Full Closure of SH 151 This Weekend In West San Antonio

 

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is scheduled to perform major closures in west San Antonio on SH 151 this weekend. The closures are expected to greatly impact traffic flow and drivers are encouraged to avoid the area. Details on the specific closures are listed below.

What:                          Full closure of SH 151 mainlanes from just west of I-410 to just east of I-410
Full closure of SH 151 eastbound to westbound turnaround

When:                         Friday, October 16 at 9 p.m. to Monday, October 19 at 5 a.m.

Scheduled Work:      Continued construction of flyover ramps and installation of steel beams

During the closure of SH 151, drivers traveling westbound will be detoured to the frontage roads at the I-410 exit, travel through the intersection and re-enter the mainlanes before Ingram Road. Drivers traveling eastbound on SH 151 will be detoured to the frontage roads at Cable Ranch Road, travel through I-410 intersection and re-enter the mainlanes before W. Military Dr. The eastbound SH 151 flyover ramp to northbound I-410 will remain open to traffic during the weekend closure.

This weekend’s closures will allow crews to install steel beams for flyover ramps at the SH 151 and I-410 interchange as part of scheduled work in phase one of the I-410 Southwest project.  This project involves several improvements to improve mobility and enhance safety along a 14.9 mile stretch of I-410 from SH 16 to Ingram Rd.  

Phase one of the I-410 Southwest project has a total estimated cost of $100 million. Construction began in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed by Summer 2022. Williams Brother’s Construction is the contractor on the project.

Mail Bag: I-10, ramp speed limits, traffic shifts, future plans

Are there any plans to move the northbound Watson Ln/Old Bastrop Rd exit further south? It is difficult to see vehicles exiting onto the frontage road when trying to turn from Watson Ln East onto the access road. It seems like moving it a half to 3/4 miles south allow more room for error. I don't if dodging traffic is the cause but the guard rail on the corner of Watson Ln East & the frontage road seems to get damaged fairly often. Maybe vehicles are just coming off the exit too fast and can't make the almost immediate right turn onto Watson Ln East.
- Bob
Right now, Bob, we don't have any such plans on our list of projects. That's not to say this can't be something that gets added. Stuff like this can become a priority by pushing it through the Alamo Area MPO - a group that kind of tells us where to spend our money in the region (allowing for local-level decisions rather than state-level decisions). We'll forward the comment to our internal planners and our area office in New Braunfels as well to see if we can at least keep the area on our radar.

Will you clarify how drivers determine the speed limit on flyovers, such as the Bandera Road connector to Loop 410 and the Loop 1604 connector to Highway 151? Do we follow the speed posted on the "Exit 45 mph" sign the entire distance of the flyover, or can we accelerate to highway speed once we get into the flyover? The Bandera Road connector has no signs along the way (except the "Exit 45 mph" at the entrance). I think the 151-1604 connector might actually have a speed limit sign at the entrance - but I'm still a little unclear if that applies to the entire distance. I try to stay around 50 mph on the Bandera connector, but people ride my bumper like crazy.
- Angela
Great question, Angela. There are two types of speed limits - regulatory speeds and advisory speeds. Those yellow signs with speed limits posted are advisory speeds - meaning they're a recommended speed to maintain safety on the ramp.
According to our Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (section 2c.14) these yellow advisory speeds are placed at locations to allow you to appropriately slow down as your exiting the highway. Once you're on the ramp, we won't place additional yellow advisory speed signs unless there's a change in the "horizontal alignment". That's engineer speak for "if the road curves".
Ultimately, those advisory speeds are there to help you remain safe as you drive. We would all do well to remember it's not about getting to our destinations fastest, but about getting to our destinations the safest.
Once nearing the end of these ramps drivers should begin safe merging practices by speeding up to the normal speed of the traffic with which they're merging and continue along their way.
We hope that helps!

What does right-in, right-out mean? If I'm coming down I-10E, how do I get into Fair Oaks Ranch? If I'm in FOR, how do I get to I-10E?
- Al
For everyone else: Al asked this a few weeks ago, prior to our first major closure of I-10 at Fair Oaks Parkway.
Right-in, right-out configurations happen when access to or from a side road is right-turn only. Here's a look at an easy engineer's drawing from our manuals:

I have a question. A few years ago I-10 was under construction to make the exit and bridge for the Dominion folks - because they are the rich ones, I guess. Now we are under construction again - for WHAT? There needs to be 3 lanes going in each direction from the Rim to Fair Oaks if not all the way to Boerne. The big trucks need to stay out of the left lane - they are dangerous! Why wasn't this done in the first place instead of tearing up the highway twice and spending extra money? And are we getting 3 lanes going east and west?
- Linda
Lots of issues to address here, Linda, but we'll try and stick to the basic question we think you're asking. We think you are really wanting to know when you're getting additional lanes to I-10 between Loop 1604 and Boerne.
The shortest answer is we'll be adding those much-needed extra lanes in segments. The first segment will be between La Cantera Parkway and Ralph Fair Road. Work on that project is set to begin early fall (August/September) this year and will take about three years to build. More information on the project may be found here.
As to the issue of why we didn't do it in the first place, when we re-did the overpass at Dominion Drive? Simply put: money and permission. We didn't have all our documents ready at the time to do an expansion like this, and we didn't have the money to do more. We're sorry we couldn't do more at the time and we're excited the Texas Clear Lanes initiative has enabled us to appropriately prioritize this project now.

Hwy 151 in San Antonio - I saw the notification sign this morning that the eastbound entrance ramp to 151 at Hunt Lane will be closed 18 July. Will this be a one day closure, or long term? Also, what time will the closure begin?
- ebargainer
This is a temporary closure and will last only a couple of days to allow crews to widen the ramp. Closure info is posted weekly here.

Will we have 151 run all the way to Talley Road in the near future? And are you doing any construction Talley Road soon?
- Janie
In theory, Janie, yes! Well, sort of. The extension of Alamo Ranch Parkway further east is up to the private developers continuing to build in that area. Development of Talley Road is up to Bexar County Public Works and is on their to-do list. They'll have a better idea as to the timeframe and other details of what's going on.
The real question, then, is whether Alamo Ranch Parkway will ever be converted to Hwy 151. Right now the answer is "no", but you never know what'll happen in 10 years.

There's a sign at Military Drive and 1604 in NW SA that warns of a "traffic switch" on 7-12-2017. No info seems to be available as to what a "traffic switch" entails or what time this will be happening.
- Kim
Kim, there's no excuse. We simply dropped the ball on getting word on this out. We have info out there now, which was published Saturday. Check out all the details here.

Loop 1604 development - the fuss near Braun Rd

Over the last couple of weeks daily commuters along Lp 1604 on the city's northwest side have seen slow-downs between New Guilbeau and Braun roads, leading to some backups extending south to Helotes Creek and north to Bandera Road at peak traffic hours.

The interruption comes from work on the frontage roads at the north end of the job, which have caused Williams Brothers Construction to take out one lane in each direction between Braun and New Guilbeau roads. The taken lane allows for a safe work area as road builders install underground drain structures.

Work on the underground drain structures just south of Braun Road, and on the southbound frontage road, has caused Williams Brothers to squeeze Loop 1604 to just two lanes between Braun Road and New Guilbeau.

This work on underground drain structures will also require the temporary closure of Amelia Pass at Loop 1604 (the small road by Sonic) beginning next week. Traffic will reach Amelia Pass from Braun Road, or may access the local businesses through the driveway and parking lot adjacent to Amelia Pass.

In order to accommodate the advance work WB is doing on the future overpass at Braun Road, the turnarounds will need to close through the month of March. Traffic will simply move through the intersection to turn around. Northbound traffic may also use the superstreet turnaround.

The turnarounds at Braun Road will close through the month of March while crews work on the bridge supports for the future Braun Road overpass.

Work on frontage roads - the primary push for our project right now - means the first major traffic switch on this project could come as soon as the start of summer. If work continues at the current pace, Williams Brothers should be ready to switch traffic onto the frontage roads project-wide by the start of summer. Traffic flows should return to near normal at that point, freeing up some of the slow spots of late.

If work continues on its current pace, the frontage roads - including the bridges at Helotes Creek - will be in use by the start of summer. This is a look at the southbound frontage road at Helotes Creek.

The traffic shift won't change the superstreet operation at the intersections of Shaenfield and New Guilbeau roads, and drivers should have at least two lanes of traffic to use in each direction (with some added turn lanes at intersections). In fact, the shift won't change the commute patterns for most drivers in the area beyond shifting the lanes outward to open up work on what will be the main lanes.

With traffic on the frontage roads, bridge crews can move in to work on the overpasses. Project managers anticipate all overpasses to open at once, and not have a progressive opening with each opening one at a time. The overall project is on pace to be finished the end of 2016.

151-1604

Survey work on the Hwy 151-Lp 1604 intersection is underway. Tree-trimmers are out this week cutting necessary trees to prepare for the work. Project managers expect full-steam construction work to be underway by spring break.

Projects coming up

We have a lot of projects that are nearing completion - I-10 Huebner, both remaining segments of Wurzbach Parkway, Fred-Med and I-10 Ralph Fair Road should all be finished in the next six months or thereabouts - bringing significant relief to drivers along some of our key corridors.

But that doesn't mean we relax any time soon. Over the next year, we will see a string of projects begin that will address congestion and improve safety along corridors of significant growth now and in the future. Some of these projects have been programmed into the regional budget in advance; four projects are moving forward by virtue of voter-approved Prop 1.

Here's a quick run-down of what's coming up:

UTSA Boulevard

This is part of an $800 million proposal announced more than a year ago - once UTSA Boulevard is developed, it will be turned over to the city of San Antonio. For now, however, the segment between I-10 and Edward Ximines Drive - also known as Spur 53 - is a state-maintained road.

The $9 million project will expand the road to five lanes (two lanes each way plus a center left-turn lane), add a multi-use path better connecting the area to the Leon Creek Greenway, and adds shoulder room that will accommodate bikes. Work will begin once utilities have been properly moved; the latest estimates suggest actual work on the project could begin in 6-8 weeks.

Once work begins the project will last about a year and a half - expect a completed project late 2016.

Loop 1604 at Hwy 151

This project is moving forward as an option to the design-build expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads. Williams Brothers Construction is the contractor, and they expect to begin turning dirt in March. Overall completion is slated for the end of 2016.

This project has received more than its share of attention over the last few years; the current iteration - a $45 million effort to connect drivers on Loop 1604 directly to Hwy 151 - includes a direct connector ramp from southbound Loop 1604 to eastbound Hwy 151 and a few operational improvements. The main lanes of Hwy 151 will be brought over Loop 1604 to meet with Alamo Ranch Parkway, allowing traffic headed from westbound Hwy 151 to the Alamo Ranch area to do so without going through the Culebra Road intersection. 

Loop 1604, Culebra to Potranco

Part of the same $800 million package involving UTSA Boulevard, this will expand Loop 1604 to a four-lane expressway with continuous frontage roads to Potranco Road on the far west side of San Antonio.

The project will essentially continue what's already being done between Bandera and Culebra roads, adding non-tolled lanes with overpasses at a few locations. This project is still in the design phases, though it is slated to be finished and ready for bidders early summer. We could have contractors on board as early as July, which means construction will begin in the fall.

This project will take more than two years to complete and has a similar timeline to the expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads. That project started early 2014 and is set to wrap up late 2016.


FM 1101

This is a little north of most San Antonians' wheelhouse ... but it's a road that goes through three separate school zones in New Braunfels. This project focuses on the stretch between Hwy 46 and FM 306 on the northeast side of town.

The $7.6 million project is also waiting on utilities to be moved so it can begin, which will also happen this spring. Work will take somewhere around a year and a half once it starts. The finished product will hold the same single lane in each direction as currently exists, but it will add a center left-turn lane. Also included in the project are sidewalks and bike lanes - critical features to help school-goers travel safely along the growing corridor.

I-10 at Old Fred Road

Moving forward, this project will be dubbed (on this blog, at least) the "Old Fred Road" project. The $29.4 million project comes from the recent Proposition 1 vote and will construct a new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road northwest of San Antonio. The finished project will see the main lanes of I-10 over a new crossover that connects Old Fredericksburg Road with the westbound side of the highway.

Additionally, the frontage roads between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway will be converted to one-way. A public meeting is scheduled to allow folks in the area a face-to-face opportunity with engineers designing the project. That meeting will be Thursday, February 19 from 5 until 7 p.m. at the Spring Creek United Methodist Church.

We are scheduled to seek a contractor this summer; actual construction is likely to begin toward the end of the year.

Highway 151 at I-410

Of the four Prop 1 projects announced for our area this year, this project seems to be the least understood. The official description called for expanding I-410 by a lane in each direction, and this project will do that - at least between Hwy 151 and West Military Drive.

The project, which carries a price tag of about $75 million, will also add direct connector ramps from eastbound Hwy 151 to northbound I-410 and from southbound I-410 to westbound Hwy 151. These are strategically selected ramps, focusing on the heaviest traffic flows at this intersection.

Why just two ramps, though? Why not all eight? Highway interchanges are expensive, often reaching north of $250 million. That's right ... a quarter of a billion dollars. Folks at home may recall Prop 1 gave the entire state an added $1.7 billion ... and $250 million would be nearly double the San Antonio District's share of that money.

The quick way to explain what's happening is that we're building what we can afford. Folks at home can commiserate a bit - how often do we buy the slightly used Honda rather than splurge on the BMW off the lot? How often do we settle for that 32-inch TV when we really want the 78-incher curved-screen, ultra high-definition TV?

The two ramps we're building aren't anything to scoff at, to be sure - these will get that northwest corridor moving in ways it only dreams of today. But we are, ultimately, building what we can afford right now. It's road building on a budget.

The project will be let for bidding later this year; we expect actual work to begin, at the earliest, the end of 2015.


U.S. Highway 90

The stretch of U.S. Highway 90 between I-410 and Loop 1604 on the far west side of San Antonio just might be the last remaining stretch of expressway in San Antonio proper featuring a two-way frontage road, and we want to change that.


Thanks to Prop 1, we are moving forward with a plan that will convert the frontage roads to one-way - a safety measure that's been shown to reduce the fatal and injury crashes by as much as 57 percent on the frontage roads themselves and an astounding 85 percent at intersections - along the entire stretch. This two-for-one project (we're combining two projects into one, essentially) will also develop some improvements to the intersection at U.S. 90 and Loop 1604. Both projects round out the four listed as proposed for Prop. 1 funding.

The $26 million project is set to let for bidding in May, which means we should be underway late this fall. Overall project duration will be a year and a half.

U.S. 281 North Improvements

The expansion of U.S. 281 to an expressway north of Loop 1604 (and on to the Comal County line) has been in the works for about 20 years at this point, and has hit its fair share of rocks on the road to development.

Last year (that is, January 2014) TxDOT joined with Bexar County, the city of San Antonio and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority to announce a package of $800 million in projects over the next several years. Those projects include the UTSA expansion mentioned above, and it includes managed-lanes projects on I-10, U.S. 281 and a non-tolled expansion of Loop 1604.

The ARMA is taking the lead on this project and is managing communication for its development. The environmental impact study has recently wrapped up, and the ARMA is nearing readiness to move this project to construction phases. More information, including a project schematic, may be found on the ARMA Web page.

Loop 1604 expansion continues ... expanding

About eight months ago Williams Brothers Constructin began designing and building an expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads, and work has progressed well. Project supervisors affirm we are well on our pace to finish work by the end of 2016.

Road builders have finished the foundation layers of frontage road between Shaenfield and Culebra roads, with work on the northbound side extending nearly to New Guilbeau already. On the southbound side, crews are now working to construct or lay out the new frontage road between New Guilbeau and Shaenfield. Where roadway didn't previously exist - Leslie Road had run parallel in the same footprint we're building the southbound frontage road - road builders are excavating and building the foundation layers of the road.

Pavers have already placed the base layers of asphalt on the northbound side up to the Culebra Creek bridge. Paving crews are scheduled to begin laying asphalt on the southbound side between Shaenfield and Culebra in two weeks, which will allow crews to switch traffic over to the new road surface and reconstruct the outside, or driveway side, lane of the frontage road. That should happen aroud the end of the month, beginning work on the driveway side. Crews will work to keep open all driveways and other access points during this phase.

Construction of the frontage roads is key to the progress of the project. Once frontage roads and the new exit and entrance ramps are ready to hold traffic, Williams Brothers will be able to move traffic over and begin work on the actual overpasses at Shaenfield, New Guilbeau and Braun roads. That move is scheduled to take place aroud the end of the school year.

When traffic is shifted to the frontage roads, drivers will see no major change in how they drive through the area in terms of configuration ... however, folks should be aware the speed limit will drop to 45 miles per hour, as they'll be driving on the frontage road. Again, that is set to take place around the end of the school year.

As for the direct connectors and overpass at Hwy 151, bridge crews will begin constructing foundations for support structures in February, with major work underway by the beginning of March. Williams Brothers anticipates the new intersection to be built and in use by mid-2017.