I-10 on the east side of San Antonio

Two projects on I-10 east of San Antonio's downtown have elicited more than a handful of phone calls or emails, so it seems a quick post to address the issues is warranted....

Houston Street exit

Earlier this year - in fact, about two weeks after the Spurs were beaten by the Heat in the NBA Finals (too soon?) - Salinas Construction began work to reconstruct the eastbound exit to Houston Street. The timing of the project was actually designed to begin when the Spurs season ended and conclude before 2013-2014 season gets going.

But ... then the Spurs made it to the Finals. Which is what we all wanted here in San Antonio - don't get us wrong here, a lot of TxDOT folks love to cheer for the Spurs - but it pushed the start date of the project back almost a month.

And now we're getting ready for the start of the Spurs new season (first regular-season home game is October 30 vs. the Memphis Grizzlies), and it's looking like we're going to still be working until later this winter.

However, a meeting of the minds last week settled on a commitment to have one lane of the exit ramp available for use by October 25. That won't help those headed to preseason games - which begin later this week - but it will help the regular-season crowd.

One more issue to consider: the city of San Antonio is working on Houston Street as well. That project is scheduled to wrap up December of 2014. If you're driving in the area, you might consider an alternate route. To bypass the TxDOT work, consider exiting WW White and then using the turnaround to get to Houston Street.

While we'll have a single lane available for use before the first game of the season, folks wanting to bypass the Houston Street exit (eastbound I-10) can try using WW White and approaching Houston Street on WESTbound I-10.

I-10 East San Antonio

Over the summer we began work on a project intended to smooth out I-10 on the east end of San Antonio - between New Braunfels Ave and Roland Ave, to be precise - that will also increase the spacing between the highway surface and the overpasses along that short corridor.

This short stretch of I-10 is an active construction zone, though the traffic control plan for the project are under review for revision. When the revisions are drafted, construction will continue.

Within a few short weeks of kicking off, the contractor brought to our attention some issues with the plan to control traffic flow through the project. Because adjustments to our traffic control plan require new designs signed and sealed by an engineer, we can't make changes on the fly.

That means we've got what we've got out there right now, and traffic has been pared down to two eastbound lanes. What's got folks frustrated - understandably so! - is no work is being done behind those barriers.

Well, we've paused work on the project until the adjustments to the traffic control plan are signed and sealed by our engineers. We expect to be ready to go again in November.

We're aware the situation is less than desireable, and we know how frustrating it is to see barriers out there without seeing crews to accompany them. And we can't pull those barriers back without violating provisions of the work contract, so we've kind of painted ourselves into a corner.

For now, we've got a safe corridor to travel, and we've got at least two lanes in each direction. We're looking forward to pushing forward with the project again soon.

Game-day road closures (GO SPURS GO!)

The intent was to get this published about two hours ago ... so much for that.

Here's a look at hiccups drivers may experience tonight in their drive to/from the game:

I-10
First of all, keep in mind we have some active construction zones on I-10 between Loop 1604 and Wurzbach Road. For east-bound traffic, there's a significant traffic switch going on out there. The pavement markings show the right lane as an "exit only" lane approaching Huebner - it functions as a detoured main lane. So, though it looks like the highway necks down to just two lanes, stay in that right lane if that's where you're at when you drive through there. It's a great spot that won't have to sit through much of the slow-down at those two lanes that are left untouched.

On the way home ... we'll have at least one (probably two) lanes closed off at a couple of points between Huebner Road and UTSA Boulevard. Please drive slow through this area and be attentive - we don't want to be hit by someone who's celebrated a little too hard tonight.

I-35
We shouldn't have much in your way on your way to the game. However, be mindful of us on your way home. We'll be working between SW Military Drive and Rittiman Road, marking the pavement (painting stripes, etc.). Please let us do that safely! Expect alternating lane closures. Of course, if the rain continues, we probably won't be doing this at all tonight (hard to paint wet pavement!).

Beyond Loop 1604, expect our crews to have two left lanes closed while we move around some barrier between Loop 1604 and Olympia Parkway. It's going to make things back up a little, but you should be able to get through just fine.