CONSTRUCTION IS RAMPING UP ON LOOP 1604 EXPANSION PROJECT

 

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is ramping up construction on Segment 1 of the Loop 1604 Expansion Project from SH 16 (Bandera Rd.) to I-10 in northwest Bexar County. This week, crews will begin preparation work for the start of major construction activities in early June 2021.

Over the next few weeks, drivers will experience minimal impact to traffic flow as lane shifts are implemented. Currently scheduled lane closures for Segment 1 are listed below.

Monday, May 10 to Friday, May 21
Weekday Nights 9PM to 5AM

• Eastbound Loop 1604 entrance ramp to La Cantera Parkway
• DETOUR: La Cantera Parkway traffic will continue on eastbound frontage road and enter Loop 1604 at next entrance ramp. 
• Eastbound Loop 1604 exit ramp to Vance Jackson
• DETOUR: Traffic will be directed to exit at La Cantera Parkway, merge to the frontage road, and travel through the La Cantera Parkway intersection.

*Note: Closures are scheduled from 9PM Sunday to 5AM Friday, with no weekend closures. Construction is subject to change, due to weather and other variables.

These closures will allow crews to arrange construction work zones with barrier placements and lane re-striping operations in preparation for major construction activities planned for the expansion project.

The Loop 1604 Expansion Project involves several non-toll transportation improvements, from SH 16 to I-35,  that are designed to increase mobility, reduce congestion and enhance safety along the highly-traveled corridor. Segment 1 of the Loop 1604 Expansion Project has a total estimated cost of $148 million. Williams Brothers Construction Company, Inc. was awarded the project in April 2021.

We want you to stay connected! Subscribe for project updates here. 

Traffic Switch to Open New US-281 Mainlanes and Southbound Direct Connector Ramps to Loop 1604

We are proud to announce that we will be opening several newly-built north- and southbound US 281 mainlanes between Loop 1604 and south of Evans Road along with the southbound direct connector ramps to Loop 1604 during the month of June.

First, we will open two southbound US 281 mainlanes from south of Evans Road, joined by a third southbound US 281 mainlane south of Encino Rio, to Loop 1604 this weekend. Lane closures will start 9 p.m. Friday, June 5 and will conclude by 5 a.m. Monday, June 8. Until partial lanes of the newly-built mainlanes are opened on Saturday night, southbound US 281 mainlanes will be closed and diverted onto the southbound frontage road. Detours will include taking the Sonterra Blvd/Loop 1604 exit ramp and returning to the mainlanes at the Sonterra Blvd entrance ramp.  

Later this month, we will open three northbound US 281 mainlanes from Loop 1604, with one mainlane merging onto the northbound US 281 frontage road north of Sonterra Boulevard. The two other northbound US 281 mainlanes will continue to south of Evans Road. The US 281 frontage roads will remain open when we open the mainlanes, although the number of open lanes may vary as we continue progress. When we open the northbound US 281 mainlanes, we will also open the southbound US 281 direct connector ramps to Loop 1604. 

A few weeks after the northbound US 281 mainlanes open, we will open the signalized intersection at Redland Road.

Please note that construction is weather permitting and subject to change.

You can stay informed of lane closures by receiving alerts to your e-mail by registering here  or by following us on our Twitter feed (@TxDOTSanAntonio).

Closure this Saturday on Loop 1604 frontage road

This Saturday, September 8, 2018 from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m. there will be a full closure of the frontage road on westbound Loop 1604 between Gold Canyon Drive and US 281 for bridge structure work. 

Detour is as follows: Take a double left at Gold Canyon Drive, a double left a Redland Road, use the Redland Road entrance ramp, then use Stone Oak Parkway exit ramp, take the turnaround at Stone Oak Parkway and take the turnaround at US 281.

You can receive information on lane closures straight to your e-mail inbox by registering here (link to http://eepurl.com/cXz2kr). Daily updates are sent out daily for the full closures.

Updates on setting beams at US 281 and Loop 1604 interchange; Redland Road/US 281 full closure

UPDATE: Sorry there was a change to the upcoming closures at US 281 and Loop 1604. We will have a closure this Saturday, July 21, 2018, at 2 a.m. until 7 p.m.

US 281/Loop 1604
Westbound to Northbound Direct Connector -
On the Loop 1604 westbound frontage road from Gold Canyon Drive to US 281 that includes the following detour: Taking a double left at Gold Canyon Drive, taking a double left a Redland Road, Using the Redland Road entrance ramp, using Stone Oak Parkway exit ramp, taking the turnaround at Stone Oak Parkway and taking the turnaround at US 281.

A look ahead to the weekends of July 27th and August 3rd...
Redland Road/US 281 intersection - Full Closure of eastbound and westbound Redland Road at the approach of US 281 – Public to detour by using Ridgewood Parkway and Sonterra Boulevard. 

      

• Friday, July 27, 2018, at 8 p.m. to Monday, July 30, 2018, at 5 a.m. 
• Friday, August 3, 2018, at 8 p.m. to August 6, 2018, at 5 a.m.

Please note that all work is weather permitting and that the sequence of work can change due to unforeseen issues.

You can receive information on lane closures straight to your e-mail inbox by registering here (link to http://eepurl.com/cXz2kr). Daily updates are sent out daily for the full closures.

Mail Bag: 410 at 151 stuff, Westwood Loop questions again, Old Fred Road and more

When will the Culebra Road on ramp to southbound I-410 open up? So surprised to find it closed and nowhere to get onto 410 until I was almost to Marbach.
- Rena
We're still working on getting that timeline - it's our next priority on this project now we've got things on the northbound side moved around and the southbound exit ramp to Military Drive opened up.


Why is the under construction flyover from SH 151 to I-410 built with steel supports, while the flyover from I-410 to SH 151 in the opposite direction is built with pre-stressed concrete beams? There is obviously a reason, but it sure isn't obvious. I would really like to understand the rationale behind the different construction methods.
- Glenn
It's a pretty simple answer, really. We use steel beams on bridge spans over about 110 feet - particularly with a curved alignment such as on a direct connector. That's why the steel supports are deeper (taller) than the pre-stressed concrete beams, to handle the additional weight stresses with the longer spans.


After waiting almost a year for UTSA Blvd to open, we now have another disruption of traffic in UTSA/UTEX area. Why are the right 2 lanes of traffic in this area closed for a new construction project? This greatly causes a traffic problem in this area.
- Rhea

The work you're seeing there isn't ours. That all belongs to Security Services FCU and, the last time we got an update from the city (January), is going to continue a while. Yantis is the general contractor here and is managing the actual project - we'd encourage folks with questions about this work to go to Yantis for answers.


We were discussing our favorite intersection the other day Alamo Ranch parkway and Westwood Loop. Going east from Alamo Ranch onto 151, what would it take to make the middle lane in addition to going straight also a left turn lane? In other words 2 lanes turning left on Westwood? Traffic really backs up there, which then backs up the traffic going into 151, this would really ease the traffic even on weekends.
- Ursula
Please provide a detailed status update on Alamo Ranch Parkway and Westwood Loop.
- Benjamin
TxDOT is done with this intersection, and has been for quite some time. This is all in the court of Bexar County Public Works, who recently installed raised curb to mount those delineator paddles. That should help considerably.
We are now working on installing guardrail along the southbound frontage road of Lp 1604 to prevent the poor behavior of drivers cutting across the grass median to reach the direct connector to Hwy 151.


Can you please tell me why their is no slow down lane to come in to the Hillcrest Housing area . I noticed that red musket has one which is not the main road into this housing area.
- Larry
So, Larry, the frontage road right there has three lanes. The far-right lane actually ends at Red Musket - that's why it looks and feels like a right-turn lane. We're working to stripe and sign that lane ahead of Spurs Ranch as a turn lane.
This will be what the frontage road looks like in its final configuration.
If we were to include a right-turn lane at Spurs Ranch we'd need to add a fourth lane to the frontage road, which we don't have the right-of-way space (or the money) to do on this job.


The much projected opening date of the I-10 access road from Ralph Fair to Old Fred. will not occur. Why? When? The delay is now over 90 days. Perhaps if TxDOT tripled the fines it might make a difference.
- Vicky
Well... today is March 22nd, and on my way home, I expected to see all sorts of activity wrapping up the repaving of the westbound frontage road at Old Fredericksburg Road, which according to your last blog post, is scheduled to be open tomorrow. However, at 5:45 PM this evening, all I saw was a bunch of parked construction equipment, no construction workers and dirt. Is this EVER going to wrap up? The inconvenience, dust, mud and delays are absolutely terrible. For more than a year, your repeated delays along IH-10 from the Dominion, have added more than 30 minutes/day to my (and I am sure many others) daily commute. Time which would be much better spent with my wife and family. You are now going on a 4 month delay on this portion of the project, alone - this is getting beyond frustrating.
- Dave
Can you please provide an update of the continued closure of the I-10 frontage road at Old Fred? Looks like it’s been pushed to April 27th. That is now 7 months of closure when it was supposed to be 3. Please set realistic goals and expectations.
- Christina
Let's start by saying we share your frustration here. When we first started this (in October) we expected a two-month work duration. We've addressed the question before. The target keeps moving, and at this point we just don't know what to say.

Vicky and Dave have already reached out to us privately and we've provided contact information for the individual at Sundt Construction to push questions to in the future. We're going to stop short of publishing that information here, but if you can find it through the NextDoor feeds in that neighborhood you're welcome to use the contact info as you see fit.
All that said, we do share some of the blame at TxDOT. We failed to include a milestone with accompanying liquidated damages on this part of the project. We are learning from the error and our director of construction has asked future projects include financial disincentives (we can't call them penalties) when we have stuff like this in our plans.

Are there any plans to fix the very wavy road surface both East and West Highway 90 across from Blue Skies at John D Ryan Blvd? This area of Highway 90 is very uneven and makes you feel like you are riding a roller coaster instead of your car. I can remember a section of I-35 across from Fort Sam Hospital that was like this that was fixed. I assume this is a sub-surface problem.
- Bill
It's on the list of projects we'd like to take on and will be addressed as we expand US Hwy 90 between I-410 and Hwy 211. That's currently programmed to happen around 2023.

When is Loop 1604 and I-10W at The Rim/La Cantera going to be upgraded to a proper highway intersection with fly overs with no yields? I've lived in the area since 2004 and the congestion gets worse every year.
- Paul
Paul, it seems thousands of people are discovering what you did back in 2004: That corridor along I-10 between San Antonio and Boerne is a great place to live!

That also means the congestion you're seeing is the byproduct of this corridor's continued development and is something we're working to address. Just like Johnny Cash got his Psycho Billy Cadillac one piece at a time because of his financial constraints, we're doing the same thing with the development of I-10 beyond Loop 1604. That is true also for the intersection. Our planners have easily conceded the cloverleafs have been increasingly outgrown over the course of the last decade.
The problem is money - a full interchange like you're looking for costs about $250 million, which is tough for us to come up with right now at one time (which is why the US 281 expansion is happening in two pieces at $150 million each).
That said ... we have hope. The Alamo Area MPO has included on the Unified Transportation Program this intersection in a plan to expand Loop 1604 between Bandera Road and I-35. The details are still being worked out as to how those will work as we move through the environmental assessment, but we are hoping to have this intersection addressed with that project when it starts right around 2020. A project of that size will take, at a minimum, four years to complete.

Who is responsible for 1604 being only two lanes on each side? It is 2018 and no one has stepped up to the plate and add another lane to each side at least. Here's a bright idea, you don't have to stop flow of traffic if you build it in the median.
- Brendan
Take a look at what we said to Paul, Brendan, and you'll see we're working on it. We wish we could just build a new lane ... unfortunately it's a lot more involved than that. Hopefully we'll be able to begin work to double capacity of Loop 1604 in 2020.

When is 410/151 interchange construction going to be done enough to open the Leon creek greenway trail? Are they doing redo the trail it looks very damaged from the construction?
- Mica
We are actually working with the city's Parks and Recreation department to fix and replace some damaged sections of the trail. We are hoping to have that finished and be able to open the trail back up by the end of May. We might even be able to get that done sooner if we get ideal weather patterns between now and then.

Mail Bag: revisiting old answers, Ralph Fair Road, Fair Oaks Pkwy and more

Great work keeping the blog updated and providing great information!
Two questions: in the last mailbag there was a question about I-35 at Walzem reducing down to three lanes in each direction then opening up to four lanes.
You wrote that it is supposed to be four lanes but it is still three lanes each direction; any idea when that is supposed to be complete? (I know the weather hasn’t cooperated).
Second; I read the post regarding stop lights and what it takes to install (namely cost) and have a new respect before ‘firing from the hip’ saying every intersection that causes me a few seconds of inconvenience needs one. However, there is one intersection that, I think, is overdue for another look — Foster Rd and FM 1346. I’ve seen eastbound traffic back up all the way where the two lanes merge into one. Any plans for a traffic light there in the near future? The four-way stop seems very outdated.
And a comment about the 35 project— it rocks! You guys kicked its [expletive]!
Thanks again for the great information and posts! The person that keeps this updated does a fantastic job!

- Todd
First of all, flattery will get you ... well, pretty much anything. Thanks so much! Sorry we had to edit your comment a bit. This is a family blog, after all!
To your first question ... we were fully wrong about I-35 being opened up earlier. We were operating on old information and got it wrong. Instead of opening in January, it actually opened up to the new capacity last week and you are (hopefully) enjoying that extra lane each direction. We learned from the experience and will add extra verification with guys in the field before posting things in the future.
As for the second question, the best we can do is put the location on our list to be studied. You're not the first to ask, and we did recently upgrade that intersection with flashing yellow lights. We have to go with the hard data, so we'll see what things look like once we've done a warrant study.


I’ve been noticing some closures overnight at the Scenic Loop and I-10 overpass in Boerne so crews can law pavement underneath. This is exit 543, not the Leon Springs overpass at Boerne Stage Road. I’m not sure if these are being posted under the “Boerne” or “Leon Springs” categories, but I haven’t seen these particular closures in the weekly posts. Am I missing something? I live by this particular overpass and the detours are pretty far out of the way if we can’t go under the freeway.
- Grant
These should actually be posted under "Other Roads - Boerne". Because it's actually Scenic Loop Road, not I-10, that's closed it goes under a bit of its own heading.
The detour for this one is pretty simple - simply head down to Balcones Creek, cross over and turn around, then come back. The whole thing is about three miles.


Regarding Gold Canyon Exit at 1604, thanks for the quick response.
This same setup occurs on eastbound 1604 at the exits for 281 north and south. Two normal lanes and an auxiliary lane. That auxiliary lane terminates with the exit for 281 South. However, prior to that termination there is an exit for 281 North. If this is an unsafe condition, why is it allowed for this area but not for Gold Canyon?
- Marshall
The two areas actually aren't the same at all. Here's a look at the Gold Canyon area you're asking about:

Note the auxiliary lane stretches less than half a mile (the orange line is the auxiliary lane) and encounters both an entrance ramp, with traffic trying to enter the highway and weave onto the main lanes, and an exit ramp, with traffic weaving off the highway. We've also got a bridge in the middle of everything, limiting what we can do here.
Now, here's a look at eastbound Loop 1604:

You'll have to click on this one to blow it up a bit, it's not the same scale. Why? Because it's a significantly longer stretch of roadway we're trying to fit in the same column width in the blog. The auxiliary lane to which you're referring is well over a half-mile - and it doesn't feature the conflict of entering and exiting traffic. It's also lacking that pesky bridge in the middle.
If we were to stretch it out to capture the conflict of entering traffic with these two exit ramps, by the way, the stretch would be nearly a full mile.
Remember, that Gold Canyon area is well under a half-mile. The distance between these two exit ramps alone is more than what you've got at Gold Canyon.
That's why the situation you see on eastbound Loop 1604 approaching US 281 is safe and an extra ramp on westbound Loop 1604 near Gold Canyon would not be.


My wife and I think a 'fly over' from Ralph Fair to (eastbound) I-10 and from (westbound) I-10 to Ralph Fair would increase the functionality of both roadways. I know it would be expensive but sooner would be cheaper than later. This is going to have to be addressed due to the population explosion in eastern Kendall County. Is anything like that in the works? Thank you.
- Marcial
One thing you're not seeing (yet) is the huge benefit that new intersection at Old Fredericksburg Road will be to the intersection at Ralph Fair Road. All those folks in that new development along Old Fred Road that's now pushing through the Ralph Fair intersection will be removed from the traffic equation completely.
Just hang tight a few more months, you'll see what's happening and you'll be glad we didn't go in with a direct connector and it's quarter-billion-dollar price tag. Everything we've had going the last few years has been part of an overall plan to address the growth, and we're just about finished.
For the record ... no, we don't have one planned at this location, either. It's doubtful we'll ever get to that sort of situation. Frankly, we need direct connectors at Loop 1604 and I-10 or at Loop 1604 and I-35 first.


It is encouraging to see the progress on I-10 north of 1604. The progress seems to end at Dominion Drive however. What is the expected completion date of this interstate expansion and scope (distance) to be included?
- Dugald
We're glad we're encouraging! The expansion will add two lanes in each direction between La Cantera Parkway and Ralph Fair Road. We're scheduled to finish around the end of 2020. You'll see a new lane in each direction ready to use in 2019, though.


Please add me to your email list for traffic updates.
- Tami
We actually don't keep an email list. Your best bet is to subscribe to email alerts on our blog, which can be done by entering your email in the subscription bar on the left, and you'll get notices every time we post something.


Can you send me a picture of what the intersection at Fair Oaks parkway and I-10 will look like when completed.
- Chuck
All of that is posted online, Chuck. Take a look here.


What is going on with UTSA Blvd near UTEX Blvd? The expansion project from three lanes to five lanes looked complete in the Fall. Then after a few weeks, crews tore up the new surface for half of the new lanes for what looked like drainage work. It's been like that for about three months now with very little activity. This back-to-one-lane-each-way thing is frustrating after getting to use the expanded lanes.
- John
You're one of a growing list of folks asking us, John. We'll tell you what we told the others: that's all part of a private commercial development and they're moving around some utility stuff. We are pretty sure all the work is being done for Security Services FCU, who is developing that whole area along the road heading toward I-10.
We don't have any real oversight with them; as long as the traffic control is set up in line with standards in our Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (it is), they're fine to be out there and we have no tools available to spur them along.

Mail Bag: Congested highways, stewardship and some future planning

Why is traffic on 1604 east bound between 281 and Bulverde Road moving so slowly in the afternoons? My trip home has increased by 40 minutes.
- Nan
Why has traffic increased so much recently? I-35 has turned into a parking lot!
- Ericka
Honestly, that's probably because of the area being among the fastest-growing in the United States. For some reason, people love coming here! We think it has something to do with the tacos....
It's why we have major construction along seemingly every corridor - to address the congestion and safety issues that come from adding dozens of cars to our roads each week.

Recent advance notices refer to nightly closures, but nothing about day time closures of the right lane of US 281 NBFR north of Loop 1604. The TCP on the TxDOT website shows permanent pavement added to the left side of the NBFR which avoids the lane closure. Have the plans changed?
- Tom
First of all, we don't have our traffic control plan (TCP) posted online.
When we add permanent pavement to one side of the road, we often need to shift traffic away from that area to create adequate safe work space. That sometimes means adding some temporary pavement to hold traffic for a few weeks or months as needed - which means closures on both sides of the road.
Frankly, any time we do any construction project, every lane will be subject to occasional small closures at some point of the work.

Is Evans Road from Green Mountain to Bulverde Road closed again today (12.5.17)?
- Gladys
First of all, we're sorry we didn't answer this question a bit sooner. The questions to the Mail Bag aren't checked daily, and the Mail Bag isn't intended for immediate reply. For faster responses try us on Twitter.
As for the Evans Road work, that's not TxDOT work anyway. That work was done by SAWS, and questions about the work should have been directed to them.

I noticed the work on I-10 at Old Fredricksuburg and at Scenic Loop is adding extended sections of concrete roadway. Will the widening of I-10 to The Rim also use concrete? Is there a reason the approaches to the bridges were concrete in these projects?
Also, at Old Fred, the retaining walls are prepared for widening the bridge. When is that planned?
- Blake
We are trying to move toward concrete paving wherever we can afford to do so due to the lower cost of long-term maintenance. Going with concrete is super expensive on the front end, though, and isn't something we're able to do with just any project. We typically extend the concrete paving at elevated bridges, such as the overpasses you're mentioning, to accomplish some of our goal.
The HOV lanes we're building between La Cantera and Fair Oaks are not being build on concrete except on the bridges we'll be expanding.
We're glad you noticed the forward-thinking design on the new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road - we do not have a date for that expansion set, but we wanted to be sure the new bridge would improve constructability for the projects that may come in the future.

I appreciate what you do getting the word out to the SA community on their TxDOT projects. I live in northeast San Antonio and the I-35 project there impacts me greatly. I was wondering if the southbound I-35 exit to Walzem will be relocated. I know you have relocated the I-410 Walzem exit, even though I see people not using it and using the old exit instead.
My worry is if the exit is not closed, we will continue to see traffic occasionally back up onto the main lanes when there is a train. I know that there is one lane of SB I-35 access road that is continuous through the I-35/I-410 interchange. Is this section being only one lane prohibiting the relocation of this exit?
- Nathan
For now we are not relocating that southbound I-35 exit to Walzem. Your suggestion is really interesting, though - it's something we're passing along to our highway planners as an option we ought to consider for improved operational efficiency.

Mail Bag: Turnarounds along I-10 East, resurfacing on Lp 1604 and more

I recently discovered a historical marker on Ammann Rd just east of SH 46, celebrating the Pinta Trail. If I had not checked out the Historical Commission of Texas' website, I would have never knew it existed. Are there not a lot of historical marker directional signage on state-maintained roads in Kendall County? I seem to see them in many other portions of the State, but maybe I'm missing the forest for the trees in my own area.
- Mark
This question caused us to go back to our Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices and our traffic operations gurus to find a good answer. Section 2M.11 covers these specific signs.
You're welcome to peruse the MUTCD on your own at any time. It's a handy guide for understanding the why's behind the what's with our signs.
Alright ... the answer (in plain English): We provide signs for all historical markers that are within our right-of-way and are outside city limits. In this case, the marker may have fallen outside our right-of-way and may even be in city limits.
If there are any markers you're seeing without these call-out signs that fit the bill of being in our right-of-way and are outside city limits, let us know!

The schematic for the IH 10 E & FM 1516 intersection calls for a complete reconfiguration, with turnarounds in both directions (for 1516) and two lanes in each direction for the underpass, including replacing existing riprap with retaining wall. Presently TSC has used the eastern half of the 1516 overpass to install an east-to-west turnaround. Why does this differ from the project schematic? And when will the 1516 intersection be reconfigured to match the schematic? If TSC bid an alternate to the schematic, why wasn't the public notified?
- Marshall
Great questions, Marshall. For argument's sake, let's use the schematics posted online as our base for this conversation. Fair?

These schematics are preliminary and used to explain what our overall vision for the project is. This vision remains.
Yes, we fully intend to construct turnarounds at the FM 1516 intersection as we had presented during our public meetings on the work being done. During the detailed design stages of the project we discovered an elevation issue with this intersection, however. If we were to construct the turnarounds under the current bridge, as shown in the preliminary schematics, we would end up with either (1) turnarounds rendered unusable by large trucks because the clearance under the bridge is too short or (2) major flooding problems from turnarounds cut deeply into the ground and set well below the elevation of the roadway around it.
The solution? Build a new bridge.
That's happening during the expansion of I-10 set to begin later next year. We're adding a lane in each direction between I-410 and Loop 1604. In doing this, we're also replacing many of the overpass bridges - including the bridge over FM 1516 - and making them longer, taller and wider. After this bridge work is done the turnarounds will be built permanently.
The turnarounds you're seeing built right now to serve eastbound-to-westbound traffic is a temporary turnaround conceived to ease traffic pressures at the intersection with the one-way roads. We've actually change-ordered this temporary turnaround into the contract Texas Sterling has; their plans never included the turnarounds earlier.

Why is the Thousand Oaks exit off I-35 closed and is this permanent?
- Lucille
It is permanent - and rather than call it "closed" we would call it "moved". We discussed this in a video post earlier, but we moved the exit south a bit to improve the overall operation of the highway out there.

I noticed Asphalt Milling Machines and rollers parked on this of 1604 West bound close to La Cantera. If this for a TxDOT project on 1604 or something else?
- Zane
Nope, that's us! We are resurfacing Loop 1604 (main lanes and frontage roads) between Bandera Road and Rogers Ranch/Bitters Road. Work started back in October and will continue until summer 2018. Expect to see daytime work on the frontage roads. We'll stay off the main lanes during the day, though. Don't expect to see that overnight activity until temperatures heat up, this upcoming spring.

On the SH 16 & 1604 project I see that the base is layers of asphalt. What's the life span for this method? It doesn't seem to work long on normal street traffic.
- Pamela

This is actually pretty standard for us. There are several layers to a roadway. The Express-News did a really interesting story about the Recipe for a Roadway almost two years ago. It's definitely worth a look.
Any roadway is a lot like an onion - there are several layers most of us never see or fully understand. What's more, those layers are not all asphalt - we often mistake other layers as mere digging or blading, when we're really building those additional non-asphalt layers.
Our depths are different than what you see on a city street or in your subdivision - that's important to keep in mind. While many municipal roadways measure their depth in inches, ours are measured in feet. That base of asphalt is at least 18 inches deep and rests atop base layers of a variety of compacted soils.

What is the status of putting the steel beams in place for hwy 151 over 410? I remember a while back it was supposed to occur in November. Now there appears to be no word of it. In fact it seems the hwy 90 work is going faster than 151.
- Steve
The beams should be here in January, and we could be setting beams as soon as February. This falls within the timeframe given back in June.
As for project pace, please do not refer to a single aspect of the projects to make an overall assessment of the progress of projects. Doing so can set yourself up for an unreasonable expectation on both projects.
To be honest, both jobs are on their predetermined pace; the 151-410 project is set to wrap up late summer 2018 as promised when we broke ground. The 410-90 project still has quite a bit of work remaining. While you're seeing steel beams placed, you'll carefully note the frontage work now nearly done on the 151-410 project has a long way to go. You'll also note the bridge work and work on the ramps at Marbach has just begun and has more than a year before that's complete. That sort of work on the 410-151 job has nearly finished.
Hopefully that helps.

Some quick hits on the Lp 1604 expansion

Can you believe we've been running more than a year on the expansion of Loop 1604 between Hwy 151 and US Hwy 90?
We can't - and we're shocked (and a little ashamed) we've not provided an update since ... well ... it's been a while.
With that in mind we wanted to get you a look at what's happening. We want to do it quick, so we're doing it with bullet points. If you hold out to the end you can see what's going on with other portions of Loop 1604 as well.

Hwy 151 to Potranco

• Work on the Military Drive intersection is plugging along and should wrap up by the end of the month, as indicated earlier.
• We had to add retaining walls along the southbound frontage roads due to steeper slopes than what was originally envisioned during the design process.
• Due to the above change a planned traffic shift for later this year has been moved (tentatively) to summer 2018. This date could change if weather and other issues don't work out our way.
• Zachry Construction is running ahead of schedule, which will mitigate the schedule impact from the retaining wall issue. Between that speed and some out-of-sequence work on the northbound frontage roads that will start soon, you should be able to use the new express lanes by end of summer 2019.

Potranco to US 90

• You're likely seeing lots of digging for the road bed between Emory Peak and Potranco - this will eventually be the southbound frontage road.
• Dirt and bridge crews are working on a retaining wall for what will be an overpass at Dove Canyon.
• Bridge crews are working on supporting foundations for the direct connector for southbound Loop 1604 to eastbound US 90.
• The bridge for what will be the southbound main lanes over Marbach is starting to take shape, as are bridges at Medio Creek and at US 90.
• The easiest thing to see for most folks is the progress on those bridges, which continues steadily.
• Webber Construction is currently on pace to wrap up fall 2019.

Other spots on Loop 1604

• We just held an open house about the future of the segment between US 90 and I-35; that information is all posted online.
• We also have plans for US 281 on the southeast side of Bexar County, which have been presented publicly in recent months.
• The TTC just approved funds for the RMA to develop the MPO's plan to expand Loop 1604 between Bandera Road and I-35 on the north end of town. Was that enough "alphabet soup"? TTC = Texas Transportation Commission, RMA = Regional Mobility Authority, MPO = Metropolitan Planning Organization.
• We have a project expanding Loop 1604 between Pat Booker Road and FM 78 on deck for next year (no right-of-way is needed for this work), and another job continuing that expansion all the way to Judson is right on the heels.

Some daytime work to be aware of

Two areas - both near elementary schools - will be briefly impacted by work Friday. If you're part of the impacted community and reading this, please share it with your friends.

Fair Oaks Ranch
After finishing a seal coat on Ralph Fair Road two weeks ago we are ready to get painters out to re-stripe the road. This work will begin Friday once the morning dew burns off and continue until work is complete.
Yes, we know that's really vague, and we're sorry. We have to wait for the dew to burn off because paint doesn't stick too well to wet roads. With a sunrise set for about 7:20 a.m. and a dew point likely lower than this morning's 70 degrees, that should mean we'll see the wet ground burn off pretty darned quick. Expect to see us out there around 9, really.

As for our finish time ... we really won't quit until the job is done and the road is re-striped. Our contractor, IBM, has dedicated their top crew and best equipment for the job so we're expecting a pretty quick turnaround - hopefully well before the evening rush at 4 p.m.
We do expect to see some impact to the afternoon pickup rush at Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary School, though, so if you're planning to pick up your kiddos Friday afternoon please plan on a few additional travel minutes.
Striping is a rolling operation - nothing is stationary. We'll work on one side of the road at a time and move along at about 5 miles per hour. We've got an off-duty officer on hand to shadow the work convoy and allow traffic to pass safely as needed. That said, please plan on a few extra minutes to travel through.

Marbach Road - far west San Antonio

Webber Construction is setting bridge support beams over Marbach Road at Loop 1604 on the far west side of town Friday. These beams will form the eventual southbound overpass for Loop 1604 at Marbach Road.
We're aware of the mix between traffic to Southwest ISD schools like Scobee Middle School and Big Country Elementary and residents outside Loop 1604 headed to Northside ISD schools like Grosenbacher Elementary. We've built our work schedule around these school schedules and are asking our contractor, who will begin work at 9 a.m., to break between 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. so we stay out of the way of pick-up times. If we haven't finished work by 2:30 p.m. Webber will set up the closure again at 6 p.m. and continue until they're done.
This work will mean closing Marbach completely immediately west of Loop 1604 (so pretty much just the Champions Park neighborhood) for half-hour spurts while each beam is set over Marbach. Off-duty officers will be at the location to get traffic moved through the area as needed.
Thru traffic on Loop 1604 will not be impacted by this closure.
For those looking for an alternate route during this work, Emory Peak should be able to get you in and out of your neighborhood.

Mail bag: I-35 SAMMC, Loop 1604 expansion, project starts

I just wanted to write in to thank you all for the new northbound 35 Rittiman exit. I think this new configuration is profoundly changing lives because of the new configuration. All of the inconsiderate jockeying that used to occur within the short confines of the old exit is now gone. No longer will traffic back up onto the highway, thus slowing down 35N, and everyone can choose their desired lanes far in advance of the intersection. I can't wait to see those auxiliary lanes finished to clear up the 410/35N bottleneck. Hats off to TxDOT and Lane Construction.
- Marshall
Thanks, Marshall! We have passed along the kudos to our field staff. They rarely get to hear kind words like these, and it means quite a lot to them! Since you wrote in, of course, we finished up those northbound I-410 lanes to northbound I-35 and are glad to see the positive impacts already being felt. We are on pace to knock the entire project out by the end of 2017.

I am curious on the start date of the I-10 expansion from 1604 to Ralph Fair. Your last update on this project said it would start Aug-Sept of this year. Is it still on schedule to start that soon?
- Robert
We are working on a full post for this project's kickoff ... so let's consider this your spoiler. (That means you shouldn't read the rest of this sentence unless you really want to know....) Our official start date is slated for September 5. We are planning a ceremonial groundbreaking the following week. More details are coming.

I have traveled between I-35 and 1604 daily for 10 years. I watch in dismay every time more land is cleared to build another building or apartment complex that will add additional cars on 1604. Have you ever considered adding a new lane by restriping the road? We don't need a shoulder on both sides, and by restriping you could add an another lane (even over bridges). I've studied it for years. The 281 cluster is miserable going eastbound.
- Linda
You know, our communications folks thought the same thing when they started working and had a very similar conversation with our engineers when first hired. We all wish the solve would be so simple.
Let's first address the need for those shoulders on both sides. Shoulders are a safety feature on expressways and are placed on both sides of a highway where possible. Without these shoulders speed limits could be reduced per our speed limits standards. Shoulders also provide a shelter for cars with mechanical troubles or that have been involved in a traffic collision. It's true we don't have dual shoulders lining each expressway, but that is certainly the standard we aspire to. We are not interested in eliminating that safety feature where it's firmly established.
Even if we could restripe the road to add the lane we would still need the clearance through the Federal Highway Administration. This approval is often referred to as environmental clearance. Our needs on Loop 1604 are way beyond what a simple restriping would provide anyway - and that's why the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has the expansion of this heavily trafficked road on our statewide Unified Transportation Program. Any time a road is at 130 percent capacity right now we need to make an adjustment. The bottom line, Linda, is we are working hard at making the needed improvements. The proposed project will cost about $550 million to make happen. After all, if we're going to do it we want to make sure it's done right the first time.

What is the current status and upcoming schedule for the reconstruction of the bridge over I-35 at 1103 in Schertz? Local taxpayers helped fund this back in 2014 and 2015 and I would like to see that work actually begin.
- Jeff
Jeff asked this question just before we posted our announcement of the project starting a couple of weeks ago. Others should take a look at the post to see we will start September 5.

I have only lived here 3 years but found that many times there are signs saying "lane closed ahead", I move to the open lane and then find that the "closed" lane really isn't. If the lane isn't closed why can't the construction people cover the sign or lay it down or pick it up...whatever. I'm finding the signs hard to believe as I'm sure other people don't believe them either.
- Sharon
We're sorry to hear of your experience, Sharon. We work hard to ensure such signs, when not in use, are picked up from state-maintained highways. We also work with our agency partners who also do road work, like the city of San Antonio and a variety of utility companies, to make sure they are reaching for the same standard.

Thank you for the informative post on the Cibolo Parkway project. One line caught my attention: "What we have in mind is a $25 million expansion that will make FM 1103 a four-lane road with center medians, sidewalks and shoulders allowing for safe bike riding." Does this imply that there will not be official bike lanes on FM 1103?
That is not what was understood from public information meetings, etc. This is an important bike thoroughfare that connects many residential neighborhoods to businesses and schools. It is used even in its current configuration (albeit risky) by bicyclists young and old. I know Schertz would even prefer to see a multi-use path along FM 1103 according to its Master Thoroughfare Plan. Just hoping to clarify that we will indeed see bike lanes on FM 1103! Thanks.
- John
We agree with you about the importance of including bike lanes in our capital improvement projects. It's our policy to include accommodations for such facilities. That's most often done by including widened shoulders - typically four or more feet wide - that serve bicycle traffic safely as well. The primary purpose of these lanes is, indeed, for bike traffic.

Can you provide the details of the traffic switch that is being advertised on the 13th of August, for FM471 between Old FM471 & 1560.
- Benjamin
Regarding the construction along 471 aka Culebra: how long will the entrance to Stillwater Ranch be closed? Hoping to see it open before school starts. Thanks!
- Terri
We do not have information on this project. It is being overseen by Bexar County Public Works

Mail Bag: The Binz-Engleman exit ramp, Transguide cameras, Displaced Left Turns and more

Any word on when the Transguide cameras at Loop 1604 and Stone Oak/Huebner/NW Military will be brought back online? I was really glad when these cameras were installed, since the congestion gets pretty bad in that area, but they've been down for several months now.
P.S. Thanks for all the great updates recently! Y'all are on a roll.
- Chris
Glad you like what we're doing - we're excited about the fiber optic wire and the wireless cameras going into our equipment and what that upgrade means to the system.
These cameras are actually a priority item for our guys at Transguide. The ITS pole controlling those cameras was hit by lightning back in April, destroying the radio transmitter and several other equipment items. We also lost a link in our wireless communications chain in the process.
We've ordered the surge suppressor which (hopefully) will arrive in the next several days. We're working to get the cables all inspected for lightning damage as well - it's a process! We hope to have things up and running again shortly.

Regarding the Loop1604 N-Bandera Rd area, I saw in the TIP a displaced left turn at that intersection - expect funding soon? Braun Rd/Bandera to 1604 eligible for state funding or identified future project. I asked COSA TCI and they are not aware of any project.
- Edward
Great questions. A couple of answers.

We'll talk first of the DLT (Displaced Left Turn) we're doing at the intersection of Bandera Road and Loop 1604. That's a project we should put out for bids next month. The $6.5 million project is something you'll see us post more about here in the next few weeks as we look to push the message of what a DLT does and  how it will help congestion at this location. By the way, this isn't the only location we're eyeing for a DLT; other candidate intersections include Culebra Road at Lp 1604, where we have growing significant issues with congestion and limited options due to the tight spaces out there.
As for improvements along Bandera between Braun Road and Loop 1604 ... we're still working toward that. We want to do something that makes sense and addresses the major needs of the Bandera Road corridor (now a top-10 spot in the area in terms of congestion woes), and we cannot do that without working on the entire corridor between I-410 and Lp 1604. We're hoping, right now, to get something going by 2022 - a date that can easily be changed in the TIP as our stakeholders can find a proper solution and we identify proper funding.
Whatever we do along Bandera, it'll focus on multimodal solutions.

Recently Exit 30 on the southbound lanes of Loop 410 was closed after the opening of the new right-hand exit from southbound I-35. I work in the Macro Prologis business park and now all the businesses on the east side of Loop 410 have to make protracted detours to get to our work destinations.
There seems to be no urgency by the contractor to open the exit or to even provide a temporary exit ramp for this area. Any idea when that exit ramp will be reopened?
- Ed
We are working on it, Ed ... some of the work is weather-dependent and we've had some logistical challenges thrown our way.
The ramp was closed because the elevation of the new direct connector (southbound I-35 to southbound I-410) didn't match the elevation of the existing Binz-Engleman exit ramp. We knew that'd be the case when we went in there, and it's something our communications team missed when we put forward info on the weekend closures that put the new connector into service.
Bottom line: we should have that ramp (exit 30) back in action next month. In the interim, the best route to take would be southbound I-35 exit to George Beach, turn left at George Beach and again onto the northbound frontage road. Follow the frontage road around the hairpin turn and that should get you where you need to go. Take a look at the route here.

Just wanted to say thanks for getting those signs up at the Shin Oak Park and Ride! The commercial vehicles are gone. I appreciate not having to look at a "truck stop" anymore when I drive by!
- Steven
Happy to help, Steven! Thanks for reaching out on the topic and letting us know of the issue.

I wrote in previously about the barrier at the 1604 Bandera Rd northbound exit and how it has been repeatedly destroyed since it was first installed. The answer I got was that people are distracted and need to pay better attention. I completely agree. Another person later wrote in that these distracted people should have to pay to fix barriers/guardrails. Again, I completely agree and I’m glad TxDOT has a process in place to seek reimbursement for such repairs.
What I’m asking is if there is someone at TxDOT who looks at high recurrence accident locations to see what might be done to help save life and property. I’m certainly no expert, but the way the exit lane is striped at the northbound Bandera exit off 1604 seems to point cars directly at the barrier. People hit it because they are not paying close enough attention and they should pay to get it fixed - got it - but if the discussion stops there, an opportunity is missed. All I’m asking for is some TxDOT engineer to take a really good look at the off-ramp trajectory and consider if re-striping it might help drivers (distracted or otherwise) better avoid the barrier. For the possibility of fewer accidents, fewer TxDOT repairs, and less work chasing reimbursements, it’s worth a look.
- Bob
Well, you'll get no argument out of us, Bob.
When areas are riddled with crashes we do evaluate the road and see what, if anything, can be done to improve the situation. This is generally prompted by abnormal volumes of work orders to clean up or repair things like crash attenuators, which means we've got an idea as to the frequency of crashes at any given location.
We won't wait for the work orders to pile up here, though, Bob. Our communications team has a note to our traffic operations folks to look at this location again. They'll address the issue as appropriate and keep an eye out there on it.

Another expansion on Lp 1604 to be discussed

It's not on the northside, nor on the far west side. That doesn't mean we're not paying attention, though.
There's this seven-mile stretch between US 281 and Elmendorf that's currently a two-lane country highway we need to expand to improve safety and prepare for increased capacity.

We need your insights to make this happen effectively. We'll be hosting an open house tonight between 5:30 and 7:30 at the Southside High School cafeteria. You'll need to be there to check out our design and the features involved with this expansion. You'll also get to visit with the engineers designing the project. They'll have notepads ready for your comments regarding their plans.
Here's a snapshot of what we've got on deck:

• Expanding Lp 1604 to a four-lane divided highway
• Add pedestrian accommodations at various select locations
• No additional right-of-way acquired for this work

This is your chance to influence the design of this project - if you're one of those who live, work or play in this area, be sure to come out and see us!

Mail Bag: Lots of 1604 questions, 410-151, frontage roads and more

On Loop 1604 South between Wiseman and Potranco, there is only one left turn lane onto Wiseman heading east and Potranco heading east. Can you make the middle lane a left turn/ straight ahead option lane? There is a big backup on 1604 because there is only one left turn lane onto the these two streets.

- Jaime
The short answer to your question ... is no, we can't make that left through lane an optional left/through lane.

But we're not always about brevity here. We like to explain things, and you're here because you want to hear (ahem, read) what we have to say. Right?

The biggest reason for not going with the optional left-through lane (which do exist on Wiseman and on Potranco, by the way) is signal phasing. There's a whole manual for this (which you can read, if you want). These intersections are currently five-phase intersections, meaning the signals change five times each cycle. It works to maximize the flow of traffic in all directions. The five phases are:

1. Southbound Lp 1604 (with left turn)
2. Southbound and Northbound Lp 1604 (no left turns)
3. Northbound Lp 1604 (with left turn)
4. Eastbound Wiseman/Potranco (with left turns)
5. Westbound Wiseman/Potranco (with left turns)

The cross streets have that optional left-turn lane ... the major street does not. That's by design! If we were to add the optional lanes to Loop 1604, we'd have some issues and you'd actually see greater delays. Here's why:

1. Southbound Lp 1604 only
2. Northbound Lp 1604 only
3. Eastbound cross street
4. Westbound cross street

By doing this you're lacking the major traffic movement with this arrangement - that extra phase of traffic where the through traffic is allowed to flow through the intersection. Sure, by just looking at things we'd only have four phases ... but that means you're looking at 20-30 fewer seconds given to that through traffic for each cycle. That traffic would instead simply stack up on queues on the main lanes, bogging down traffic on Lp 1604 even more.

That's why we don't do an optional left-turn lane on any location comparable to Loop 1604 here (think of Loop 337 in New Braunfels or Northwest Military at Wurzbach Parkway).

Here's the good news: you may have noticed we're working on the overpasses at Wiseman, NW Military and Potranco. It'll take some time to get to where those overpasses are in use, but they are your long-term solution. By the way, when we have those overpasses in we'll be able to employ your suggestion and move to a four-phase cycle (which is standard for expressway intersections).

One issue that seems to be ignored is the lack of a good connection for people leaving AR wanting to head north on 1604. The best way now is Wiseman, out the "back" of the area, although it is generally backed up at rush hour.
It appears to me that a simple clover, eastbound just pass the overpass, onto 1604 headed north, would solve the problem. There doesn't appear to be any right-of-way issue, when might this project be put in place?
- Richard
The issue wasn't ignored at all; the current strategy is to route traffic down to Wiseman like you're doing today. When the project was studied and designed the demand (and projected demand) for that move wasn't very high. Remember these plans go back over seven years, so a lot of what you're seeing now wasn't known of during those plans.
Once we were ready for construction, financial constraints kept us from adding more features to the project (and bridge work is really expensive).
The current option will improve dramatically when the overpass at Wiseman is constructed and, as you know, we're working on that now. When that's done (the project is set to wrap up in 2019) we'll take a new look at traffic movements to determine needed improvements in the future.


You posted some information on your blog sometime around October 2015 regarding a lane being eliminated on the frontage roads of the I-410 just north of TX-151 due to construction work. It said that work would be completed around 2017. I know there is still construction work going on around this area, however I would like to know if this lane elimination is still there or if it has been lifted. I have also pasted in the information that was shown on the blog. Thank You.
- Jay
Those frontage road lanes is still eliminated, and we're still working to fill the promise of having that lane reopened this year. That will happen when we've got the new ramps finished - a task on this project that's prioritized right now. The closures are designed to help crews widen the frontage roads and the main lanes, fitting them to new ramp configurations that are being pushed to be in place this summer (if all goes well).


Why is there no plan for an east bound exit for Boerne Stage Road? Everyone going to HEB or Walmart has to sit through the Ralph Fair stop light. I'm not surprised the bridge needed expansion but a lot of that was due to two streets worth of traffic forced to go through the same exit and light.
Could you please let me know why this is the plan?
- Reid
Right now it's really a matter of geometry. You're familiar with the area; you know the on-ramp from Ralph Fair Road (which gets more than its fair share of use) takes up most of the space between Ralph Fair Road and Leon Creek. Yes, there's a big gap between Ralph Fair Road and that on-ramp, but that's filled by the auxiliary lane allowing turnaround traffic to blend with traffic off the bridge - preventing us from moving that entrance ramp anywhere.
Those unfamiliar with what's going on out there can check out our schematic of the area here.
It's a tough situation, for sure - but not one that has been taken lightly by our folks at all. The situation will likely improve for you when we convert that frontage road between Old Fredericksburg Road and Ralph Fair Road to one-way; it'll open up some capacity along the frontage road and improve the signal operations a bunch.


We are new to the area and keep hearing rumors about SH 211 extending to Culebra. I saw something that there is a project out there that has been on and off for years. Is there anything in the future for this effort?
- Matthew
This is a discussion that's been had by the Alamo Area MPO, Bexar County and us quite a bit over the last several years. The effort is currently in the hands of Bexar County. They have information posted online here.


Bitters Road between Blanco and 281 is down to two lanes and it is a nightmare for traffic, particularly for parents and school buses who have to use Bitters to reach Hidden Forest Elementary. I have not seen any public notice about the scope of this project, although there has been intermittent resurfacing on parts of the road. What's going on right now and how long is it going to take?
- Haley
Haley wrote this in a few weeks ago. The work to which she referred was being done by the city of San Antonio.
Y'all, we know it can be confusing regarding who is in charge of what road. Heck, we get it wrong from time to time. A good rule of thumb: if it has an FM (Farm-to-Market) road designation, it's a TxDOT road. These designations feature the big white boxes with black numbers you'll see on the large green directional signs when you're running down the Interstate highways. If it doesn't have that designation, it's not ours.
If it's not ours and it's in the city limits, it belongs to the city of San Antonio. If it's beyond city limits, it goes to Bexar County Public Works.
It's tough to keep straight for us all, but we try to manage. We have cheat sheets that help, too!
All that said, the city had responded to others asking similar questions and should have had the issue resolved a while ago.


So since the new on ramp has opened on 1604 and Bandera headed west, I've seen many, many people leave the Stonefield Place street and interrupt traffic to get on the highway. The street is passed the entrance ramp so they have to drive up and cross over the 3 lanes to get on. I've seen people almost get hit several times in the last week alone. Any way something could be done to alleviate this?
- Leah

Don't let this be your commute. Be safe. Drive smart.

Unfortunately there aren't a lot of options to deal effectively with these very rude, very selfish, very dangerous drivers. And that's what they are - rude, selfish and dangerous. They are putting their own wants ahead of the safety of all of us on the road, aren't they?
Sadly, Leah, this is a driving behavior displayed all over the city. What's more, it's not even against the law (as Texas Highwayman points out) in Texas, though it is elsewhere. Here it's just an obnoxious lane change. Just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, though, and this sort of mentality has simply got to be eradicated. At this location specifically, going through that signal at Bandera only takes a few extra minutes and could extend life expectancy of they motorist by years. Decades, even. That's a heck of a return-on-investment!

We design and build the roads and include with our building a set of instructions (pavement markings, highway signs...). When those instructions are not followed, the results are almost always disastrous.
Update: Looking at this location a second time based on feedback from Texas Highwayman, we need to point out this movement is, in fact, an illegal movement. Coming out of Stonefield to get to the entrance ramp to northbound/eastbound Loop 1604 means crossing the "gore", which is absolutely illegal. And unsafe. And selfish. And reckless. And everything we mentioned above.
We can try to install some sort of barrier to stop this - like the Tuff Curb and delineator paddles we're planning to put in on Alamo Ranch Parkway near Westwood Loop, but this shouldn't be a necessary strategy.
Let us be clear: this reckless, dangerous, selfish, childish, rushed and illegal driving behavior exists all over San Antonio. We stripe the roadway to let folks know this is unacceptable, but are criticized because drivers completely ignore the striping. This leads to pressure to put up these positive barriers - which we can absolutely do, when needed - at a higher cost to you, the taxpayer, and at an absurd cost to repair, replace and maintain as we go. To see what we mean, take a look at US 281 north of Loop 1604, where we've installed these curbs and paddles to stop selfish and disrespectful drivers from doing the same thing up there. We've had to replace those paddles routinely, as drivers ignore them and figure the damage to their own car is minimal, so they simply drive over them.
Installing a small concrete curb isn't an option, either - those are only to be used on roads with posted practical speeds under 45 miles per hour. The frontage road here is now posted at 50, and drivers are often exceeding that posted limit.
This gets us to the point of actual solutions for you, Leah. Option one: tell your neighbors to stop being so dang selfish, rude, dangerous, reckless, careless and more. Option two: encourage your local law enforcement agencies to up the enforcement on this maneuver, writing tickets for those who do it.
In the interim, we'll pass along some comments on this issue to our engineers for a fix.

Any idea when construction to widen Loop 1604 from I-10 to FM 1346 might begin? Thanks!
- Todd
Right now that's included in our long-range wish list and is penciled in for the year 2020. To be honest, that mark will likely move - it's placed on the list for the year 2020 so it's considered and scored for prioritization. We are working on it, but at the moment we have other demands to fill.

Mail Bag: Loop 1604, Bandera Rd, I-35, I-10, Hwy 46

So ... we recently re-discovered a number of questions that were sitting un-answered in our blog post drafts list for well over a month. Without any further ado, here are the answers.

Are there any plans on reducing congestion on 1604 around Bandera? There are just way too many vehicles during morning and evening commute times that make getting to or from I-10 a 30-plus minute ordeal.
- Rudy
In a word, yes. However, we're still quite a while away from getting to anything. The real traffic issues here are the ramp configurations at both ends. On one side you have some capacity issues amplified by the cloverleaf intersection. On the other you have traffic slowing and backing up onto the highway main lanes because the ramp is near the cross road.
First there's the issue of that intersection of Loop 1604 and I-10. This whole issue is being taken up by the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which determines our strategic approach to transportation planning in the region, and the Alamo RMA (they're the lead agency on Loop 1604, actually).
At this point a lot of stuff is still up in the air, but we're estimating a cost of about $575 million to add two managed lanes in each direction between Bandera Road and US 281. Right now this is listed in our Project Tracker as something we'll get after early 2020 - but all that really means at this point is we've got it on our radar and we're working to make it happen, but it's currently unfunded.
The cloverleaf issue will partially be addressed with direct connectors running from managed lanes of Loop 1604 to managed lanes on I-10. the current $85 million project on our list addresses traffic outside Loop 1604 but won't help those headed from, say, Bandera Road to the USAA complex.
Again, right now we're still in the planning stages of all this, working out configurations and funding sources and all sorts of stuff. But it is on our radar!
As for that evening commute headed through Bandera ... that's a solve we're looking into as a part of potential stop-gap measures between now and the managed lanes projects. For that westbound movement to Bandera, a simple ramp reversal project - where we swap the entrance and exit ramps between Hausman and Bandera roads - could work wonders. This is something we're just looking into as a possibility to do in the nearer term, and we do not have details yet.
We do not yet have schematics or drawings for any of these jobs we're ready to make public.

What is the status of the re-do of the environmental survey required for expanding 1604 from I-35 to Bandera Rd? When can we expect to see this much needed project get started. I have a one hour commute home daily from Stone Oak to the Fair Oaks area, with most of the congestion on 1604 west bound.
- Peter
Simply put, the environmental survey is on hold at the moment. The Alamo Regional Mobility Authority is the lead agency on this, and they are waiting to identify a viable finance plan (see above) before they invest again in the environmental documents process.

I noticed construction going on at I-35/North New Braunfels. Are there plans to widen the North New Braunfels bridge over I-35?
- William
We're not just widening the bridge, William, we're totally replacing it. A major closure of I-35 a couple of weeks ago really got this kicked off. Right now we've got one lane of traffic in each direction on the bridge while crews replace the first half; we'll go into a second phase in a few months where we'll swap traffic over and finish the job. Bottom line: we'll be wrapping up this project by early 2018.
By the way, the new bridge will look a lot fancier. It's designed to look more like the Walters bridge, which should improve the aesthetics of the area.

When will construction begin on the north overpasses (connectors) of 1604 and 281?.
- Jose
This year! We're working to plan our ground-breaking ceremony (spoiler: the governor will come down for this!) in the early spring. We're receiving bids in February and should be underway around the end of the school year.
This project includes the expansion of US 281 between Loop 1604 and Stone Oak Parkway.

I noticed construction zone signage in place on State Hwy 46 just east of the Boerne city limits. What type of project is planned?
- Mark
A project that's not in San Antonio? You don't say! We have a lot of projects out of the metro area, and this is one of them. It's a pretty up-front job out there; we're adding passing lanes at strategic locations between Boerne city limits and the Kendall-Comal county line. This is a project we just got going with and we still have plenty to go; expect to see completion in 2018.

I've read about the zipper merge and how some states are 'retraining' their drivers to use it. I think TxDOT should do a retraining campaign. This is great info and more people need to see it. I, too, thought it was rude to go to the front of the line. But it's a good thing.
- Carolyn
We're working on one! You've likely seen our post on the zipper merge already. Share it with friends! We are working with our friends in Austin to begin state-wide awareness campaigns. The zipper works!

Question: Are you really not going to make I-10 a three-lane road each way? This is ridiculous or just job preservation (built-in functional obsolescence). You have everything set-up to make it a three-lane road, but won't. Why? It's going to cost so much more to do it in two or three years. I don't expect you to respond, but I just had to mention this.
- John
Our notes remind us, John, you're talking about the I-10 work between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway that's going right now. That project adds an overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road and converts the frontage roads to one-way.
No, we're not adding any lanes. Really, really.
Why not? A couple of reasons. First, money. We simply don't have it in the budget at the moment. We also don't have the environmental clearance to do that yet.
Now, we do have clearance to add lanes (making a total of four in each way) between La Cantera Parkway and Ralph Fair Road. That's set to start later this year (likely mid- to late-summer).