In time for the #FinalFour: that northbound I-37 ramp

One might say we're a bit excited for the Final Four set to roll into town here next week. Most of our engineers are Aggies, after all - and we even have a rogue Raider or two on staff hoping for a few more trips to Whataburger. All are way more loyal to their teams than their brackets (perhaps particularly this year).

They're also committed to ensuring a smooth weekend for the influx of basketball fans surely headed this way.
One major concern had by folks in our community is the northbound I-37 exit ramp to Carolina and Florida avenues. The ramp closed late last year while crews repaired an issue with the ground and erosion. It will reopen by our close of business March 22.
While it won't directly impact those headed to the Alamodome between March 30 and April 2, we have been working to ensure the ramp would indeed be open to ensure smooth traffic flow in the area.
After the crowds clear locals will see some work continue, but we think we'll be able to finish things up without closing the ramp down long-term again.

Mail bag: A few questions from 2017 we've not yet answered

Thanks for answering my previous question regarding the US 281 NBFR lane closure. I was referring to pages 211 and 216 of the TCP located here.
I'm concerned that we (TxDOT and taxpayers) may not be getting what we've paid for (avoiding the lane closure). It's possible that plans have changed or the contractor has negotiated something with the PE to reduce the construction time.
-Tom
You'll note the general notes of the plans allow closures at the discretion of the project engineer. This is designed to afford our project staff the room to appropriately negotiate with the contractor and, yes, speed up the work a bit.

Why has the closure of the WBFR at Old Fredericksburg been pushed back a month? Surely a couple days of rain and brief snowfall can't result in a whole month delay.
- Dave
You're right - the rain and snowfall aren't the only contributors here (but are indeed relevant). The short end of it is we had a few issues with the retaining walls at the location and production rates haven't been as projected. As of today we're hoping to have it reopened by the end of February.

I realize there are all kinds of road construction projects going on that are supposed to improve the 410 to 151 to Military area, but I guess I don't understand the plans.
Right now, the exit from 410 to 151 has been reconfigured and it's very congested to move over into the right most lane to exit 410 there. Then it's very difficult and congested most days when trying to get over to the right on the access road and then very difficult to get over to the left to get in line to enter 151. Will any of the plans ease this part of the congestion? It feels very unsafe IMO the way it is now.
- Kimbie
Kimbie, what you're driving through right now is a temporary condition as the project continues to move forward.
Here's what the road will look like (from above) when we're all done:

When will I-37 north exit 140A open? Why was it closed? Nothing has been happening since closure.
- Tim
Right now the goal is the end of March. We had an erosion issue (engineers call it a "slope failure") to shore up and discovered some challenges we hadn't anticipated. After re-thinking our plan of attack for the issue and with the holidays now behind us, crews should be moving again.

Question regarding the 410/35 NE project. On 410/35 North when you are approaching the bridge over Walzem, the left lane currently disappears.
This is a major bottleneck every afternoon. Is this permanent and if not, when will it be open? Everyday people "run" that fast lane all the way to the end and cut off the people who actually paid attention to the signage.
- Jeff
With the work we did last weekend, Jeff, this issue should be addressed. Traffic should be open now to four lanes each way and is basically in its final configuration.

Is there any word on when they will do the pour for the new bridge over I-10 between Fair Oaks Ranch Parkway and Tarpon Dr.?
- Gregory
We did this last weekend! Expect overnight closures during upcoming weeks to pour the bridge rails. Those closures will be posted in our weekly closures post.

As per your Sept 15 update on the I10 project between Ralph Fair & fair Oaks Ranch, it is stated that this project is to be completed by late Spring 2018. It is now January and there appears to be no work yet on most of the on/off ramps. The closure on the Frontage Road by Old Fred has gone past the original schedule. What is the current completion date for this whole project between Ralph fair and Fair Oaks ranch?
- Robert
At the moment we're looking at mid-summer. Production rates have slowed over the last six months from the torrid pace Sundt had at the start of the project, but that earlier pace was strong enough to give them a cushion.
The earlier assessment of late spring was based on that faster pace. Sundt is working on a number of tasks on the job at the moment - including working on those new ramps you referenced - and Sundt is working on making up some of their lost time.
Right now, given the loss of production over the winter months, we're looking at mid-summer for substantial completion.

Temporary closure on I-35 through afternoon, evening

US: When you're driving home from downtown this evening, and you're taking northbound I-35, the right lane leading to the split that goes into I-37 and U.S. 281 will be closed. All northbound I-35 traffic to I-37 or U.S. 281 will be pared down to a single lane, which will be able to split to the appropriate ramps just before reaching the interchange. Here's a picture of the area we're talking about, just to make sure we're clear as mud:

YOU: Wow. That's a huge bummer - and I'm really downplaying this. What in tarnation would make you want to do such a thing?

US: Well, it's like this. Last night's storm knocked out our asphalt production plants feeding a mill and overlay project on northbound I-35 leading to the I-37 and U.S. 281 interchange.

YOU: Waitasec, can you translate that?!?

US: Sure The lighting storm last night shut down power to a plant that mixes rock and tar and oil to make asphalt - that's a batch plant - making asphalt for a project on northbound I-35. The project is a resurface job, where we mill or shave off about two inches of existing asphalt and replace it with new stuff from the batch plant. Thing is, crews were able to mill but not replace because the plant went down.

YOU: Ok....

US: So now we've got a section about 600 feet long - that's two football fields, since we are in Texas - that's got a two-inch lip. We're worried that lip creates a safety hazard. Heck, we've already gotten a few phone calls about the issue today.

YOU: So why didn't y'all take care of that lip last night?

US: We tried to. We took some leftover asphalt from the work we were able to do and tried to make a little "ramp" to soften the edge. Unfortunately, that asphalt left a really rough driving surface and didn't fix that hard edge on the sides. Basically, lane changes would be a huge booger and we are trying to avoid major issues.

YOU: So now my commute for the evening will be shot ... that's not very nice, TxDOT! Will you at least have it back open for my drive tomorrow?

US: That's the plan - and we really are sorry. Our primary concern here is safety, but we're mindful of just how big a mess this might be. We'll have crews out there tonight trying to fix the problem. We have a few different scenarios that could play out tonight, but the important thing for you to know is our priority is to have this 600-foot stretch safely reopened by morning.

YOU: OK, so let's just make sure I've got all this cleared up. If I'm headed north on the upper level I-35 lanes that lead to I-37 or U.S. 281, I'll only have one lane to run through as I go over North St. Mary's Street. Because of that, I should plan to see my commute take a little extra and maybe even plan a different route home. Does that about cover it?

US: Yup. Well, that and if you're coming from Brooklyn or McCullough avenues that on-ramp will be closed. We know that will really stink up how traffic moves through downtown, but it needs to be done.

YOU: Wow. Well, it's only for one evening, correct?

US: That's the plan. We should have it back up and running to normal by the morning. Our crews won't be able to start until later tonight, but they're committed to getting this back open for you.

YOU: And it won't impact thru traffic on I-35?

US: For the most part, no. This is only those two lanes heading into I-37 and U.S. 281. The three thru lanes for northbound I-35 won't be touched.

YOU: Well, alright. I suppose I can tough through this for one night. I am a Spurs fan, after all. I can power through a little adversity and prevail!

US: Thanks for understanding - and for persevering. Go Spurs Go!

---

(Three hours later)

YOU: What the heck, TxDOT?!? You said you'd only have one lane closed! I just looked, and you have the whole upper deck of northbound I-35 closed - including the ramp from eastbound I-10 to northbound I-35! What happened?

US: First of all, we're as frustrated with the situation as you are. When we outline a plan, we like to know that's the plan that happens. Obviously shutting down one of the biggest intersections of the seventh-largest city in America during rush hour was not our plan.

YOU: So what did happen? I need answers here!

US: No excuses: we messed up. When the work order was given to our contractor on this at about 3 p.m., the message of the closure details was not effectively relayed. When traffic control crews began setting up the closure they did so for the nighttime closure that's typically out there from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. each week. When we got wind of what was happening the paving crews were already arriving on site and asphalt was on its way.

YOU: Why didn't you stop this from happening?

US: Quite frankly, we had one guy out there and he thought what was being set up was what we had outlined. This was a communication breakdown on a few different levels, and we own that. That said, we're currently (at 6:30 p.m.) removing the closure and shutting down the asphalt work that's going on. Our initial plan should be in place just after 7 as we get that stuff corrected. The more major closure will be back up after 9 p.m. to allow paving to continue as needed.

YOU: Alright - you've owned the mistake. That's fair. How are you going to prevent this from happening again?

US: That's the exact question we're asking ourselves right now, and our leadership teams will take a look at what all happened and discover where our communication breakdown occurred. We take this kind of thing very seriously, and we'll make sure we don't have these gaffes again. We simply can't - we need to be better than that. We are human here, we make mistakes; but as a collective body we should be able to learn from the event.

YOU: Well, thanks for talking to me about it. I'm not sure there's a silver lining to be found in all this, but thanks for hashing all this out.

US: No problem. Thanks for being patient with us!

Culebra Road and I-35/I-37 interchange: big questions and concerns

We currently have two ongoing projects garnering attention from those moving through their areas for their restriction of movements folks have long become accustomed to.

Culebra Road

Along Culebra Road a raised center median has appeared between Loop 1604 and Grissom Road. This raised median is classified as a safety project, but it will result in a better flow of traffic as well. The median restricts left-turn movements to cross-street areas to eliminate what traffic engineers refer to as conflict points. These conflicts are created any time you have two cars competing for the same space of roadway; increased conflict points means increased risk of collisions.

Our goal here, as we mentioned when we took this to our public meetings last year, was to provide improved safety while taking a balanced approach accounting for existing access along this corridor.

Folks will find continued access to their favorite taco stand, gas station or other business is maintained by what's called "cross access"; these businesses share access to a cross street via a mutual parking lot with another business. This cross access was a major factor determining the location of cuts in the median when this project was in the design phases and when we discussed these at our public meetings.

Work is nearly complete - the medians will finish this month, in fact, and you'll see a fresh asphalt surface over the following weeks.

Interchange of I-35 and I-37/US 281

The downtown interchange of I-35 and US 281 (or I-37), particularly on the northbound side of I-35 here, sees a frustratingly high number of drivers cutting in and out trying to navigate from the upper-lower level split to the appropriate ramp. This project is designed to stop that cutting in and out and put folks on the correct path well in advance. From day one, we were pretty open about eliminating the option to reach I-37 or US 281 from the lower-level lanes with this job.

Barrels are currently marking the location of a permanent concrete barrier that keeps the upper-level traffic on northbound I-35 headed to the ramps for Broadway and US 281/I-37. Lower-level traffic will continue along northbound I-35 beyond the I-37 interchange.

Construction on this job is simple - we're only building a median barrier. The schematic shows only a hard red line, showing the location of the new barrier. We should be finished with the $2.3 million project in time for the holidays, if all goes well.

Work on this project is mostly overnight; be aware of our crews at night. During the day those barrels are in place to help train drivers on the new configuration - it's a soft "wall" to dull the sting the concrete wall might make if a careless or unknowing driver tries to make that cut-off from the lower level lanes to the ramps to US 281 or I-37 once we're finished.

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.

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!