This month has been really light on posts - we know. We've got a TON of information to get out, and the logjam of info has led to a dearth of posts. So, we're just going to start taking a bite at a time to get this info out to you.
Today, we're starting with a brief rundown of projects about to wrap up in the Hill Country area. For the purposes of this post, this includes Comal, Kendall and Kerr counties. We'll actually go in that order ... so, here's a look at Comal County area projects:
FM 306
Beginning Monday, July 13, Hunter Industries will begin laying a final course of asphalt on the road between I-35 and a little west of Hunter Road. This work will require daily alternating lane closures to allow for paving crews to do their work, but folks should have at least one lane each way to push through the area.
After about a week or so of paving, paint crews will lay pavement markings and you'll have a final product. Concrete work is finished already and crews have already set sod in place. All that's left, really, is the pavement and paint. That, and a final tweak of the traffic signals (which will be done while painters do their thing).
All told this project should be completed and done by the end of the month.
I-35 resurfacing
For those unfamiliar with this, what we're talking about here is the stretch of I-35 between FM 3009 and Solms Road. This is a $9.9 million project that's been going on since spring of 2014. We've had some delays due to materials, equipment failures or weather - pushing us back from what should have been a four-month project duration. Despite the delays, we're happy with the product and the drive between Schertz and New Braunfels is pretty darned smooth!
Now, on to Kendall County:
Ralph Fair Road
Yes, this isn't actually in Kendall County ... but it sort of feels like it is so we're including it on this list. And yes, we're almost done with the work at Ralph Fair Road and I-10. That work could be finished - meaning no more overnight closures, no more daytime closures, no more anything - as early as the first half of next week.
Huge credit for working a quick, clean project to Sundt Construction. The $7.5 million project widened the Ralph Fair Road bridge to five lanes (it used to be just two), and converted some of the frontage roads between Boerne Stage Road and Ralph Fair Road to one-way.
Hwy 46 at Esser
This project was literally days - days - from being finished when we discovered a pavement failure issue with the sub-base that's now being addressed. The $2 million project reconstructed a portion of the roadway and improved the intersection - particularly for westbound traffic on Hwy 46 - right there at the intersection of Hwy 46 and Esser Road. One of the major reasons for the work is to fit the intersection to the Kendall County project to expand the Herff Road bridge; well, mission accomplished there. And with the new right-turn lane in place for westbound traffic that would be headed to Boerne High School, school traffic this fall should see a better drive than they've seen in a while.
And, finally, a look at Kerr County:
Hwy 39 Ingram
This project seemed to be the project that simply would not end! The $8.6 million project began 2013 with the intent of adding a center left-turn lane, bike lanes and sidewalks to Hwy 39 between Hwy 27 and the Ingram Dam out in, well, Ingram.
The project got off to a rough start, but over the last year work moved as fast as the weather allowed. Final asphalt surface will be laid as soon as some curb and sidewalk - under way right now - is finished, and and final striping will come immediately thereafter. That work is currently slated for the last week of July, which means completion should come by the first week of August.
Hunt Crossing
This is another project on Hwy 39, this time a bridge over the south fork of the Guadalupe River in the area of Hunt, Texas. If you've not been, by the way, you should - a gem of the Hill Country, Hunt is!
The $2.5 million project replaced the old bridge with a wider, upgraded version. The wider bridge still only carries one lane in each direction, but it now includes space for shoulders and improved rails. The water flow volume is improved as well. This one shouldn't see water run over top very often, and improve the drive through the area.
Hwy 16 Kerrville
This project - a $2.7 million effort to widen and improve Hwy 16 between Hwy 173 and River Hills Blvd on the south side of Kerrville - was marred by a crash in September that landed five workers, including two TxDOT inspectors, in the hospital. The crash was caused by a suspected drunk driver who sped through an active work zone, passing officers who tried to slow or stop the driver prior to the work zone. The driver was chased by police to his home, where he was arrested.
Despite that drama, crews with Zimmerman Construction have been able to eke out a decent project. Yes, the work has taken longer than estimated. However, notice was given this week paving crews will work all week next week to lay that final surface of asphalt.
The final product should be delivered by the end of the week, if all goes well. That product includes beefed up shoulders and a turn lane.
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Showing posts with label Hwy 39. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hwy 39. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9
Monday, September 29
Projects approved by the Commission this month
We haven't done this sort of post in a while, but they are just so helpful to get to know an idea of what projects lie ahead. For instance, some projects we have already received bids on and are awaiting some utilities adjustments to begin include:
- UTSA Boulevard between I-10 and Eduard Jiminez, expand the road to a four-lane divided road
- FM 1101 (New Braunfels) between Hwy 46 and FM 306, expand the road to include a center left-turn lane and bike lanes
- I-35 between FM 306 and Conrads-Kohlenberg Rdd (New Braunfels), reconfigure entrance and exit ramps
- Walnut Avenue (New Braunfels) between Kerlick and Landa streets, expand to a four-lane road
There are more projects, but this gets the biggest ones out in the open.
In the month of September, the Texas Transportation Commission approved five projects in the San Antonio District, totaling a little over $9 million in construction costs. Two of these projects are in Bexar County, and one each are in Atascosa, Kendall and Kerr counties. Here's a quick run-down:
Atascosa
Along U.S. Hwy 281, between the Bexar County line and FM 3006, $479,000 for the maintenance off fixed objects - such as guardrail, signs, that sort of thing.
Bexar
On I-37, around U.S. Hwy 181 (on the southeast side of town), $2.2 million to install a cable barrier - those cables that run in the center median along the Interstate highways in the area.
On U.S. Highway 281, between San Pedro and Newell Street (north-central San Antonio), $463,000 to add rumble strips for safety along the edge lines of the highway.
Kendall
On I-10 between Hwy 46 and U.S. Hwy 87 (basically through Boerne), $3.5 million to reconfigure the entrance and exit ramps, as well as improve the intersections.
Kerr
On Hwy 39 at Hunt Crossing, $2.5 million to replace the narrow bridge.
Now, on this list, the major two projects are in Kendall and in Kerr counties. We'll talk more about these projects as they get nearer to their respective start dates. For those keeping track, the earliest any of these projects can begin is late December or early January. Don't look for any work - utility adjustments aside - between now and the start of 2015.
Friday, March 28
Little of this, little of that....
Apologies for the dearth of posts over the last week. Fair warning: next week will be similarly sparse. There's a single contributor to these posts, and he was out of the office much of this week and will likewise be out next week.
In that vein, Happy Opening Day, everyone! Well, an early wish, anyway.
But you came here to read about roads, not baseball. With that, here's a brief run-down on the latest concerning our most major projects:
I-10 Huebner
Concerted efforts continue to finish retaining walls along the expanded edges of main lanes between UTSA Boulevard and Huebner Road. This will allow the contractor to build the wider roadway and shift traffic for the upcoming milestone at the DeZavala overpass bridge. That's also why we're knocking out the center median barrier near DeZavala; to facilitate the shift.
When we reach the milestone (no specific date has been set yet) we'll shift traffic over to one side of the bridge, leaving the other side free for work. This shift will last six months, then we'll shift over to the other side to finish the work. All told, expect traffic to be squeezed onto one side or the other of that bridge for a total of about one year.
Only regular nightime closures and the occasional daytime frontage road closures we've had the last several weeks are disrupting traffic today.
Ralph Fair Road bridge
The project that will widen the Ralph Fair Road bridge has begun. No major closures yet; just be aware the area is an active construction zone and we'll have constantly changing landscape for the next year and a half.
Most of the work for the next couple of weeks will involve some simple excavation and some culvert work.
Main Street Boerne
We're hoping to get the Cibolo Creek bridge finished on Main Street (U.S. Hwy 87) in Boerne soon. Relmco Construction has been on that project, and they're planning to close the bridge overnight a few nights in April - April 8 and 9, to be exact - to finish the bridge deck surface. Ths should be near the last work we've got left on this project, and we should be clear of the area by the end of April.
Hwy 39 Ingram
Another Relmco project, we're now about two full months into the second phase of expanding Hwy 39 through Ingram. We're working on some of the more difficult portions of the underground drain system, which is often about 12 feet deep with large structures. A lot of this is slow-going work, particularly with the abundance of rain we've had in the region lately. As we continue through this big, deep stuff, folks will start seeing more of the fruits of our work as the culverts and retaining walls are more visible.
With the widening on the south side of the Johnson Creek Bridge continuing, we should have all the "bones" of the bridge in place by the end of April. That will allow the full expansion of the bridge before summer, with sidewalks on the bridge reopening soon after.
Hwy 281 Comal
The Spring Branch project, worked by Hunter Industries, continues to move at a near unparalleled pace. Hunter says they'll be ready to move traffic onto the remaining southbound lanes - through the old Gass property, just south of Jumbo Evans Park - near the first part of April. This will be much like the earlier switch onto the southbound lanes, near FM 306, with traffic still limited to a single lane in each direction.
On the northbound side, Hunter is hoping to have everything ready to open by July Fourth, when final paving surfaces will be placed.
As for the Post Office, we're actually building around the building rather than hold up the job to build through it as the plans call for. That detour, the little "bubble route" (this is Texas, right? Football terms should work...), will go to the west side of the Post Office. Later, once the right-of-way issues are resolved, the building will be removed and the road will be placed in its intended path.
FM 306
Somewhere around the second week of April, Hunter Industries is hoping to move traffic between Goodwin Lane and I-35 onto the future outside lanes and open up the middle area for work. This is similar to the traffic switch that happened a month or so ago between Common Street and Hunter Lane.
We're still operating with the goal of having both railroad overpasses open and rolling in time for Memorial Day weekend. We should also have the road widened between Goodwin and I-35, providing some extra space for traffic headed to the businesses along that stretch.
Seguin Avenue
Not much more to report here than we're still pushing forward, preparing to open the underpass by April 15. When we open it, we'll only have one lane in each direction open at first; we've still got some work left to do, and will be moving forward on that work as we prepare to be done and out of the way completely by summertime.
I-35 Selma
Those who've driven through the area have noticed Dan Williams Co. have opened everything up - and by everything, I mean all the exit and entrance ramps - between FM 3009 and Loop 1604. Most of the pavement is in place for the widening. Right now resources are being allocated to finish the south-to-north turnarounds at FM 3009 and at FM 1518. We hope to have them functional and open by mid-April.
Once that's done, we'll see the project get final surfaces of asphalt where it's still needed. Then we'll restripe the roadway where needed, and have the extra lane open in each direction. We're still on pace to be out of the way, as promised, by the end of the school year.
I-35 SAMMC
Lane Construction is working hard on portions of the north end, near Windcrest, while maintaining good pace on the south end of the project. Their hope is that, come 2015, we'll be working primarily on the south side of the project (closer to SAMMC) and on the new connector ramp from I-35 to southbound I-410.
Routine overnight closures are still running, but we'll be limiting closures through April for Fiesta. That shouldn't bog down much of this project; there's a lot to do outside the current travel lanes.
I-10 east San Antonio
This is that segment of I-10 near New Braunfels Ave. that's been on hold the last six months. We're back underway, and the contractor should be constructing the "detour" area (an asphalt area onto which we'll switch traffic to create a work zone) over the next few weeks. Expect to see a lot more activity and, by the end of April, a traffic switch. That shouldn't impact traffic more than it's already been impacted. The overall project - an effort to create room between the main lanes and overpass bridges in the area - will finish by fall 2015.
Wurzbach Parkway
The biggest news on this is that the Blanco Road overpass bridge should be opened up and ready for use by next weekend. We had crews scheduled to pave the bridge deck surface earlier this week, but that work was washed out by the rain that blew through the region.
The remaining work should take just 4-5 working days, if weather permits. Crews are scheduled to start that work early next week, and we should finally be able to put that western segment of the Parkway to rest.
In that vein, Happy Opening Day, everyone! Well, an early wish, anyway.
But you came here to read about roads, not baseball. With that, here's a brief run-down on the latest concerning our most major projects:
I-10 Huebner
Concerted efforts continue to finish retaining walls along the expanded edges of main lanes between UTSA Boulevard and Huebner Road. This will allow the contractor to build the wider roadway and shift traffic for the upcoming milestone at the DeZavala overpass bridge. That's also why we're knocking out the center median barrier near DeZavala; to facilitate the shift.
When we reach the milestone (no specific date has been set yet) we'll shift traffic over to one side of the bridge, leaving the other side free for work. This shift will last six months, then we'll shift over to the other side to finish the work. All told, expect traffic to be squeezed onto one side or the other of that bridge for a total of about one year.
Only regular nightime closures and the occasional daytime frontage road closures we've had the last several weeks are disrupting traffic today.
Ralph Fair Road bridge
The project that will widen the Ralph Fair Road bridge has begun. No major closures yet; just be aware the area is an active construction zone and we'll have constantly changing landscape for the next year and a half.
Most of the work for the next couple of weeks will involve some simple excavation and some culvert work.
Main Street Boerne
We're hoping to get the Cibolo Creek bridge finished on Main Street (U.S. Hwy 87) in Boerne soon. Relmco Construction has been on that project, and they're planning to close the bridge overnight a few nights in April - April 8 and 9, to be exact - to finish the bridge deck surface. Ths should be near the last work we've got left on this project, and we should be clear of the area by the end of April.
Hwy 39 Ingram
Another Relmco project, we're now about two full months into the second phase of expanding Hwy 39 through Ingram. We're working on some of the more difficult portions of the underground drain system, which is often about 12 feet deep with large structures. A lot of this is slow-going work, particularly with the abundance of rain we've had in the region lately. As we continue through this big, deep stuff, folks will start seeing more of the fruits of our work as the culverts and retaining walls are more visible.
With the widening on the south side of the Johnson Creek Bridge continuing, we should have all the "bones" of the bridge in place by the end of April. That will allow the full expansion of the bridge before summer, with sidewalks on the bridge reopening soon after.
Hwy 281 Comal
The Spring Branch project, worked by Hunter Industries, continues to move at a near unparalleled pace. Hunter says they'll be ready to move traffic onto the remaining southbound lanes - through the old Gass property, just south of Jumbo Evans Park - near the first part of April. This will be much like the earlier switch onto the southbound lanes, near FM 306, with traffic still limited to a single lane in each direction.
On the northbound side, Hunter is hoping to have everything ready to open by July Fourth, when final paving surfaces will be placed.
As for the Post Office, we're actually building around the building rather than hold up the job to build through it as the plans call for. That detour, the little "bubble route" (this is Texas, right? Football terms should work...), will go to the west side of the Post Office. Later, once the right-of-way issues are resolved, the building will be removed and the road will be placed in its intended path.
FM 306
Somewhere around the second week of April, Hunter Industries is hoping to move traffic between Goodwin Lane and I-35 onto the future outside lanes and open up the middle area for work. This is similar to the traffic switch that happened a month or so ago between Common Street and Hunter Lane.
We're still operating with the goal of having both railroad overpasses open and rolling in time for Memorial Day weekend. We should also have the road widened between Goodwin and I-35, providing some extra space for traffic headed to the businesses along that stretch.
Seguin Avenue
Not much more to report here than we're still pushing forward, preparing to open the underpass by April 15. When we open it, we'll only have one lane in each direction open at first; we've still got some work left to do, and will be moving forward on that work as we prepare to be done and out of the way completely by summertime.
I-35 Selma
Those who've driven through the area have noticed Dan Williams Co. have opened everything up - and by everything, I mean all the exit and entrance ramps - between FM 3009 and Loop 1604. Most of the pavement is in place for the widening. Right now resources are being allocated to finish the south-to-north turnarounds at FM 3009 and at FM 1518. We hope to have them functional and open by mid-April.
Once that's done, we'll see the project get final surfaces of asphalt where it's still needed. Then we'll restripe the roadway where needed, and have the extra lane open in each direction. We're still on pace to be out of the way, as promised, by the end of the school year.
I-35 SAMMC
Lane Construction is working hard on portions of the north end, near Windcrest, while maintaining good pace on the south end of the project. Their hope is that, come 2015, we'll be working primarily on the south side of the project (closer to SAMMC) and on the new connector ramp from I-35 to southbound I-410.
Routine overnight closures are still running, but we'll be limiting closures through April for Fiesta. That shouldn't bog down much of this project; there's a lot to do outside the current travel lanes.
I-10 east San Antonio
This is that segment of I-10 near New Braunfels Ave. that's been on hold the last six months. We're back underway, and the contractor should be constructing the "detour" area (an asphalt area onto which we'll switch traffic to create a work zone) over the next few weeks. Expect to see a lot more activity and, by the end of April, a traffic switch. That shouldn't impact traffic more than it's already been impacted. The overall project - an effort to create room between the main lanes and overpass bridges in the area - will finish by fall 2015.
Wurzbach Parkway
The biggest news on this is that the Blanco Road overpass bridge should be opened up and ready for use by next weekend. We had crews scheduled to pave the bridge deck surface earlier this week, but that work was washed out by the rain that blew through the region.
The remaining work should take just 4-5 working days, if weather permits. Crews are scheduled to start that work early next week, and we should finally be able to put that western segment of the Parkway to rest.
Thursday, February 20
Thursday, February 6
Closure scheduled for Old Ingram Loop (Ingram, TX)
In order to construct a storm sewer and related manholes, Relmco Construction will close the intersection of East Old Ingram Loop and state Highway 39 for two weeks beginning Feb. 10.
With the intersection blocked, traffic will use West Old Ingram Loop to reach the local shops and residences. The intersection is scheduled to reopen Feb. 24.
With the intersection blocked, traffic will use West Old Ingram Loop to reach the local shops and residences. The intersection is scheduled to reopen Feb. 24.
Construction along other portions of the project to expand Highway 39 to a four-lane divided highway continues to progress with drain systems being constructed and installed along the eastbound lanes of the road. Overall completion is targeted right now for early 2015.
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!
Tuesday, August 20
Hwy 39 Ingram information meeting set
Engineers with the Texas Department of Transportation will provide detailed updates on the Highway 39 expansion project to Ingram city staff and officials with the Ingram Independent School District Wednesday evening in an open forum.
The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at the Ingram City Hall and will be open to the public. After a brief presentation on the project’s project, questions will be answered in an open forum.
The nearly two-year-long project began in January and will expand Hwy 39 to include a dedicated left-turn lane, bike lanes and sidewalks between the intersection of Texas Highway 27 and Ingram Dam. The project cost is estimated at nearly $8.6 million.
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!
Monday, July 1
An uptick in Ingram project movement
Bridge-building
crews have closed the sidewalk lining the Johnson Creek bridge on state Highway
39 near Tom Moore High School until efforts to widen the road have completed.
No convenient pedestrian detour is currently planned. In accord with Texas road rules, cyclists may use the active travel lanes of the highway to cross the bridge. Pedestrians should not use the roadway.
No convenient pedestrian detour is currently planned. In accord with Texas road rules, cyclists may use the active travel lanes of the highway to cross the bridge. Pedestrians should not use the roadway.
Workon Highway 39 began in January, though progress has been slow. The contractor,
Relmco Incorporated of Hondo, has delayed for want of resources to put on the
job. Relmco has other ongoing construction projects with TxDOT in Kendall and
Bexar counties, among other work. Mid-June Relmco crews drilled bases for the
support shafts that will hold up the new bridge over the Guadalupe River on
Cade Loop Road. Last week they began work on the Johnson Creek bridge.
The
$8.58 million project was initially estimated to finish up during the fall of
2014. The contract includes penalties to be leveled against the contractor if
they don’t finish the project within the allotted time.
Saturday, June 15
Off the beaten path ... (roundup of non-metro projects)
We spend so much time talking about projects in the San Antonio-Bexar metro area, but the San Antonio district covers 12 counties. So, out of deference to those living in the "other" 11 counties, here's a glance at where we're at with our other projects:
Comal County
This is where the bulk of our major work that's not in San Antonio is going on. I'll try to be brief, but complete....
Seguin Street (Business 46)
The contractor is hard at work to install five-foot-by-two-foot drain boxes - one of the major features of this project, which will provide much-needed improved drainage in addition to the widened roadway - while working on the early stages of the shoofly detour for the railroad.
We're still holding strong to the stance that we'll not allow any closures on the road until the summer season is over. However, the contractor has targeted 9 September as the date to begin the heaviest work of the project. This work will require the total closure of Seguin Street, and we won't open the road back up until mid-April 2014.
FM 306
What you see out there now is about what you'll see day in, day out for the next five months or so. That said, our contractor (Hunter Industries) is working hard to make the overall project move more quickly. They've been working on some segments that weren't scheduled for work until later next year. The idea is to work in every area that's barricaded off right now, rather than focus efforts in one area with a large swath of barricaded roadway going unworked.
Also, sometime next week, the contractor should be receiving VIVDS cameras for the signals at Common and at Hunter. These will allow the signals to sense traffic rather than relay on a timer. This will improve traffic flow - well, as much as can be done with occasional interruptions from train crossings!
The goal is to have the VIVDS operational in time for the July Fourth weekend, weather permitting.
U.S. 281 (Spring Branch)
Not a lot has changed for those passing through, and not a lot will for the next several weeks. Well, with one slight exception.
Crews were slated to install a new signal set at the intersection of U.S. 281 and FM 306 Friday, but weather washed those plans away (see what I did there?). The plan is to re-group over the upcoming week and get things put in as soon as the ground is dry enough to allow. This will require some traffic control for the duration of work - about a day - and folks should look out for a flagger. Again, it shouldn't be for longer than a day.
Kendall County
Main Street Boerne
The work on The Hill Country Mile plods along ... we're hoping to be all finished up with everything by the end of summer. So far, no indications that work is running behind at all.
Kerr County
Hwy 39 Ingram
This project is a bit frustrating for everyone involved. The contractor received a notice to proceed in January ... and, well, to date they have constructed half of a box culvert and a single wing wall.
Earlier this week the contractor drilled the first drill shafts - evidence of work on the bridge near Ingram Tom Moore High School. TxDOT engineers are working with the contractor to spur construction, which was initially scheduled to take just 13 months.
Guadalupe and Wilson counties
The biggest work east of Bexar County is along state Highway 123 - where we're working to build passing lanes and turn lanes. A lot of work has been finished, but we've got a lot left. Our contractor is expected to be finished in a little more than a year. Between now and then our work will, for the most part, remain beyond the traveling lanes of the highway.
McMullen County
Since there are something like 750 people down in McMullen county, I need to make mention of it. Really, the county is home to a lot of Eagle Ford Shale work.
TxDOT crews are hard at work down south to keep state Highway 16 in good repair so folks can continue driving through as they do. That's about all we've got going on in that county.
Atascosa, Frio, Medina, Uvalde, Bandera counties
Most of our work through the south and southwest segments of our district is maintenance work - nothing major happening beyond the work on I-35 at Medina River and on I-37 between the Atascosa County line and Loop 1604 (really, that's in Bexar County). That I-37 work - the south-bound lanes are being repaved - has caused some major delays and is being done at night.
Comal County
This is where the bulk of our major work that's not in San Antonio is going on. I'll try to be brief, but complete....
Seguin Street (Business 46)
The contractor is hard at work to install five-foot-by-two-foot drain boxes - one of the major features of this project, which will provide much-needed improved drainage in addition to the widened roadway - while working on the early stages of the shoofly detour for the railroad.
We're still holding strong to the stance that we'll not allow any closures on the road until the summer season is over. However, the contractor has targeted 9 September as the date to begin the heaviest work of the project. This work will require the total closure of Seguin Street, and we won't open the road back up until mid-April 2014.
FM 306
What you see out there now is about what you'll see day in, day out for the next five months or so. That said, our contractor (Hunter Industries) is working hard to make the overall project move more quickly. They've been working on some segments that weren't scheduled for work until later next year. The idea is to work in every area that's barricaded off right now, rather than focus efforts in one area with a large swath of barricaded roadway going unworked.
Also, sometime next week, the contractor should be receiving VIVDS cameras for the signals at Common and at Hunter. These will allow the signals to sense traffic rather than relay on a timer. This will improve traffic flow - well, as much as can be done with occasional interruptions from train crossings!
The goal is to have the VIVDS operational in time for the July Fourth weekend, weather permitting.
U.S. 281 (Spring Branch)
Not a lot has changed for those passing through, and not a lot will for the next several weeks. Well, with one slight exception.
Crews were slated to install a new signal set at the intersection of U.S. 281 and FM 306 Friday, but weather washed those plans away (see what I did there?). The plan is to re-group over the upcoming week and get things put in as soon as the ground is dry enough to allow. This will require some traffic control for the duration of work - about a day - and folks should look out for a flagger. Again, it shouldn't be for longer than a day.
Kendall County
Main Street Boerne
The work on The Hill Country Mile plods along ... we're hoping to be all finished up with everything by the end of summer. So far, no indications that work is running behind at all.
Kerr County
Hwy 39 Ingram
This project is a bit frustrating for everyone involved. The contractor received a notice to proceed in January ... and, well, to date they have constructed half of a box culvert and a single wing wall.
Earlier this week the contractor drilled the first drill shafts - evidence of work on the bridge near Ingram Tom Moore High School. TxDOT engineers are working with the contractor to spur construction, which was initially scheduled to take just 13 months.
Guadalupe and Wilson counties
The biggest work east of Bexar County is along state Highway 123 - where we're working to build passing lanes and turn lanes. A lot of work has been finished, but we've got a lot left. Our contractor is expected to be finished in a little more than a year. Between now and then our work will, for the most part, remain beyond the traveling lanes of the highway.
McMullen County
Since there are something like 750 people down in McMullen county, I need to make mention of it. Really, the county is home to a lot of Eagle Ford Shale work.
TxDOT crews are hard at work down south to keep state Highway 16 in good repair so folks can continue driving through as they do. That's about all we've got going on in that county.
Atascosa, Frio, Medina, Uvalde, Bandera counties
Most of our work through the south and southwest segments of our district is maintenance work - nothing major happening beyond the work on I-35 at Medina River and on I-37 between the Atascosa County line and Loop 1604 (really, that's in Bexar County). That I-37 work - the south-bound lanes are being repaved - has caused some major delays and is being done at night.
Wednesday, March 13
New construction here, there, everywhere....
Since the new year, more than a half-dozen significant projects have started and a handful are on deck to get going in the next several weeks.
Just so you're up-to-date, here's a run-down on what's been started lately:
Kerr County
In Kerrville, we're widening the bridge on Francisco Lemmons Street, making it more friendly for pedestrians and bikers. That's a short project, but it's major for those who live in the area.
Not to be outdone in the county, the folks in Ingram have welcomed the expansion of Hwy 39, running right through the commerce hub of the laid-back town. Though we began in January, the contractor didn't have resources committed to the project until late February. Most of the work (for now) is to be around the Johnson Creek bridge. Work will conclude late 2014.
Kendall County
The Main Street Boerne project hit a snag over the weekend as crews discovered some utility lines that were a few inches from where they had expected. However, work continues to be on pace to finish on schedule. Work to widen the main street bridge over Cibolo Creek continues on pace, but traffic disruptions are heaviest with work on the crosswalk and traffic signal upgrades. If you're headed for downtown Boerne this week at all (heck, all summer), plan on small delays for this work. That said, we're going to try staying out of the way for the biggest events.
Comal County
Perhaps the biggest news in Comal County is the start of the FM 306 enhancements between I-35 and Hunter Road. Through the summer, the biggest impact will be right at Hunter Road. Once the right-of-way is prepared and barricades are set up (which should be happening over the next 2 weeks or so), crews will eliminate the left-turn lanes off FM 306 onto Hunter. That's going to make left turns pretty rough, and cause some backups along the corridor. If you're headed to Gruene for anything, we recommend taking Common Street and taking a right on Old FM 306, which should lead you where you need to go.
We're also working on turn lanes and passing lanes on FM 306 out toward Canyon Lake, and we're expanding (significantly) US Hwy 281 up in Spring Branch. But work on those projects hasn't interfered with traffic very much. If you're out that way, be careful to watch out for trucks and equipment, though. Remember: safety first!
The expansion of the railroad overpass on Business 46 in New Braunfels is in full swing. We're working on support structures for the future retaining walls right now. As agreed upon between our engineers and the city of New Braunfels, though, we'll be taking a break here as summer gets going - and we'll stay out of that project until summer ends. When we get going again in the fall, though, we'll have to close the road completely for about five months. More on that when the time comes.
Bexar County
The biggest project that's started in the last three months in Bexar County is on Loop 1604 at Marbach Road, where we're building an overpass. That project has stayed out of the way of traffic for the most part, with occasional overnight lane closures. As the summer comes, so will the bigger work. Expect some delays over the summer - the biggest overnight.
As was reported towared the end of last year, we had three major projects halted because of a contractor defaulting and, later, filing for bankruptcy. Then, just a week ago, the Express-News correctly reported intentions to resume the I-10 Huebner project in the next week or so. We're still planning on that, in fact. As I discussed before, we're waiting on the ink to dry on some contracts before we can put shovel to dirt again. Here's a brief run-down of projects affected by the Ballenger Construction debacle (because I get asked about these daily):
Just so you're up-to-date, here's a run-down on what's been started lately:
Kerr County
In Kerrville, we're widening the bridge on Francisco Lemmons Street, making it more friendly for pedestrians and bikers. That's a short project, but it's major for those who live in the area.
Not to be outdone in the county, the folks in Ingram have welcomed the expansion of Hwy 39, running right through the commerce hub of the laid-back town. Though we began in January, the contractor didn't have resources committed to the project until late February. Most of the work (for now) is to be around the Johnson Creek bridge. Work will conclude late 2014.
Kendall County
The Main Street Boerne project hit a snag over the weekend as crews discovered some utility lines that were a few inches from where they had expected. However, work continues to be on pace to finish on schedule. Work to widen the main street bridge over Cibolo Creek continues on pace, but traffic disruptions are heaviest with work on the crosswalk and traffic signal upgrades. If you're headed for downtown Boerne this week at all (heck, all summer), plan on small delays for this work. That said, we're going to try staying out of the way for the biggest events.
Comal County
Perhaps the biggest news in Comal County is the start of the FM 306 enhancements between I-35 and Hunter Road. Through the summer, the biggest impact will be right at Hunter Road. Once the right-of-way is prepared and barricades are set up (which should be happening over the next 2 weeks or so), crews will eliminate the left-turn lanes off FM 306 onto Hunter. That's going to make left turns pretty rough, and cause some backups along the corridor. If you're headed to Gruene for anything, we recommend taking Common Street and taking a right on Old FM 306, which should lead you where you need to go.
We're also working on turn lanes and passing lanes on FM 306 out toward Canyon Lake, and we're expanding (significantly) US Hwy 281 up in Spring Branch. But work on those projects hasn't interfered with traffic very much. If you're out that way, be careful to watch out for trucks and equipment, though. Remember: safety first!
The expansion of the railroad overpass on Business 46 in New Braunfels is in full swing. We're working on support structures for the future retaining walls right now. As agreed upon between our engineers and the city of New Braunfels, though, we'll be taking a break here as summer gets going - and we'll stay out of that project until summer ends. When we get going again in the fall, though, we'll have to close the road completely for about five months. More on that when the time comes.
Bexar County
The biggest project that's started in the last three months in Bexar County is on Loop 1604 at Marbach Road, where we're building an overpass. That project has stayed out of the way of traffic for the most part, with occasional overnight lane closures. As the summer comes, so will the bigger work. Expect some delays over the summer - the biggest overnight.
As was reported towared the end of last year, we had three major projects halted because of a contractor defaulting and, later, filing for bankruptcy. Then, just a week ago, the Express-News correctly reported intentions to resume the I-10 Huebner project in the next week or so. We're still planning on that, in fact. As I discussed before, we're waiting on the ink to dry on some contracts before we can put shovel to dirt again. Here's a brief run-down of projects affected by the Ballenger Construction debacle (because I get asked about these daily):
- I-10 Huebner. A new contractor has been named - Webber Construction - and final agreements between TxDOT, the Ballenger bonding company, Webber and any smaller subcontractors are being worked out. The goal is to resume work next week, but contracts need to be final before that can happen. Expect work by the end of March. Until an official construction schedule is submitted, we have no speculation as to what kind of time frame the 30-month project will be following as we move forward.
- Wurzbach Parkway - East End. We're waiting for agreements to be finalized before the Ballenger bonding company releases the name of a new contractor. We're hoping to have this segment - running from Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore - back in action by early April. This project has about a year of work left on it, so expect to see this one wrapped up early 2014.
- Wurzbach Parkway - West End. Same story as the other end of the parkway. Some chatter in the industry we'll have the same contractor on both segments of the parkway, and that's helpful. Only about two months' worth of work was left on this project. Once we get underway (I expect late April or early May, at the latest), look for about 8 or 9 weeks of work before this segment of the parkway - running from Blanco Road to West Avenue - will be opened.
- Fred-Med. Because of delays caused by utility conflicts, TxDOT District Engineer Mario Medina was able to keep this project out of the grips of the Ballenger default. There's been a pile of paperwork (all required) done behind-the-scenes, and TxDOT staff has this project ready to receive bids this spring. We should have a new contractor selected by late spring, and we hope to start putting shovels to the ground by mid-summer. Again, thanks to Mario's quick actions and hard work, this project was rescued (is that word appropriate?) from the whole mess that unfolded toward the end of last year.
- 1604-151. This project was technically still under contract when Ballenger defaulted. However, we're working on a modified design that will allow us to meet our agency goals while remaining a responsible steward of our state's natural resources. This process is well underway, and no specifics on a re-start date have yet been determined. No details on the modified design are known either, though we anticipate a design that carries lanes of Hwy 151 over Loop 1604 (the previous plan carried Hwy 151 under Lp 1604). We're exploring a ton of options to expedite this project, so speculation beyond this is simply impossible and inappropriate.
Wednesday, February 20
Rural Roundup - non-urban highway projects
Later this evening we'll be holding a brief meeting with the folks in Ingram to talk about what's been happening on the Hwy 39 Ingram project, and it seemed like a good enough time to run down the other projects outside "the Loop" (Loop 1604) and not on I-35. So ... here you go (enjoy!):
Hwy 39 Ingram
Since we'll be talking about it tonight, we'll start with the Hwy 39 Ingram project. This is a project the contractor expected to have moving in January, working primarily near the Johnson Creek bridge. However, we are being told by the contractor (Relmco, Inc., of Hondo) they are still working on allocating appropriate resources to begin work. When work does begin, the work will be focused near Johnson Creek and beyond the travel lanes - at least at first. After bridge-widening work at Johnson Creek has finished, crews will move in to other areas of the project.
For now, though, we're working with the contractor to begin the work as soon as possible.
Main Street Boerne
Over the last week or so, bridge crews have been working on shoring up (so to speak) a stable work environment in the Cibolo Creek. A pad for a drill rig has been set up, and drilling for support columns that will hold up widened segments of the bridge will begin next week.
The other half of the Main Street project - an effort to upgrade more than a half-dozen intersections in the historic Boerne downtown - just started moving. Over the next week those crews will finish laying out project areas and begin preparing for work on the crosswalk.
U.S. 281 Comal
Last week Hunter Industries, the contractor expanding U.S. 281 to a four-lane divided highway, began clearing and preparing the right-of-way at various locations. We anticipate crews to begin placing some drain structures south-bound from the Blanco County line. Crews haven't really started turning dirt as yet, but folks might see some utility crews out there moving some lines that are still in the way.
FM 306
Last week crews had a very small window to work on removing a few necessary trees between I-35 and Hunter Road, hoping to reduce the possibility of running onto migratory bird nests that can complicate construction over the summer months.
Like with the Boerne job, there's actually two projects going on in this corridor. The biggest - expanding FM 306 between I-35 and Hunter Road while constructing overpasses to bridge the road over rail road tracks - still hasn't officially started. However, the work on passing lanes and turn lanes near Canyon Lake has been underway for nearly two months.
Over the last week, Hunter Industries (working on the U.S. 281 Comal project as well as both FM 306 jobs) continued working on the east-bound passing lanes near Purgatory Road. They hope to be ready for asphalt - depending on weather (they need warm weather for asphalt) - on the first completed section as early as next week.
Meanwhile, a subcontractor will continue building drain structures and driveways that would have been displaced by the new roadway.
Business 46
Work has progressed cautiously because of the number of utilities in the area - we don't want to break anything, after all - but we've been clearing area and started drilling drill support shafts. This will support the new retaining walls on either side of the expanded Business 46 in downtown New Braunfels.
Crews from Austin Bridge and Road will continue to work on these drill shafts - the priority on the project for now - for the next few weeks. Nothing we do should heavily impact the driving lanes until after Labor Day.
There you have it - a "rural roundup", of sorts. Perhaps that's what we should start calling this regular post ... "Rural Roundup".
With that, we'll wrap up this post while I change the title....
Hwy 39 Ingram
Since we'll be talking about it tonight, we'll start with the Hwy 39 Ingram project. This is a project the contractor expected to have moving in January, working primarily near the Johnson Creek bridge. However, we are being told by the contractor (Relmco, Inc., of Hondo) they are still working on allocating appropriate resources to begin work. When work does begin, the work will be focused near Johnson Creek and beyond the travel lanes - at least at first. After bridge-widening work at Johnson Creek has finished, crews will move in to other areas of the project.
For now, though, we're working with the contractor to begin the work as soon as possible.
Main Street Boerne
Over the last week or so, bridge crews have been working on shoring up (so to speak) a stable work environment in the Cibolo Creek. A pad for a drill rig has been set up, and drilling for support columns that will hold up widened segments of the bridge will begin next week.
The other half of the Main Street project - an effort to upgrade more than a half-dozen intersections in the historic Boerne downtown - just started moving. Over the next week those crews will finish laying out project areas and begin preparing for work on the crosswalk.
U.S. 281 Comal
Last week Hunter Industries, the contractor expanding U.S. 281 to a four-lane divided highway, began clearing and preparing the right-of-way at various locations. We anticipate crews to begin placing some drain structures south-bound from the Blanco County line. Crews haven't really started turning dirt as yet, but folks might see some utility crews out there moving some lines that are still in the way.
FM 306
Last week crews had a very small window to work on removing a few necessary trees between I-35 and Hunter Road, hoping to reduce the possibility of running onto migratory bird nests that can complicate construction over the summer months.
Like with the Boerne job, there's actually two projects going on in this corridor. The biggest - expanding FM 306 between I-35 and Hunter Road while constructing overpasses to bridge the road over rail road tracks - still hasn't officially started. However, the work on passing lanes and turn lanes near Canyon Lake has been underway for nearly two months.
Over the last week, Hunter Industries (working on the U.S. 281 Comal project as well as both FM 306 jobs) continued working on the east-bound passing lanes near Purgatory Road. They hope to be ready for asphalt - depending on weather (they need warm weather for asphalt) - on the first completed section as early as next week.
Meanwhile, a subcontractor will continue building drain structures and driveways that would have been displaced by the new roadway.
Business 46
Work has progressed cautiously because of the number of utilities in the area - we don't want to break anything, after all - but we've been clearing area and started drilling drill support shafts. This will support the new retaining walls on either side of the expanded Business 46 in downtown New Braunfels.
Crews from Austin Bridge and Road will continue to work on these drill shafts - the priority on the project for now - for the next few weeks. Nothing we do should heavily impact the driving lanes until after Labor Day.
There you have it - a "rural roundup", of sorts. Perhaps that's what we should start calling this regular post ... "Rural Roundup".
With that, we'll wrap up this post while I change the title....
Monday, February 4
Project updates....
Across the San Antonio area, we have about a dozen major projects to keep you up-to-date on.
Without any ado, we'll just get right into it (for more info on the project itself - what we're doing, the scope and, in some cases, a graphic of what we're doing, hit the link attached to each project title):
Main Street Boerne
Last month our crews laid out the project area at the Cibolo Creek bridge. Expect action to pick up this month, as work on the traffic signal upgrades should start by mid-month. Crews will begin setting up structures to help build support structures for the bridge expansion.
Highway 39 Ingram
Crews set up environmental protection measures in January and, over the next month, will begin work almost exclusively at the Johnson Creek bridge. Most of this work will remain outside the traveling lanes, meaning you shouldn't see much in the way of actual disruption to your drive.
FM 306
Most of the work, at this point, has been setting up a work zone and beginning to widen the roadway at Purgatory Road. Non-TxDOT crews have been relocating utilities between I-35 and Hunter Road. In February, expect the turn-lane work around Purgatory Road to intensify; drivers may see occasional slow-downs as trucks enter and exit the roadway. Meanwhile, we expect work nearer to I-35 to remain about the way it is most of this month.
Business 46
This project will pause for the summer, so crews are working to get as much prep work done as they can. They've already cleared the work zone and have laid out the retaining walls to be built. Next month crews will focus on support structures for the retaining walls, moving the excess material to help build a railroad detour to be used later in the project. Most of this work is outside the traveling lanes, so drivers shouldn't be hindered by the work.
Wurzbach Parkway
Progress continues between West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger, with most of the work done near U.S. Highway 281. Beams were set on the future east-bound entrance ramp from Hwy 281 to the Parkway, and dirt work is progressing quickly. In February, expect work to ramp up (no pun intended) as we begin our efforts to fit the entrance and exit ramps between Nakoma and Bitters to the new Wurzbach parkway. This will mean some weekend closures of the north-bound frontage road between Arion Parkway and Bitters, scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 16-17 (more on that tomorrow).
We're still working with the responsible bonding company to get new contractors for the "book-end" sections, covering Blanco-to-West and JM-to-Wetmore.
1604-281 Interchange
Work continues - heck, they're nearing completion - on the interchange project. The good folks with the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority will be able to give you a better idea of what the most up-to-date information on that project is, so check them out (by hitting the link attached to the project name).
Fred-Med
If you've been paying attention to the media over the last few months, you may have heard we had a contractor declare bankruptcy. Fortunately, this project hadn't started yet - so we are in the process now of finding a new contractor to build this project. As soon as we have a new contractor, we'll be sure to let you know!
I-10 Huebner
Like the Fred-Med project (and two of the three segments of Wurzbach Parkway), this project has been caught in the tangle with the contractor that has declared bankruptcy. While it's frustrating to consistently drive through the area without seeing much change, we're inching closer to having a new contractor on board so we can get going again. We'll be sure to fill you in when that happens.
I-35 Selma
Wow, so much has happened ... I'm not sure just where to start. In January, we:
Vance Jackson Bridge
Not to be confused with the work the city of San Antonio is doing on Vance Jackson near Wurzbach in the city's northwest side, the work we are doing is a simple bridge overpass over Loop 1604 near The Rim (as if a bridge is all that simple...).
Anyway, the project continues smoothly - we've got abutment shelves built and work on the support columns is progressing smoothly. Look for crews to start working on column caps - large shelves on top of the support colmns. These caps will hold the support beams, which should be set in the next several weeks.
U.S. 281 Comal
This project is just getting underway, with crews just starting to lay out work areas. Expect excavation and clearing over the month of February, with most of the work happening outside the traveling lanes.
Loop 1604 Marbach
I almost forgot! We're still working on getting the Web page updated, but we're now at work and this project has moved beyond planning stages. Crews have just started working on clearing the construction zone, and have started laying the project out. Don't expect much to interfere with traffic for the month of February, but before summer things will get a little more hectic.
Without any ado, we'll just get right into it (for more info on the project itself - what we're doing, the scope and, in some cases, a graphic of what we're doing, hit the link attached to each project title):
Main Street Boerne
Last month our crews laid out the project area at the Cibolo Creek bridge. Expect action to pick up this month, as work on the traffic signal upgrades should start by mid-month. Crews will begin setting up structures to help build support structures for the bridge expansion.
Highway 39 Ingram
Crews set up environmental protection measures in January and, over the next month, will begin work almost exclusively at the Johnson Creek bridge. Most of this work will remain outside the traveling lanes, meaning you shouldn't see much in the way of actual disruption to your drive.
FM 306
Most of the work, at this point, has been setting up a work zone and beginning to widen the roadway at Purgatory Road. Non-TxDOT crews have been relocating utilities between I-35 and Hunter Road. In February, expect the turn-lane work around Purgatory Road to intensify; drivers may see occasional slow-downs as trucks enter and exit the roadway. Meanwhile, we expect work nearer to I-35 to remain about the way it is most of this month.
Business 46
This project will pause for the summer, so crews are working to get as much prep work done as they can. They've already cleared the work zone and have laid out the retaining walls to be built. Next month crews will focus on support structures for the retaining walls, moving the excess material to help build a railroad detour to be used later in the project. Most of this work is outside the traveling lanes, so drivers shouldn't be hindered by the work.
Wurzbach Parkway
Progress continues between West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger, with most of the work done near U.S. Highway 281. Beams were set on the future east-bound entrance ramp from Hwy 281 to the Parkway, and dirt work is progressing quickly. In February, expect work to ramp up (no pun intended) as we begin our efforts to fit the entrance and exit ramps between Nakoma and Bitters to the new Wurzbach parkway. This will mean some weekend closures of the north-bound frontage road between Arion Parkway and Bitters, scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 16-17 (more on that tomorrow).
We're still working with the responsible bonding company to get new contractors for the "book-end" sections, covering Blanco-to-West and JM-to-Wetmore.
1604-281 Interchange
Work continues - heck, they're nearing completion - on the interchange project. The good folks with the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority will be able to give you a better idea of what the most up-to-date information on that project is, so check them out (by hitting the link attached to the project name).
Fred-Med
If you've been paying attention to the media over the last few months, you may have heard we had a contractor declare bankruptcy. Fortunately, this project hadn't started yet - so we are in the process now of finding a new contractor to build this project. As soon as we have a new contractor, we'll be sure to let you know!
I-10 Huebner
Like the Fred-Med project (and two of the three segments of Wurzbach Parkway), this project has been caught in the tangle with the contractor that has declared bankruptcy. While it's frustrating to consistently drive through the area without seeing much change, we're inching closer to having a new contractor on board so we can get going again. We'll be sure to fill you in when that happens.
I-35 Selma
Wow, so much has happened ... I'm not sure just where to start. In January, we:
- Built the bridge abutment structures for the FM 3009 turnaround bridges
- Began laying out the support column structures for the FM 3009 bridges
- Removed pavement from old exit/entrance ramps to be converted between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway
- Closed and began work on the upgrated exit ramp to Forum Parkway
Vance Jackson Bridge
Not to be confused with the work the city of San Antonio is doing on Vance Jackson near Wurzbach in the city's northwest side, the work we are doing is a simple bridge overpass over Loop 1604 near The Rim (as if a bridge is all that simple...).
Anyway, the project continues smoothly - we've got abutment shelves built and work on the support columns is progressing smoothly. Look for crews to start working on column caps - large shelves on top of the support colmns. These caps will hold the support beams, which should be set in the next several weeks.
U.S. 281 Comal
This project is just getting underway, with crews just starting to lay out work areas. Expect excavation and clearing over the month of February, with most of the work happening outside the traveling lanes.
Loop 1604 Marbach
I almost forgot! We're still working on getting the Web page updated, but we're now at work and this project has moved beyond planning stages. Crews have just started working on clearing the construction zone, and have started laying the project out. Don't expect much to interfere with traffic for the month of February, but before summer things will get a little more hectic.
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