements to the drain structures at the site.
That work will require the ramp to be completely closed for the work, forcing traffic headed to FM 3009 to use the Schertz Parkway exit. That, or drivers can use the next available exit and turn around ... whichever suits the driver.
Dan Williams has three weeks to finish that work; that is, from the day they close the ramp, they'll have three weeks to have it reopened for use. When that ramp closes, the entrance ramp from FM 1518 will open. The entrance ramp will remain open for use.
Work on Milestone Two is slated to start in January. An exact date for that closure will be given when it's "set in concrete".
Loop 1604
Through the last week we've been working on resolving the pavement issues on the ramp from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35, requiring more closures than had been initially scheduled.
To those impacted by those closures, please accept our deepest apologies. Often those closures only lasted a few hours, and were needed to ensure a safe and secure drive.
Rather than patching the road as initially planned, pavers milled out some 10 inches of asphalt and repaved the ramp. Project personnel are confident this should adequately address the issues that had been encountered.
FM 1518
Dan Williams will close the intersection of FM 1518 at I-35 - the roads beneath the I-35 bridge - for a 24-hour period to build all the storm drain features at the intersection. That work will be done on a Sunday - right now supervisors are targeting Jan. 19 or Jan. 26 for that work.
With the intersection closed, cross traffic will need to use the access roads to Schertz Parkway or Evans Road to reach its destination.
Thursday, December 12
I-35 Selma project: Forum Parkway and FM 3009 update
Forum Parkway area
We'll have an emergency closure of the Loop 1604 ramps onto northbound I-35 to fix the asphalt under the new Forum Parkway exit ramp. Those driving the area will notice this is the second or third time we've had to do this ... and there's a reason for that.
The new ramp from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35 is driving on asphalt that wasn't previously used; that is, it's been shifted over from its initial location. The old asphalt beneath the new isn't as thick as the asphalt that once held traffic and is breaking up. Every time a patch is in place, the area around that patch begins to break apart.
In an ideal world we'd shut the ramp down and dig everything up, then totally reconstruct the roadway. But that's expensive and wasn't factored into the original plan sheets.
Working with what we've got already out there and in an effort to follow the plans, we've been patching the roadway. Instead of using the smaller patches that have been used out there, Angel Brothers Construction is going to use larger patches - essentially tire-to-tire - to help keep the surface intact. Monday morning they're scheduled to go in again and lay a final surface.
Whatever the technical side of the work is, if you're driving in the area be aware the ramp from Loop 1604 to northbound I-35 will be closed Friday morning and Monday morning - after the morning rush hour - to repair and surface the road.
FM 3009 area
Levy Construction - the electrician on the project - is working to get the lights at FM 3009 burnign by the middle of next week. Those lights are under the overpass, lighting the way for folks using the main lanes of I-35.
Dan Williams Company had concrete crews working on the curbs and sidewalks on the overpass earlier today, with mixing trucks delivering concrete as quickly as crews could get it out.
Paving crews will be ready to pave the turnaround and the intersection area at FM 3009 the middle of next week, if weather allows for it (remember: asphalt requires temperatures near 60 degrees). Three layers of asphalt remain to be placed before we can talk about putting traffic on the turnaround. The first layer is called "Type C", then a seal coat is added. The seal coat keeps the moisture levels in the base of the pavement where the levels need to be, allowing the pavement to get strong. On top of the seal coat is our final surface.
After the final surface is down - also scheduled for mid-week - and the road is striped, we'll be able to move the barriers protecting the workzone, opening up some space on the intersection to move everything into its final configuration.
Dan Williams project managers are working to schedule work to get the intersection marked to allow two left turn lanes in each direction across the FM 3009 overpass. The final configuration of the overpass will have three lanes in each direction: a left-only lane, an optional straight-or-left lane, a thru lane. The approach on the northbound frontage road will have the turnaround, a left-only, an optional straight-or-left, a thru and a right-only lane.
The southbound frontage road approaching the intersection will look the same, but that work will wait until the north-to-south area is finished.
By finishing the north-to-south turnaround, we'll be able to move the barriers along the southbound frontage road coming from FM 3009, allowing for the two lanes to handle the dual-left option coming from Schertz.
All that puts us on pace to have the intersection opened up (except the south-to-north turnaround) in time for Christmas.
We'll have an emergency closure of the Loop 1604 ramps onto northbound I-35 to fix the asphalt under the new Forum Parkway exit ramp. Those driving the area will notice this is the second or third time we've had to do this ... and there's a reason for that.
The new ramp from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35 is driving on asphalt that wasn't previously used; that is, it's been shifted over from its initial location. The old asphalt beneath the new isn't as thick as the asphalt that once held traffic and is breaking up. Every time a patch is in place, the area around that patch begins to break apart.
In an ideal world we'd shut the ramp down and dig everything up, then totally reconstruct the roadway. But that's expensive and wasn't factored into the original plan sheets.
Working with what we've got already out there and in an effort to follow the plans, we've been patching the roadway. Instead of using the smaller patches that have been used out there, Angel Brothers Construction is going to use larger patches - essentially tire-to-tire - to help keep the surface intact. Monday morning they're scheduled to go in again and lay a final surface.
Whatever the technical side of the work is, if you're driving in the area be aware the ramp from Loop 1604 to northbound I-35 will be closed Friday morning and Monday morning - after the morning rush hour - to repair and surface the road.
FM 3009 area
Levy Construction - the electrician on the project - is working to get the lights at FM 3009 burnign by the middle of next week. Those lights are under the overpass, lighting the way for folks using the main lanes of I-35.
Dan Williams Company had concrete crews working on the curbs and sidewalks on the overpass earlier today, with mixing trucks delivering concrete as quickly as crews could get it out.
Paving crews will be ready to pave the turnaround and the intersection area at FM 3009 the middle of next week, if weather allows for it (remember: asphalt requires temperatures near 60 degrees). Three layers of asphalt remain to be placed before we can talk about putting traffic on the turnaround. The first layer is called "Type C", then a seal coat is added. The seal coat keeps the moisture levels in the base of the pavement where the levels need to be, allowing the pavement to get strong. On top of the seal coat is our final surface.
After the final surface is down - also scheduled for mid-week - and the road is striped, we'll be able to move the barriers protecting the workzone, opening up some space on the intersection to move everything into its final configuration.
Dan Williams project managers are working to schedule work to get the intersection marked to allow two left turn lanes in each direction across the FM 3009 overpass. The final configuration of the overpass will have three lanes in each direction: a left-only lane, an optional straight-or-left lane, a thru lane. The approach on the northbound frontage road will have the turnaround, a left-only, an optional straight-or-left, a thru and a right-only lane.
The southbound frontage road approaching the intersection will look the same, but that work will wait until the north-to-south area is finished.
By finishing the north-to-south turnaround, we'll be able to move the barriers along the southbound frontage road coming from FM 3009, allowing for the two lanes to handle the dual-left option coming from Schertz.
All that puts us on pace to have the intersection opened up (except the south-to-north turnaround) in time for Christmas.
Friday, December 6
Spring Branch, The Loop, Seguin Ave and other Comal County things
It's been a while since a hearty post was published about all things Comal County, so this post should be a particular treat to those living in the beautiful Texas Hill Country areas north of the metro area....
New project
The best place to begin is with something new, right? Earlier this week we accepted bids on a project at I-35 and Loop 337 (Rueckle Road) to reconfigure the Loop 337 overpass bridge. Hunter Industries of San Marcos submitted the apparent low bid, 10 percent less than the estimate TxDOT engineers came up with.
For more on this, check out the KGNB Web site here. (We'd post more here, but KGNB has all the info we'd have.)
U.S. 281 Comal
Two major items have happened on the U.S. 281 project up in Spring Branch: the southbound lanes have been seperated from the northbound lanes between the Blanco-Comal county line and Blazing Meadows. Second - and, perhaps, most important for motorists to know - is the decrease in speed limit along the project.
The speed limit change is permanent. Except for a small segment near FM 311, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour. Remember: it's an active construction zone, and Comal County law enforcement officials are enforcing the speed limit. If workers are on the project, the fine is doubled.
That short segment at FM 311 is posted at 50 miles per hour, but it's not a bad idea to drop to 45.
Just for grins, here's a look at the drive from the county line to the Guadalupe River:
Seguin Avenue
This is a project that won't give us much to really talk about (regarding traffic switches, etc.) until sometime this spring. Well, we'll have a traffic switch on Seguin Avenue between Nacogdoches and Faust as we finish the work we're doing on the westbound side of Seguin Avenue and move onto the eastbound side, but that's still a few weeks away.
For now, we're on pace to finish the project on time. The shoofly detour is in place and in use. The old overpass bridge structure has been removed and crews are getting ready to start building the new bridge.
Remember: we need to build two bridges and knock down two bridges. We're building the shoofly bridge, knocking down the old bridge, building a new bridge, then knocking down the shoofly bridge.
We're also building the drain field - really, a detention pond - under the roadway as well. That will help keep the entryway to New Braunfels open through rain events. With the rock walls that will match the original retaining walls along the project (and the nice pedestrian handrails along the road under the UPRR overpass), it will make for a beautiful gateway to the city's downtown.
I-35 Selma
With the work at Forum Parkway done - at least, the bridge work is done - bridge crews and concrete crews are being moved to work on the FM 3009 overpass and turnaround bridges. The goal is to have the north-to-south turnaround open and the overpass at its final configuration by Christmas.
The future
City and county officials have adopted a list of priorities - five prioritized projects, really - to submit to the metropolitan planning organization. Both municipalities are now members of the San Antonio-Bexar County MPO, and most projects with TxDOT and federal funds need approval through the MPO moving forward. (By the way, rumor has it the MPO will be getting a new name.)
Among the prioritized projects submitted by Comal County and New Braunfels is work on Loop 337 between Altgelt and Highway 46, expansion of FM 306 between Hunter Road and River Chase Drive and expansion of Hwy 46 at Bulverde.
New project
The best place to begin is with something new, right? Earlier this week we accepted bids on a project at I-35 and Loop 337 (Rueckle Road) to reconfigure the Loop 337 overpass bridge. Hunter Industries of San Marcos submitted the apparent low bid, 10 percent less than the estimate TxDOT engineers came up with.
For more on this, check out the KGNB Web site here. (We'd post more here, but KGNB has all the info we'd have.)
U.S. 281 Comal
Two major items have happened on the U.S. 281 project up in Spring Branch: the southbound lanes have been seperated from the northbound lanes between the Blanco-Comal county line and Blazing Meadows. Second - and, perhaps, most important for motorists to know - is the decrease in speed limit along the project.
The speed limit change is permanent. Except for a small segment near FM 311, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour. Remember: it's an active construction zone, and Comal County law enforcement officials are enforcing the speed limit. If workers are on the project, the fine is doubled.
That short segment at FM 311 is posted at 50 miles per hour, but it's not a bad idea to drop to 45.
Just for grins, here's a look at the drive from the county line to the Guadalupe River:
Seguin Avenue
This is a project that won't give us much to really talk about (regarding traffic switches, etc.) until sometime this spring. Well, we'll have a traffic switch on Seguin Avenue between Nacogdoches and Faust as we finish the work we're doing on the westbound side of Seguin Avenue and move onto the eastbound side, but that's still a few weeks away.
For now, we're on pace to finish the project on time. The shoofly detour is in place and in use. The old overpass bridge structure has been removed and crews are getting ready to start building the new bridge.
Remember: we need to build two bridges and knock down two bridges. We're building the shoofly bridge, knocking down the old bridge, building a new bridge, then knocking down the shoofly bridge.
We're also building the drain field - really, a detention pond - under the roadway as well. That will help keep the entryway to New Braunfels open through rain events. With the rock walls that will match the original retaining walls along the project (and the nice pedestrian handrails along the road under the UPRR overpass), it will make for a beautiful gateway to the city's downtown.
I-35 Selma
With the work at Forum Parkway done - at least, the bridge work is done - bridge crews and concrete crews are being moved to work on the FM 3009 overpass and turnaround bridges. The goal is to have the north-to-south turnaround open and the overpass at its final configuration by Christmas.
The future
City and county officials have adopted a list of priorities - five prioritized projects, really - to submit to the metropolitan planning organization. Both municipalities are now members of the San Antonio-Bexar County MPO, and most projects with TxDOT and federal funds need approval through the MPO moving forward. (By the way, rumor has it the MPO will be getting a new name.)
Among the prioritized projects submitted by Comal County and New Braunfels is work on Loop 337 between Altgelt and Highway 46, expansion of FM 306 between Hunter Road and River Chase Drive and expansion of Hwy 46 at Bulverde.
Friday, November 1
Northbound I-35 exit to FM 3009 tabled ... for now
Closure of the northbound I-35 exit to FM 3009 has been tabled until the contractor working on the I-35 Selma project can responsibly allocate resources for the work.
This decision was made by the contractor, Dan Williams Construction. Right now the project's highest priority is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway finished so we can, in turn, reopen the ramps from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35. This prioritization - and a bit of a shortage of laborers - has placed other tasks a little lower on the totem pole, so to speak.
Let's take all this one step at a time....
FM 3009 exit
First off, we're not closing the FM 3009 exit for at least a few weeks. And, with the current schedule putting us at a point to be ready for work until somewhere around Thanksgiving. But, since the businesses are dependent on the spending that happens through Turkey Day, that means we'll likely not be touching the ramp until after Thanksgiving.
Between now and then, we'll reconfigure the northbound frontage road approaching FM 3009 to allow more flow. First and foremost, that means traffic patterns will return to "normal" sometime early next week.
As for the exit closure? Again, we're looking at sometime after Thanksgiving at this point. When that happens, it will close for not more than three weeks while we adjust the ramp a bit and add a lane. When we're all done, the exit ramp will feature two lanes.
In the meantime, we're working where we can on the turnaround bridge(s). Frankly, the crews on the project that do the kind of concrete work needed there are committed to the Forum Parkway exit, so the schedule to open that turnaround has been pushed back a bit.
Forum Parkway
The top priority on the project - head and shoulders above other activities - is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway open in time for the holiday shopping season. Really, that means Thanksgiving is the deadline we're working on (so we can be out of the way for Black Friday).
Over the last two weeks we've hung bridge support beams and started setting bridge deck panels. Next week we're planning to pour the bridge deck. That is, pour concrete to make up the bridge deck.
We'll also be working as close to around-the-clock as can safely be done on the final retaining walls for the bridge landing. Once the retaining walls are in place and the bridge deck is poured (and the curing time for the concrete has passed), we'll build the barrier.
All this means we're looking to reopen the ramps from Loop 1604 to northbound I-35 shortly after Veterans Day. Weather permitting, at least.
As for the exit ramp to Forum Parkway? Our crews have devoted every available resource to the ramp and we should be able to finish up just in time. That's right - all roads will be open to The Forum.
Other work areas
Wet weather has slowed down the reconstruction of the southbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway and Olympia Parkway. Traffic is using the exit to FM 1518 and following the access road to reach appropriate destinations. Before the new exit ramp can be built, two small retaining walls need to be built. Right now, between the constant onslaught of rains (hitting every time the ground dries up enough to work) and a smaller available workforce than expected, we're hoping to have that southbound exit ready before Christmas.
Yes, that's a little later than initially anticipated. Again, all available resources are being dedicated to the northbound exit to Forum Parkway. The southbound side will be built as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, subcontractors are using nightly closures to work on the center barrier and the road lighting. Most of that work should be finishing up by the end of the year.
The overall project is on pace to finish up by the end of the school year.
This decision was made by the contractor, Dan Williams Construction. Right now the project's highest priority is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway finished so we can, in turn, reopen the ramps from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35. This prioritization - and a bit of a shortage of laborers - has placed other tasks a little lower on the totem pole, so to speak.
Let's take all this one step at a time....
FM 3009 exit
First off, we're not closing the FM 3009 exit for at least a few weeks. And, with the current schedule putting us at a point to be ready for work until somewhere around Thanksgiving. But, since the businesses are dependent on the spending that happens through Turkey Day, that means we'll likely not be touching the ramp until after Thanksgiving.
Between now and then, we'll reconfigure the northbound frontage road approaching FM 3009 to allow more flow. First and foremost, that means traffic patterns will return to "normal" sometime early next week.
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| Though we won't have the northbound exit to FM 3009 under construction or rebuilt within the next few weeks (it will remain open until we're ready to rebuild the ramp), our crews will be restriping the road to open up the traffic flow at this intersection. |
In the meantime, we're working where we can on the turnaround bridge(s). Frankly, the crews on the project that do the kind of concrete work needed there are committed to the Forum Parkway exit, so the schedule to open that turnaround has been pushed back a bit.
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| In the late afternoon, the fact you're looking directly into the sun makes taking a photo tough to do. But from under the FM 3009 overpass bridge, drivers can see the work on these structures is nearly completed. Crews are focused on the northbound exit to Forum Parkway, but as they are available some crews will work on the finishing touches - the concrete barrier rails - on the turnaround bridges. |
The top priority on the project - head and shoulders above other activities - is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway open in time for the holiday shopping season. Really, that means Thanksgiving is the deadline we're working on (so we can be out of the way for Black Friday).
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| Work on the northbound exit to Forum Parkway continues. Crews are pushing to have all roads open to The Forum in time for Black Friday. |
We'll also be working as close to around-the-clock as can safely be done on the final retaining walls for the bridge landing. Once the retaining walls are in place and the bridge deck is poured (and the curing time for the concrete has passed), we'll build the barrier.
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| With the bridge support beams in place and deck panels being set, crews should be pouring concrete for the Forum Parkway exit ramp early next week. We're hoping to reopen to traffic the ramps from Loop 1604 to northbound I-35, which will drive under the support arch shown here, in upcoming weeks. |
As for the exit ramp to Forum Parkway? Our crews have devoted every available resource to the ramp and we should be able to finish up just in time. That's right - all roads will be open to The Forum.
Other work areas
Wet weather has slowed down the reconstruction of the southbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway and Olympia Parkway. Traffic is using the exit to FM 1518 and following the access road to reach appropriate destinations. Before the new exit ramp can be built, two small retaining walls need to be built. Right now, between the constant onslaught of rains (hitting every time the ground dries up enough to work) and a smaller available workforce than expected, we're hoping to have that southbound exit ready before Christmas.
Yes, that's a little later than initially anticipated. Again, all available resources are being dedicated to the northbound exit to Forum Parkway. The southbound side will be built as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, subcontractors are using nightly closures to work on the center barrier and the road lighting. Most of that work should be finishing up by the end of the year.
The overall project is on pace to finish up by the end of the school year.
Thursday, October 10
Weather delays (again), but progress on I-35
Work at Forum Parkway continues to progress, and project supervisors are confident we'll have traffic on the new northbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway in time for the busy holiday shopping season.
That work is known on the jobsite as "Milestone One". The other milestone - oddly enough, "Milestone Two" - involves the northbound exit ramp to FM 3009.
Those who keep up with the project are aware we actually wanted to have the new northbound exit ramp to FM 3009 opened by now. We had planned on closing it late September, with the aim at having work done and the ramp reopened in just three weeks.
Then it started raining. And after some sun, it rained some more. And then again and again. Now ... it's happening again.
In fact, six days in the last three weeks have brought rain. The San Antonio area has gotten nearly an inch of rainfall over that time - much needed, indeed! - and the area of FM 3009 has been too soggy to allow for dirt movers to do their work. Based on forecasts, we're anticipating just as much rainfall over the next week as we've seen over the last three. Typically, when we get a solid rain work is hindered for two or three days more - we have to wait for the ground to dry out.
So the target closing date is being moved again. Last week we announced we'd be shooting for 13 October. Message boards have reflected that goal all week.
The new target is October 20. But remember: weather could flush this back another week yet again.
In the meantime, we've asked the contractor to dedicate some time and effort to getting the remainder of the intersection of I-35 and FM 3009 - including the turnarounds moving northbound traffic to the southbound frontage road - finished up. We anticipated opening the intersection with the new ramp, but that's been a bust.
Now we're trying to get the intersection opened up a bit earlier. Crews have priorities on the project - the northbound ramp to Forum Parkway and southbound ramp to Olympia Parkway and Forum Parkway are the two highest priorities right now - but we're trying to do what we can to get out of the way at FM 3009.
We figure we've had a number of incredible neighbors for the last year-plus, and it's time we get neighborly as well.
So ... here's the bottom line:
That work is known on the jobsite as "Milestone One". The other milestone - oddly enough, "Milestone Two" - involves the northbound exit ramp to FM 3009.
Those who keep up with the project are aware we actually wanted to have the new northbound exit ramp to FM 3009 opened by now. We had planned on closing it late September, with the aim at having work done and the ramp reopened in just three weeks.
Then it started raining. And after some sun, it rained some more. And then again and again. Now ... it's happening again.
In fact, six days in the last three weeks have brought rain. The San Antonio area has gotten nearly an inch of rainfall over that time - much needed, indeed! - and the area of FM 3009 has been too soggy to allow for dirt movers to do their work. Based on forecasts, we're anticipating just as much rainfall over the next week as we've seen over the last three. Typically, when we get a solid rain work is hindered for two or three days more - we have to wait for the ground to dry out.
So the target closing date is being moved again. Last week we announced we'd be shooting for 13 October. Message boards have reflected that goal all week.
The new target is October 20. But remember: weather could flush this back another week yet again.
In the meantime, we've asked the contractor to dedicate some time and effort to getting the remainder of the intersection of I-35 and FM 3009 - including the turnarounds moving northbound traffic to the southbound frontage road - finished up. We anticipated opening the intersection with the new ramp, but that's been a bust.
Now we're trying to get the intersection opened up a bit earlier. Crews have priorities on the project - the northbound ramp to Forum Parkway and southbound ramp to Olympia Parkway and Forum Parkway are the two highest priorities right now - but we're trying to do what we can to get out of the way at FM 3009.
We figure we've had a number of incredible neighbors for the last year-plus, and it's time we get neighborly as well.
So ... here's the bottom line:
- We're on pace to have traffic on the northbound exit to Forum Parkway
- We're targeting October 20 to close the northbound ramp to FM 3009 to rebuild it
- We'll have the northbound ramp to FM 3009 opened three weeks after it's closed
- We're working to get the north-to-south turnaround at FM 3009 opened sooner than promised, if possible
Thursday, October 3
I-35 Selma: Projected rain and its effects
Rain in the forecast has again pushed back the planned closure of the northbound exit ramps to FM 3009. Crews will shut down the ramp the night of Sunday, October 13, to add a lane and fit the ramp to other improvements along I-35 between Loop 1604 and FM 3009.
The ramp will remain closed for three weeks. When it is reopened by the end of the month, crews hope to have the north-to-south turnaround ready for use as well.
The ramp had initially been planned to close at the end of September. Continued wet weather has postponed the closure, but is not causing overall delays on the job. Crews planned for the FM 3009 ramp have been working on the southbound exit ramp to Olympia Parkway, which should be reopened in time for the holiday season.
The contractor, Dan Williams Company, makes these decisions with the intent to maximize the use of time while the ramp is closed. They only have three weeks to rebuild the exit ramp, which requires heavy excavation. That dirt work can't be done efficiently with sloppy, muddy ground.
Because rain soaks into the ground and can take several days to dry up, a rainy weekend can spoil a work zone like this for as many as four days.
While rain is postponing the milestone on FM 3009, crews continue to push forward with the cosntruction of the northbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway. Bridge support columns should be finished by the middle of this month, and project supervisors anticipate hanging bridge support beams and laying out the bridge deck before the month is over.
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| Inclement weather for the third consecutive weekend will push the closure of the northbound exit ramp to FM 3009 to October 13. |
The ramp had initially been planned to close at the end of September. Continued wet weather has postponed the closure, but is not causing overall delays on the job. Crews planned for the FM 3009 ramp have been working on the southbound exit ramp to Olympia Parkway, which should be reopened in time for the holiday season.
The contractor, Dan Williams Company, makes these decisions with the intent to maximize the use of time while the ramp is closed. They only have three weeks to rebuild the exit ramp, which requires heavy excavation. That dirt work can't be done efficiently with sloppy, muddy ground.
Because rain soaks into the ground and can take several days to dry up, a rainy weekend can spoil a work zone like this for as many as four days.
While rain is postponing the milestone on FM 3009, crews continue to push forward with the cosntruction of the northbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway. Bridge support columns should be finished by the middle of this month, and project supervisors anticipate hanging bridge support beams and laying out the bridge deck before the month is over.
Wednesday, September 25
The next closure on the I-35 Selma project
Sunday
night, September 29, crews working for the Texas Department of Transportation
will close the northbound I-35 exit to FM 3009 in Schertz for three weeks to
rebuild the exit ramps and finish work on the frontage road.
Traffic will use the Schertz Parkway exit and follow the frontage road to reach FM 3009. The closure is tied to a milestone allowing the contractor just three weeks to finish work while rewarding efforts to reopen the ramp early.
Crews are rebuilding the exit to better align with the new entrance ramp from FM 1518. An additional lane will be added to the exit. Work on the north-to-south turnaround should also be completed, opening the lanes of the northbound frontage road closed to accommodate the improvements at the busy intersection.
This closure represents the second major milestone on the project. The first major milestone is the construction of the braided exit ramp on northbound I-35 to Forum Parkway, serving the major shopping center of the metro area’s northeast side. In order to accomplish that work, earlier this month crews closed the ramp from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35. That closure has been extended into November – initially crews planned to reopen the ramp mid-October – to expedite the completion of the Forum Parkway exit ramp.
Weather permitting, the Forum Parkway exit ramp should be done in time for the holiday shopping season.
Traffic will use the Schertz Parkway exit and follow the frontage road to reach FM 3009. The closure is tied to a milestone allowing the contractor just three weeks to finish work while rewarding efforts to reopen the ramp early.
Crews are rebuilding the exit to better align with the new entrance ramp from FM 1518. An additional lane will be added to the exit. Work on the north-to-south turnaround should also be completed, opening the lanes of the northbound frontage road closed to accommodate the improvements at the busy intersection.
This closure represents the second major milestone on the project. The first major milestone is the construction of the braided exit ramp on northbound I-35 to Forum Parkway, serving the major shopping center of the metro area’s northeast side. In order to accomplish that work, earlier this month crews closed the ramp from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35. That closure has been extended into November – initially crews planned to reopen the ramp mid-October – to expedite the completion of the Forum Parkway exit ramp.
Weather permitting, the Forum Parkway exit ramp should be done in time for the holiday shopping season.
Monday, September 16
Moving along well; a quick look at the I-35 Selma job....
In a Thursday afternoon meeting about the closure of the Loop 1604 ramps to northbound I-35, representatives of The Forum shopping center and the city of Live Oak expressed some surprise the traffic wasn't backed up more than it was in the area.
Because of the ramp closure, traffic is being routed onto the frontage roads at Pat Booker Road. Before reaching the northbound main lanes of I-35, all traffic has to pass through the traffic signal at Forum Parkway. Everyone - including just about every TxDOT engineer involved with the project - thought traffic would stack up onto Loop 1604. We expected a bit of a traffic disaster.
However, even at peak traffic hours the total wait to get onto the Interstate is about fifteen minutes. And that's going the long way. During the day, when traffic is a little lighter, the detour takes between 8 and 10 minutes to get through.
Even with these phenomenal figures, we're actually going to try and improve the flow a little more. We're looking into a minor traffic pattern change on the westbound frontage road at Pat Booker Road, paring traffic down to one lane to allow drivers using the east-to-west turnaround a protected acceleration lane. We're evaluating timing of traffic signals, giving us a better flow of traffic. So much for talk of the traffic patterns out there.
Let's talk progress....
Within a few hours of setting up the closure last week, we had drill rigs in place digging foundation holes for our bridge support columns. Work on those columns has been moving quickly, and later this week we hope to have additional columns underway. Drivers should also start seeing retaining walls for the bridge structure start going up.
Everyone on the project is working toward the same goal: to have that north-bound exit to Forum Parkway reopened as soon as possible. We're working on a few out-of-the-box ideas to move faster than even our projected January target date; if any of those ideas are approved, we'll be sure to announce them.
Olympia Parkway
For now, the best way to get to The Forum and The Shops at The Forum from northbound I-35 is Olympia Parkway.
On the southbound side, the Olympia Parkway exit is closed - we're moving the exit further north, closer to the bridge. The idea behind that is to give traffic a little more time to move around on the frontage road, and we just built a new entrance ramp before Forum Parkway. Until the new ramp - which will have two lanes - is complete, traffic is using the Schertz Parkway exit.
We hope to have the Olympia Parkway exit finished in time for the holiday shopping season.
The next milestone....
The night of September 22 (a Sunday), crews will close the northbound exit ramp to FM 3009. The ramp is tied to a milestone that allows just three weeks for work; when crews reopen the ramp, it will have two lanes and the north-to-south turnaround will be ready for use. The entrance ramp from FM 1518 will also be opened.
That is, if the weather (and the equipment) cooperates.
That will mean that, by mid-October, all the northbound frontage road lanes currently closed will reopen. Until that point, all northbound traffic to FM 3009 will use the Schertz Parkway exit.
Because of the ramp closure, traffic is being routed onto the frontage roads at Pat Booker Road. Before reaching the northbound main lanes of I-35, all traffic has to pass through the traffic signal at Forum Parkway. Everyone - including just about every TxDOT engineer involved with the project - thought traffic would stack up onto Loop 1604. We expected a bit of a traffic disaster.
However, even at peak traffic hours the total wait to get onto the Interstate is about fifteen minutes. And that's going the long way. During the day, when traffic is a little lighter, the detour takes between 8 and 10 minutes to get through.
Even with these phenomenal figures, we're actually going to try and improve the flow a little more. We're looking into a minor traffic pattern change on the westbound frontage road at Pat Booker Road, paring traffic down to one lane to allow drivers using the east-to-west turnaround a protected acceleration lane. We're evaluating timing of traffic signals, giving us a better flow of traffic. So much for talk of the traffic patterns out there.
Let's talk progress....
Within a few hours of setting up the closure last week, we had drill rigs in place digging foundation holes for our bridge support columns. Work on those columns has been moving quickly, and later this week we hope to have additional columns underway. Drivers should also start seeing retaining walls for the bridge structure start going up.
Everyone on the project is working toward the same goal: to have that north-bound exit to Forum Parkway reopened as soon as possible. We're working on a few out-of-the-box ideas to move faster than even our projected January target date; if any of those ideas are approved, we'll be sure to announce them.
Olympia Parkway
For now, the best way to get to The Forum and The Shops at The Forum from northbound I-35 is Olympia Parkway.
On the southbound side, the Olympia Parkway exit is closed - we're moving the exit further north, closer to the bridge. The idea behind that is to give traffic a little more time to move around on the frontage road, and we just built a new entrance ramp before Forum Parkway. Until the new ramp - which will have two lanes - is complete, traffic is using the Schertz Parkway exit.
We hope to have the Olympia Parkway exit finished in time for the holiday shopping season.
The next milestone....
The night of September 22 (a Sunday), crews will close the northbound exit ramp to FM 3009. The ramp is tied to a milestone that allows just three weeks for work; when crews reopen the ramp, it will have two lanes and the north-to-south turnaround will be ready for use. The entrance ramp from FM 1518 will also be opened.
That is, if the weather (and the equipment) cooperates.
That will mean that, by mid-October, all the northbound frontage road lanes currently closed will reopen. Until that point, all northbound traffic to FM 3009 will use the Schertz Parkway exit.
Monday, August 5
Project roundup (because ... well ... it's all about being in the know!)
First of all, the goal when this blog was launched was to publish between three and five meaningful posts each week to let folks know what's going on with specific construction projects and construction-related road closures.
The problem with all that is when the poster is out-of-town, no posts get published. So ... in lieu of the last two weeks' worth of posts, here's a round-up of everything that's been happening on our major highway road projects in the San Antonio district. I'll start with the rural projects and work cityward (is that a word, even? If not, it is now...).
Kerr County - Hwy 39 (Ingram)
During a recent meeting of the minds between Ingram city officials and TxDOT staff, plans to work heavily on the Hwy 39 bridge over Johnson Creek were outlined.
According the the most recent construction schedule, the expansion of the bridge - it's being widened to accommodate the widened road, which will include sidewalks and bike lanes along with a center left-turn lane - should be finished early this fall. Until the work is finished, no pedestrian traffic should be permitted on the bridge. It's simply unsafe with the work zone barricaded off and only enough space on the bridge for the two active lanes of traffic. Because of the proximity to Ingram Tom Moore High School, this may present an issue for some of the local youth. We are working with school district officials to develop a solution for the few weeks of overlap we'll have with the upcoming school year.
Beyond the work on the Johnson Creek Bridge, work has begun and reached about the quarter-way-there mark on the new bridge over the Guadalupe River at Cade Loop Road. The column shafts sticking out of the water are at their final heights, though we still need to build column caps (which act as shelves for support beams) and build the deck itself. All that will come once the work on Johnson Creek Bridge is finished.
Meanwhile, we've begun building the detour - which will really act as a temporary road path side-by-side with the current roadway - which will be in use by late August so road crews can install drain structures along the west end of the project. Businesses in the middle of the project should also expect more action in front of their locations over the next week or two.
Kendall County - Main Street
With the signal upgrades nearing completion, the work on the Cibolo Creek Bridge is also headed quickly toward its finish line. Most of the overnight closures - used to allow bridge crews to safely hang beams and perform other major structure work - are done, but a few remain. Those closures, as always, will be announced as they arrive.
Comal County - US 281 through Spring Branch
Two of the final three property parcels have been acquired by TxDOT to continue construction, and we'll be able to work on those properties by October (there's a 90-day grace period so anything the former landowner wanted to keep can be salvaged). The final piece of land to acquire is the land where the Spring Branch Post Office is located. I don't have any updates on that.
It's really common for TxDOT to begin a project having acquired all but a few final pieces of land through right-of-way acquisition. It allows us to expedite projects and provide our safe, reliable solutions to safety or congestion issues to Texas drivers all that much faster.
Otherwise, work on the project is steaming along. Most of the future south-bound lanes between the Blanco County line and FM 311 are formed and built, waiting concrete and cement. We've still got a few gaps due to utility conflicts, but otherwise we're all in place up that way. Further south, we've got land being cleared along Coyote Ridge. Nothing being worked on (for now) really impacts daily traffic.
There is a concern about trucks entering and exiting the roadway, however. Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do beyond telling truck drivers to be more cogniscent of the traffic flow. We've posted signs reading "TRUCKS ENTERING ROADWAY" signs in an effort to make drivers more aware this is an issue, but it (sadly) won't be going away any time soon. Because of the unpredictable and intermittent frequency of this, we simply cannot have flaggers or other traffic control out there to get these trucks in and out of the roadway. For now, we're reminding drivers to be good neighbors.
Comal County - FM 306
With efforts to add strategically located turning and passing lanes in the Canyon Lake area nearing an end - most of the pavement was in place by the end of last week, and job bosses are looking for a dry spell to allow lanes to be painted successfully - most of the concern on FM 306 has turned to the segment near Gruene.
In tha last few weeks folks have seen the bridge support structures go up for the future west-bound lanes near Hunter Road, and some of the similar work is happening near Goodwin Lane. As we begin putting caps - those shelves that top the columns and hold up the beams on bridges - on the columns at Hunter, look for the columns to start going up near Goodwin. We've already made some good headway on the retaining walls that will hold the approach to the overpass at Goodwin.
That bridge work is and will be the most visible work we do over the next several weeks. Yes, we're busy putting inlet drains in and working on a few other underground things ... and we've got some of the portions of roadway to be widened already graded out and the base layers of asphalt is down ... but we've still got a long way to go. Perhaps the most significant change for folks driving this corridor is the upgraded traffic signals. We've changed the signal devices from the old-fashioned timers to a new VIVDS Camera system. Basically, we've made the signals smart, and that should improve the traffic flow a bit while we're still in construction.
Comal County - Seguin Avenue
The magic day to mark on the calendar on this project is September 9. On that morning Seguin Avenue will be closed - completely and totally - at the UPRR underpass near I-35. The closure will last six months. Traffic will be detoured onto Nacogdoches Street, Comal Avenue and Hampe Street to get to their respective destinations.
Again, that's September 9. For six months.
Between now and then, you'll see more of the same stuff you've seen all summer. Work continues - and is nearing completion - on the new retaining wall. Drill shafts are being worked on to support the temporary "shoo-fly" detour. None of the work happening now will impact traffic until the summer is over. But, once September 9 hits, well ... hopefully you're getting the idea!
Comal County - Walnut Avenue
A clear distinction needs to be made here. The project at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Landa Street, extending along Walnut Avenue south/east of that intersection, is being overseen by the city of New Braunfels. The TxDOT project on Walnut Avenue (which will expand the street and add sidewalks and bike lanes) is set to begin next year after utilities are appropriately adjusted. These adjustments are slated for later this year and early 2013.
Comal County - FM 2252 and FM 3009
After a three-week haiatus from the project - the contractor turned the intersection back over to TxDOT while we tested the new signal cabinets and got things calibrated appropriately - the contractor is back on the job. THey are scheduled to have the new signals in place by 8 August and should have the project buttoned up by the middle of the month.
Keep in mind most remaining work will be done at night, so you might not see the crews at work. We're trying to stay out of the way!
Comal/Guadalupe/Bexar County - I-35 Selma
This project ... wow. Where do I begin? Let's start north and work down from there.
The turnarounds at FM 3009 have been put at a lower priority on the list of tasks on this project, but should still be hammered out by the first part of September. That's the aim, for now. Crews were reallocated to the ramps and highway expansion between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway.
About two weeks ago we opened the north-bound exit ramp to Schertz Parkway. We can't get the entrance ramp from FM 1518 opened up quite yet as there are some concerns about the distance between that entrance ramp and the exit to FM 3009 without all the expansion work in place. The south-bound entrance ramp from Schertz Parkway was opened when the main lanes were repaved over the weekend. The closures caused some heavy congestion, but crews were able to work quickly and get the lanes reopened a full two hours earlier than estimated.
We are still working on the highway widening between Schertz Pkwy and FM 1518 ... but we're getting there! We have the south-bound exit to FM 1518 to finish up as well, and the south-to-north turnaround to complete.
A design team at our district office has taken over the reworking of the construction sequence and traffic control plan for the north-bound exit to Forum Parkway. We're hopeful to have a new plan in place this week and get shovels in the ground again, allowing us to have that finished and reopened around Halloween.
Bexar County - Wurzbach Parkway
This three-in-one project (it's actually three seperate projects, but I talk about it as if it were one) has been interesting over the last couple of years. The biggest question asked is the one I'll answer first: When's it going to be done? The answer is in three parts:
Closer to U.S. Highway 281, crews are working on the bridge structures east of the highway. There's a lot of activity on Bitters at U.S. 281, as well as at Nakoma and Hwy 281. This work has required some turnaround closures at both locations and some actual lane closures of Bitters Road under the highway. we're expecting work to continue in both locations for another five months or so, but the contractor has been working hard to get the traffic lanes reopened sooner.
Efforts to get Jones-Maltsberger finished (it's been involved with closures and a detour configuration for over a year now) and sized up for the future intersection with the Parkway are moving more intensely. Last week electricians were building the infrastructure needed for all the traffic signals and pedestrian sign posts. We're hoping to have the road opened to its final, four-plus lane configuration by the end of September.
Bexar County: Vance Jackson overpass bridge
With everything else in the district, this significant project has managed to fly under the radar a bit. The good news is we're nearly finished, and hope to have the bridge opened for use by the end of September. That will allow traffic along Vance Jackson from, say, DeZavala Road to reach The Rim without turnarounds or using I-10. We're hoping it affords local traffic a viable alternate to I-10 in the event of heavy traffic during peak hours.
Bexar County: Marbach Road overpass
With work on a sound wall along the north-bound lanes south of Marbach, the biggest work (for now) outside the median area is underway. For the most part, we've not had a ton of major lane closures as yet. That will change (a little) when we start building the actual overpass bridge at Marbach ... but that's still quite a way out.
The best news of all is knowing this project is running on time and is (so far) pretty smooth. (Quick - somebody knock on some wood!) We're hoping to be finished by early fall next year. I'll say this: having met the head honcho with the contracting company (Capital Excavation) on that project, I've met few motivated to get a project as quickly as this group is. They really want to be in, out and done.
Bexar County: I-10 Huebner
This project is moving right along with Webber Construction pushing the cart. Bridge building crews are just a couple of weeks from having work on the I-10 overpass at Fredericksburg Road finished, which means traffic will be returned to a full three lanes on the main lanes by the end of the month. (May be a little sooner than that, even!)
It also means some relief at the intersections of I-10, Huebner and Fredericksburg is in sight. It's a tough area to start with during peak hours, and we know the work we've been doing has complicated things. Thank you to those who've dealt so well with the work we're doing.
Those driving the project have noted the retaining walls near UTSA Boulevard as well. We're glad to be moving forward with that work. Seems so many struggles getting the support structures for those walls have been encountered, it's really satisfying to see the walls take shape.
The goal for the contractor is to get everything else ready for major work at the DeZavala overpass to start this fall. That work is going to result in major pinch points for traffic along I-10 and DeZavala; the main lanes will be squeezed (made narrower) and shifted over. If anyone drove through I-410 during work on the north side of San Antonio a few years back, they'll recognize the traffic patterns.
When we get into the DeZavala bridge (we're lifting it, and in turn need to lengthen the bridge and widen it a bit), we'll close down BOTH turnarounds underneath. This work will continue for a full year - six months in each direction. The work has incentives tied to it, and the contractor stands to earn an extra $300K for each side if the work can be done fast enough.
Job bosses are telling me they hope to be finished with the entire project by the start of 2015 - which is only six months behind the initial schedule (most of the delay coming from the bankruptcy proceedings for Ballenger Construction).
Bexar County: Fred-Med
Questions on this project come weekly, so here's what we've got:
We selected a contractor earlier this summer (the project went through the entire bid process all over again) and expect to start work in September. This is a two-year job, so expect to see action until near the end of 2015.
Texas Sterling Construction won the contract with a bid of a little more than $13.8 million, which was pretty well in line with the construction estimate offered by our engineers. All told, the project has a projected total cost of about $14.6 million.
Bexar County: I-35 SAMMC
This project is going to be a doozy. It's all about safety, and the U.S. Department of Defense even kicked in a bit of money (to the tune of more than $20 million, enough to pay for more than a third of the total construction) to make this happen.
While we're expanding the highway between the north and the south I-410 interchanges on I-35, the biggest thing we're doing here is moving the ramp from south-bound I-35 to south-bound I-410 to the right side. Currently, as a left-hand exit, we're seeing some safety concerns and some traffic bog-down from trucks moving across four lanes of traffic to reach the ramp.
We're hoping to shave something like five minutes off the average commute time through this corridor with this improvement (and a host of others). But growing pains will come first, and the work on the 4.6-mile stretch is scheduled to be finished by mid-2017.
Lane Construction - one of the largest road builders in the country - won the award for the $74.4 million project. We're expecting this work to kick off in the next month or so.
That's it - for now!
That just about sums it up. I'll have smaller posts related to each project as they progress. Thanks for your patience!
The problem with all that is when the poster is out-of-town, no posts get published. So ... in lieu of the last two weeks' worth of posts, here's a round-up of everything that's been happening on our major highway road projects in the San Antonio district. I'll start with the rural projects and work cityward (is that a word, even? If not, it is now...).
Kerr County - Hwy 39 (Ingram)
During a recent meeting of the minds between Ingram city officials and TxDOT staff, plans to work heavily on the Hwy 39 bridge over Johnson Creek were outlined.
According the the most recent construction schedule, the expansion of the bridge - it's being widened to accommodate the widened road, which will include sidewalks and bike lanes along with a center left-turn lane - should be finished early this fall. Until the work is finished, no pedestrian traffic should be permitted on the bridge. It's simply unsafe with the work zone barricaded off and only enough space on the bridge for the two active lanes of traffic. Because of the proximity to Ingram Tom Moore High School, this may present an issue for some of the local youth. We are working with school district officials to develop a solution for the few weeks of overlap we'll have with the upcoming school year.
Beyond the work on the Johnson Creek Bridge, work has begun and reached about the quarter-way-there mark on the new bridge over the Guadalupe River at Cade Loop Road. The column shafts sticking out of the water are at their final heights, though we still need to build column caps (which act as shelves for support beams) and build the deck itself. All that will come once the work on Johnson Creek Bridge is finished.
Meanwhile, we've begun building the detour - which will really act as a temporary road path side-by-side with the current roadway - which will be in use by late August so road crews can install drain structures along the west end of the project. Businesses in the middle of the project should also expect more action in front of their locations over the next week or two.
Kendall County - Main Street
With the signal upgrades nearing completion, the work on the Cibolo Creek Bridge is also headed quickly toward its finish line. Most of the overnight closures - used to allow bridge crews to safely hang beams and perform other major structure work - are done, but a few remain. Those closures, as always, will be announced as they arrive.
Comal County - US 281 through Spring Branch
Two of the final three property parcels have been acquired by TxDOT to continue construction, and we'll be able to work on those properties by October (there's a 90-day grace period so anything the former landowner wanted to keep can be salvaged). The final piece of land to acquire is the land where the Spring Branch Post Office is located. I don't have any updates on that.
It's really common for TxDOT to begin a project having acquired all but a few final pieces of land through right-of-way acquisition. It allows us to expedite projects and provide our safe, reliable solutions to safety or congestion issues to Texas drivers all that much faster.
Otherwise, work on the project is steaming along. Most of the future south-bound lanes between the Blanco County line and FM 311 are formed and built, waiting concrete and cement. We've still got a few gaps due to utility conflicts, but otherwise we're all in place up that way. Further south, we've got land being cleared along Coyote Ridge. Nothing being worked on (for now) really impacts daily traffic.
There is a concern about trucks entering and exiting the roadway, however. Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do beyond telling truck drivers to be more cogniscent of the traffic flow. We've posted signs reading "TRUCKS ENTERING ROADWAY" signs in an effort to make drivers more aware this is an issue, but it (sadly) won't be going away any time soon. Because of the unpredictable and intermittent frequency of this, we simply cannot have flaggers or other traffic control out there to get these trucks in and out of the roadway. For now, we're reminding drivers to be good neighbors.
Comal County - FM 306
With efforts to add strategically located turning and passing lanes in the Canyon Lake area nearing an end - most of the pavement was in place by the end of last week, and job bosses are looking for a dry spell to allow lanes to be painted successfully - most of the concern on FM 306 has turned to the segment near Gruene.
In tha last few weeks folks have seen the bridge support structures go up for the future west-bound lanes near Hunter Road, and some of the similar work is happening near Goodwin Lane. As we begin putting caps - those shelves that top the columns and hold up the beams on bridges - on the columns at Hunter, look for the columns to start going up near Goodwin. We've already made some good headway on the retaining walls that will hold the approach to the overpass at Goodwin.
That bridge work is and will be the most visible work we do over the next several weeks. Yes, we're busy putting inlet drains in and working on a few other underground things ... and we've got some of the portions of roadway to be widened already graded out and the base layers of asphalt is down ... but we've still got a long way to go. Perhaps the most significant change for folks driving this corridor is the upgraded traffic signals. We've changed the signal devices from the old-fashioned timers to a new VIVDS Camera system. Basically, we've made the signals smart, and that should improve the traffic flow a bit while we're still in construction.
Comal County - Seguin Avenue
The magic day to mark on the calendar on this project is September 9. On that morning Seguin Avenue will be closed - completely and totally - at the UPRR underpass near I-35. The closure will last six months. Traffic will be detoured onto Nacogdoches Street, Comal Avenue and Hampe Street to get to their respective destinations.
Again, that's September 9. For six months.
Between now and then, you'll see more of the same stuff you've seen all summer. Work continues - and is nearing completion - on the new retaining wall. Drill shafts are being worked on to support the temporary "shoo-fly" detour. None of the work happening now will impact traffic until the summer is over. But, once September 9 hits, well ... hopefully you're getting the idea!
Comal County - Walnut Avenue
A clear distinction needs to be made here. The project at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Landa Street, extending along Walnut Avenue south/east of that intersection, is being overseen by the city of New Braunfels. The TxDOT project on Walnut Avenue (which will expand the street and add sidewalks and bike lanes) is set to begin next year after utilities are appropriately adjusted. These adjustments are slated for later this year and early 2013.
Comal County - FM 2252 and FM 3009
After a three-week haiatus from the project - the contractor turned the intersection back over to TxDOT while we tested the new signal cabinets and got things calibrated appropriately - the contractor is back on the job. THey are scheduled to have the new signals in place by 8 August and should have the project buttoned up by the middle of the month.
Keep in mind most remaining work will be done at night, so you might not see the crews at work. We're trying to stay out of the way!
Comal/Guadalupe/Bexar County - I-35 Selma
This project ... wow. Where do I begin? Let's start north and work down from there.
The turnarounds at FM 3009 have been put at a lower priority on the list of tasks on this project, but should still be hammered out by the first part of September. That's the aim, for now. Crews were reallocated to the ramps and highway expansion between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway.
About two weeks ago we opened the north-bound exit ramp to Schertz Parkway. We can't get the entrance ramp from FM 1518 opened up quite yet as there are some concerns about the distance between that entrance ramp and the exit to FM 3009 without all the expansion work in place. The south-bound entrance ramp from Schertz Parkway was opened when the main lanes were repaved over the weekend. The closures caused some heavy congestion, but crews were able to work quickly and get the lanes reopened a full two hours earlier than estimated.
We are still working on the highway widening between Schertz Pkwy and FM 1518 ... but we're getting there! We have the south-bound exit to FM 1518 to finish up as well, and the south-to-north turnaround to complete.
A design team at our district office has taken over the reworking of the construction sequence and traffic control plan for the north-bound exit to Forum Parkway. We're hopeful to have a new plan in place this week and get shovels in the ground again, allowing us to have that finished and reopened around Halloween.
Bexar County - Wurzbach Parkway
This three-in-one project (it's actually three seperate projects, but I talk about it as if it were one) has been interesting over the last couple of years. The biggest question asked is the one I'll answer first: When's it going to be done? The answer is in three parts:
- Blanco-to-West: Early fall 2013
- West-to-Jones Maltsberger: Early 2015
- JM-to-Wetmore: Mid 2014
Closer to U.S. Highway 281, crews are working on the bridge structures east of the highway. There's a lot of activity on Bitters at U.S. 281, as well as at Nakoma and Hwy 281. This work has required some turnaround closures at both locations and some actual lane closures of Bitters Road under the highway. we're expecting work to continue in both locations for another five months or so, but the contractor has been working hard to get the traffic lanes reopened sooner.
Efforts to get Jones-Maltsberger finished (it's been involved with closures and a detour configuration for over a year now) and sized up for the future intersection with the Parkway are moving more intensely. Last week electricians were building the infrastructure needed for all the traffic signals and pedestrian sign posts. We're hoping to have the road opened to its final, four-plus lane configuration by the end of September.
Bexar County: Vance Jackson overpass bridge
With everything else in the district, this significant project has managed to fly under the radar a bit. The good news is we're nearly finished, and hope to have the bridge opened for use by the end of September. That will allow traffic along Vance Jackson from, say, DeZavala Road to reach The Rim without turnarounds or using I-10. We're hoping it affords local traffic a viable alternate to I-10 in the event of heavy traffic during peak hours.
Bexar County: Marbach Road overpass
With work on a sound wall along the north-bound lanes south of Marbach, the biggest work (for now) outside the median area is underway. For the most part, we've not had a ton of major lane closures as yet. That will change (a little) when we start building the actual overpass bridge at Marbach ... but that's still quite a way out.
The best news of all is knowing this project is running on time and is (so far) pretty smooth. (Quick - somebody knock on some wood!) We're hoping to be finished by early fall next year. I'll say this: having met the head honcho with the contracting company (Capital Excavation) on that project, I've met few motivated to get a project as quickly as this group is. They really want to be in, out and done.
Bexar County: I-10 Huebner
This project is moving right along with Webber Construction pushing the cart. Bridge building crews are just a couple of weeks from having work on the I-10 overpass at Fredericksburg Road finished, which means traffic will be returned to a full three lanes on the main lanes by the end of the month. (May be a little sooner than that, even!)
It also means some relief at the intersections of I-10, Huebner and Fredericksburg is in sight. It's a tough area to start with during peak hours, and we know the work we've been doing has complicated things. Thank you to those who've dealt so well with the work we're doing.
Those driving the project have noted the retaining walls near UTSA Boulevard as well. We're glad to be moving forward with that work. Seems so many struggles getting the support structures for those walls have been encountered, it's really satisfying to see the walls take shape.
The goal for the contractor is to get everything else ready for major work at the DeZavala overpass to start this fall. That work is going to result in major pinch points for traffic along I-10 and DeZavala; the main lanes will be squeezed (made narrower) and shifted over. If anyone drove through I-410 during work on the north side of San Antonio a few years back, they'll recognize the traffic patterns.
When we get into the DeZavala bridge (we're lifting it, and in turn need to lengthen the bridge and widen it a bit), we'll close down BOTH turnarounds underneath. This work will continue for a full year - six months in each direction. The work has incentives tied to it, and the contractor stands to earn an extra $300K for each side if the work can be done fast enough.
Job bosses are telling me they hope to be finished with the entire project by the start of 2015 - which is only six months behind the initial schedule (most of the delay coming from the bankruptcy proceedings for Ballenger Construction).
Bexar County: Fred-Med
Questions on this project come weekly, so here's what we've got:
We selected a contractor earlier this summer (the project went through the entire bid process all over again) and expect to start work in September. This is a two-year job, so expect to see action until near the end of 2015.
Texas Sterling Construction won the contract with a bid of a little more than $13.8 million, which was pretty well in line with the construction estimate offered by our engineers. All told, the project has a projected total cost of about $14.6 million.
Bexar County: I-35 SAMMC
This project is going to be a doozy. It's all about safety, and the U.S. Department of Defense even kicked in a bit of money (to the tune of more than $20 million, enough to pay for more than a third of the total construction) to make this happen.
While we're expanding the highway between the north and the south I-410 interchanges on I-35, the biggest thing we're doing here is moving the ramp from south-bound I-35 to south-bound I-410 to the right side. Currently, as a left-hand exit, we're seeing some safety concerns and some traffic bog-down from trucks moving across four lanes of traffic to reach the ramp.
We're hoping to shave something like five minutes off the average commute time through this corridor with this improvement (and a host of others). But growing pains will come first, and the work on the 4.6-mile stretch is scheduled to be finished by mid-2017.
Lane Construction - one of the largest road builders in the country - won the award for the $74.4 million project. We're expecting this work to kick off in the next month or so.
That's it - for now!
That just about sums it up. I'll have smaller posts related to each project as they progress. Thanks for your patience!
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