5 Tips for a Safe Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and the Lone Star State’s highways will soon be packed with travelers in search of turkey and that perfect piece of pumpkin pie.

While roadways are expected to be busy, travel experts predict a drop in travel due to COVID. According to AAA Texas, approximately 4 million Texans will hit the highways. That’s down almost 5% from last year. Health experts advise not traveling due to the current health pandemic. If you’re one of those who do plan on traveling for the Thanksgiving Holiday, here are some tips to help make your trip a safe one.

Prepare Yourself. Are there any restrictions at your planned destination? Check with local authorities to see what you can and can’t do. Make sure to be ready to follow any local health guidelines. If you are planning to stay with relatives it is critical to make sure you are healthy and take precautions to protect your family members. If you are staying at a hotel, ensure it follows health guidelines and requirements.

Plan Your Route. Consider taking the road less traveled. The interstates will be the heaviest traveled roadways, but Texas’ backroads have some of the greatest scenery in America. Taking those backroads may take you a bit longer to reach your destination. However, it’s a great way to make family memories, keep you off the busy highways, and lower your stress behind the wheel.

Leave Early. There’s a good chance the rush to that Thanksgiving dinner will be bigger than a Texas longhorn stampede. Wednesday afternoon is expected to be the busiest time on the highway. Consider leaving for your destination early. You’ll be relaxing with family and friends while others are still stuck in traffic.

Take a Break. Driving fatigued is one of the biggest causes of wrecks. Add stress and holiday traffic to the mix and the chance for a serious wreck increases. Help lower that chance by taking frequent breaks. TxDOT has 80 Safety Rest Areas across the state. Each is designed to provide you a place to stop and take a break. A simple 15-minute safety break could save your life.

Be Safe. Drive defensively and keep your head when other drivers lose their cool. Follow the rules of the road and watch out for the other driver. Don’t tailgate and watch your speed. Clear thinking can avoid a wreck. Finally, stay off the phone and never drink and drive.

TxDOT is putting most highway construction on hold for the holiday. However, it is still a good idea to be prepared for any type of emergency road work. Crews are ready to keep your roads and highways safe. If you see them working during your Thanksgiving Weekend trip, it’s a good chance they’re fixing an urgent problem. Make yours and theirs a great Thanksgiving!

Mail Bag: A whole lot of I-10 stuff, FM 1103 at I-35, US 281 at the Guadalupe River

I'm curious about some of the project dates on this web site. On the Upcoming Projects page, the project to build the bridge over I-10 at Balcones Creek Road and convert the frontage roads to one-way between Fair Oaks Parkway and the Bexar-Kendall county line is scheduled to start in 2018. The project to expand the US 87 and TX 46 bridges over I-10 and convert the frontage roads to one-way between Scenic Loop Road and TX 46 is also scheduled to start in 2018.
However, the project to convert the frontage roads to one-way between Scenic Loop Road and the Bexar-Kendall county line is shown as starting in 2026. Is that a mistake, or will the other projects actually take 8 years to complete before this project is required?
Also, can you share an estimated completion date for the Fair Oaks Parkway bridge over I-10?
- Lee
Those dates are drawn from our project tracker, which pulls from our Unified Transportation Program. The UTP is updated every year and gives a comprehensive look at our 5- and 10-year plans. The middle segment, between Scenic Loop Road and the Bexar-Kendall county line, is placed last on the list of segments to be finished for one-way frontage roads conversion due to budgeting constraints. We'll start before 2026 if we can secure the funds to do so.
Each of those projects, which will often move forward concurrently, will take about three years to finish (that's a generic time range for reference; each project has its own timeframe).
As for the completion of the Fair Oaks Parkway bridge over I-10, RELMCo Inc. is on pace to have that wrapped up this summer. That's summer 2018. As in just a few months from now.


First of all, thanks for the great work you do with the mailbag. It’s always a fun - and informative - read!
I’ve been curious about the use of panels on Wurzbach Parkway over Blanco Road. These are the green wall-like structures that prevent drivers on Wurzbach Pkwy from looking down onto Blanco. To put it simply: what purpose do they serve?
Similar overpasses of the Parkway over West Ave., Jones Maltsberger, Nacogdoches, and Perrin-Beitel don’t have these panels. What’s special about Blanco?
- Juan
First of all, thank you and you're welcome!

Those panels are visual barriers, preventing the headlights of evening drivers from peering into apartment windows immediately adjacent to Wurzbach Parkway right there. It also maintains some semblance of privacy for the residents. You should find similar visual barriers along the eastbound lanes of Wurzbach Parkway over Perrin-Beitel.
While there is an apartment complex at the corner of West Avenue and Wurzbach, it is set far enough back from the highway and is separated from the parkway with a strip of trees. These natural barriers eliminate the need for the visual barrier panels you're seeing at Blanco.


Who is responsible for the timing of the signals on Hausman at 1604? In both directions the signal on the near side of 1604 turns green at the same time as the signal on the far side.
- Jim
Those signals are timed by the city of San Antonio. We'll reach out to our friends there to ask they take a look at the issue.


Thank you for the post about speed limits on I-10. I think I am the only one driving 60 mph and cars ride my bumper and pass me like crazy. Please add more speed limit signs and the LED reader boards. Thank you.
- Beth
We're happy to do what we can to improve the safety along any highway corridor. We'll take a look at this and other corridors and see if there are any additional signs we can add to improve awareness of the speed limits. That said, what typically helps the most in this area is enforcement of the speed limit, which we understand will be increasing as work continues to move forward.


With the bridge replacement project on I-35 at FM 1103, we know that the turn around lanes have been added to the original project. The last we had heard the move of the exits IS NOT included on this project. The northbound 35 exit to 1103 is already too close to 1103 and adding the turnaround lane will compound that issue. Have the plans changed to address the exits or what will it take to prevent the inevitable crashes that will happen frequently on a short exit with turnaround lanes?
- Jeff

The turnarounds were included with the project when it bid and were part of the actual design of the project. They may not have been part of the package presented in public meetings but were certainly part of the plans when we got bids from contractors.
The distance between the end of the ramp and the start of the intersection, heading north, is about 600 feet. We actually have design standards giving us the desired distance at an intersection like this. The total volume of the frontage road and the ramp is less than 2,500 vehicles per hour. The total traffic volume of FM 1103 at this location is just a shave higher than 750 vehicles per hour. We have three or more lanes for traffic to weave between the ramp and the intersection.

As you can see, Table 3-16 shows we like to have at least 460 feet between the end of the ramp and the intersection at a location like this. We have about 600 feet, exceeding by more than 30 percent the design requirements for an approach like this.
Knowing we've exceeded the design criteria as we have, we are confident this location will continue to be a safe intersection enjoyed by all.


Is there any plan to go back between Huebner and DeZavala to add an entrance to I-10 west? The only entrance that is left is very dangerous with all the traffic from the Huebner area merging with the Fredericksburg road traffic to merge to get onto I-10 west then merge with all the traffic getting off at UTSA Blvd.
- Max
The short answer here, Max, is no. The distances involved out there are beyond adequate to handle what we've got, and since we've had the current configuration in place (it's been a few years) we've seen no crash data to suggest any real hazard. It's actually in line with the standard used across the country. Adding another entrance to westbound I-10 would be redundant and actually create hazards.
If you don't remember the way the road was configured prior to the project in 2012 that built I-10 between Huebner and Lp 1604 as you know it today, we actually had two on ramps from Huebner Road. We eliminated one as a way to improve safety, and that safety enhancing configuration is the one you're seeing today.


I am still wondering about the I-10 project from Ralph Fair to fair oaks Ranch. According to the info provided at the open house the schedule for this project was:

• Begin Construction ― I-10 improvements (frontage road conversion, ramp reversals, and Old Fredericksburg Rd / Buckskin Dr overpass): Fall of 2015
• Fair Oaks Pkwy Bridge: Fall of 2016
• Construction time ― I-10 improvements: Approximately 2 Years
• Construction time ― Fair Oaks Pkwy Bridge: Approximately 1 Year

That indicates that the I-10 improvements was to run from Fall 2015 2 years to Fall 2017. It is now early Spring 2018 and this project is several months from being done. It appears to me the contractor under-resourced this project from the start.
What happened? Weather can not be blamed for all this delay. What is a realistic completion date now?
-Bob
Bob, we're glad you asked. First off, timetables given at those open house meetings are based on best engineering guesses with the plans not fully fleshed out. When you got these dates we didn't have full plan sheets drawn out and the target timeframes were goals to be met.
We began work on the I-10 improvements late March 2016 - a six-month delay from our intended start date due to some utility conflicts in the area - with a timeline of just over two years. We still have a few months from time expiring on the contract. If work isn't complete at that point we'll charge liquidated damages for each day the project continues beyond the contracted completion date. While we don't decide for the contractor the resources they ought to commit to a project, the consequence at the end of the job is, essentially, the contractor working for free (which is bad business for any private business).
By the way, the Fair Oaks Parkway bridge project began early 2017 with an 18-month schedule. We are currently on track to finish before the end of the school year, which is actually a bit ahead of the contract requirement.
One last thing: You'll recall in the open house we discussed totally closing the bridge and having it built in one piece to meet that construction timeline of a year. That plan was scrapped at the behest of those attending the open house who didn't like the idea of eliminating access to the bridge long-term. We were clear at the time the requested construction process would about double the duration of the project.


What is the estimated time to completion for the work at US 281 and the Guadalupe river? Also, what is being done? Thanks.
- John
This is a project that's really run under the radar, despite being a fairly major project up in Comal County. Thanks for bringing it out for us, John.
We are updating the southbound bridge deck over the Guadalupe River. That means a new bridge deck, new bridge rail (replacing the steel barrier with concrete barrier), cleaning up the bridge structure and the like. We've also recently added some pavement repair to the scope of work on the project.
All told work should be finished next summer (that is, Summer 2019). Between now and then you'll see a variety of traffic shifts. As those happen we'll do our best to get them posted here.

A letter from a reader on drunk driving

One of our readers submitted the following letter, which we are publishing without any edits.
It's against the law for us to advocate for or against legislation of any kind. With matters such as this it's our position at TxDOT that a single drink in an evening is too much for an individual planning to drive, as it would potentially take hours for that alcohol to work its way out of the system. This is why we spend so much effort educating folks on the value of having a person appointed to stay sober for the ride home after an evening out.
By the way, we feel the same way about distracted driving - which has become an epidemic among drivers across the nation.
While we believe the lede of a recent Express-News article about record-levels of alcohol consumed in San Antonio was intended to be satirical, the article was published without further commentary to clarify that point. The letter sent to us was intended as a reader response to the article:


Along with several other readers, I am also disturbed by the media praising San Antonio alcohol sales. A recent Express-News article begins: "Congratulations, San Antonio: you drank more than $600 million worth of alcohol in 2017." Is this fact something to be proud of? Then in another section of the paper I read about a wrong way drunk driver killing people. Local TV news also brags about SA's alcohol sales. What is wrong with this picture?
My wife and I moved to this area a few years ago from Albuquerque. New Mexico has had DWI checkpoints for many years. They are very effective. A few years ago a 52 year old state district judge was stopped during the beginning of a Memorial Day holiday. He appeared in an orange jumpsuit on the TV news that evening, and ended up losing his career. That sent a real message to people who might have considered drinking and driving. I cannot understand why Texas thinks these checkpoints are a violation of our freedom when cellphone use while driving is not. Drunk drivers are probably worse.
Our legislators must wake up and our news media must stop glamorizing alcohol sales.

- David Herron, Boerne

Mail Bag: I-10 frontage roads at Old Fred, signal timing, enforcement and more

Can you please explain the multiple construction delays that have occurred at Old Fredericksburg Rd and I-10 frontage Road. It was closed in October and targeted for December and had been delayed now for the 3rd time to March! How does this now take 6 months to add drainage?! Yes we’ve had rain, ice, and snow days but not for 4 months straight. This detour has been a major pain to get around for those that live in neighborhoods off the frontage roads.
- Christina
Please clarify how 4-6 days of inclement weather would cause a completion date to be extended over 90 days? Original completion was to be Dec 23.
- Vicky
We'll pull no punches here. We went directly to the contractor to find out what is going on and to let them know of the danger they're in of having their reputation in the public harmed.
Back in December Sundt's area director said they were going to work hard to get the road reopened to two-way traffic. At that time the items to get constructed before the frontage road could be reopened included a culvert and headwall, dirt work to develop the two roadway lanes and laying asphalt, curb and sidewalk. That road surface was to be wide enough for barrier so they could continue to work on a retaining wall.
At the time Sundt said they could get all that done in about 5-6 weeks, not including the mandatory break over Christmas. After adding the likelihood of inclement weather their assessment showed a completion of mid- to late-February.

So much for that idea. Here's what they said mid-February in an email update:
"Obviously, we did not make the second or third week in February to open up the westbound frontage road. We left the (storm water detention) pond construction out of the prior list on what needs to be done before the paving can go in. The access is really tight as well for the wall construction."
These are the two biggest reasons they're giving us for the delay. The lesson we're learning on our end is the need for milestones on work like this; we left the milestone off during planning as a judgment call believing the intersection would be built quickly as it was broken into quadrants. That omission won't happen in the future.
As for now, Sundt is working on that retaining wall and the pond, as well as the culvert that was being built. They have brought in two additional concrete crews to get the concrete work moving faster. Pavement work needs to wait a bit for dry weather as well as these other tasks to wrap up.
From Sundt's area manager: "We are making this corner of the intersection a priority on the job, but there is just a lot to take care of."
At the time of the email update we got a rough estimate on when Sundt would have things wrapped up. In that note they estimated:

• Retaining wall, three more weeks
• Concrete pads lining the pond, two more weeks
• Concrete channel for the box culvert, two more weeks
• Road grading and asphalt work, two weeks (cannot begin until wall and pond are finished)
• Concrete curb, sidewalks and island, two weeks (cannot start until after the road grading and asphalt work is done)
• Best-case scenario is to get two-way traffic reopened by March 21

Sundt isn't making the corner a priority just for fun, either. At this point they need to finish in order to do other work. As soon as they have that southeast corner of the future intersection of Old Fredericksburg Road and I-10 reopened they'll flip over to the northwest side. They'll then work around to the northeast and then the southwest quadrants. If that sounds painful, here's some assurance from that same area manager:

"These other three quadrants will go much quicker due to roadway pavement reconstruction being the only aspect of work to be done in these areas."

That is, they only have the actual roadway to mess with in the other quadrants - not a ton of drain structures.

Once the intersection is built Sundt will go to work on the new exit and entrance ramps, which need to be in place before we can switch traffic to one-way.

What do orange flags on top of stop sign mean? Thanks

- Anthony
Those are actually there just to make the sign more visible. Check out section 2A.15 in our Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices online.


Who is responsible for signal light timing on Loop 1604 near Randolph AFB between Hanover Cove and Lower Seguin Rd? It seems as though the lights are perfectly timed to make you stop at each intersection, almost without fail.
Synchronizing the lights would really help to alleviate traffic buildups here.
- Marshall
Thanks for bringing this issue up, Marshall. Those signals should be ours to time. Keep in mind they're not on a true timer - those days are over. We use instead a video infrared vehicle detection system (VIVD) on those signals, which act as smart devices to trigger the signals when a prescribed volume of traffic hits the intersection from a given direction.
We'll have our traffic operations folks check out those signals to make sure they're operating the way they should.


Just wondering whether anyone enforces the "no trucks in left lane" signs on I-35 north of 1604 through New Braunfels? I drive that section daily and see a truck using the lane at least once a week, sometimes even blocking traffic or cutting off cars. Do you have more information on the purpose of those signs? Thanks for all of your posts!
- John
On any major highway the left lane is primarily for passing. Where semi truck traffic is typically 5-10 miles per hour slower than the rest of the traffic, those trucks shouldn't be in that left lane at all.
Within city limits we can post those. You'll note they are white signs with black writing - regulatory signs. Enforcement is entirely up to the police department patrolling those roads. In the case you're describing, that would be New Braunfels Police Department or the Department of Public Safety (Comal County Sherriff has authority to patrol there, but they don't do it often in an effort to put their resources in areas not covered by the city police or by DPS).
If that doesn't answer the question, let us know and we'll give it a bigger crack!

THANK YOU! To the person(s) who had the idea, and to the person(s) who went out to westbound I-10 (before the Dominion Drive exit) and put a speed reader monitor.
Driving that part of I-10 is frustrating, and disappointing, with the speeders. With reconstruction, no shoulder, and barriers ... the speeding got horrible. Not anymore! People are slowing down! YAY!
- Mercy
We're glad you like those measures! We like to use the speed monitors as safety devices on some of our major projects where highway main lanes are under significant construction, like I-10. We are also using these radar trailers on I-35 near Walzem, and we consider them carefully for each major project as we move through the planning process.

A new victory in the battle against wrong-way drivers

Monday afternoon, just after the lunch hour, a high-priority alert jostled the attention of a pair of engineers and an operator at our TransGuide operations center. Photographs attached to the alert showed a white pickup truck hastily driving the wrong way across the Callaghan Road exit ramp on US Hwy 90.

The alert is part of a new system we are testing to combat the growing problem of wrong-way drivers in San Antonio. Since we joined the San Antonio Police Department to track wrong-way driving incidents in 2011 we've seen an average of more than 460 wrong-way drivers reported on local highways.
You read that correctly. More than 460 wrong-way driver reports per year.

This heat map shows the hot spots of
wrong-way driving activity, 2017

Even more frightening than the frequency of these events is the growing prevalence. In 2013 we saw 381 reported incidents; we had 575 such events reported in 2016. In order for these events to count they must take place on a controlled-access highway, or what most people would call a freeway.

Some of the events work themselves out: the driver realizes the situation and turns around. Some end with handcuffs. Others end in tragedy.

That's how the wrong-way driver reported the morning of March 16, 2011, turned out. Christopher David Baldaramos, who was 31 at the time and on probation for a DWI charge the previous year, was driving north in the southbound lanes of I-35 downtown without headlights. San Antonio Police Officer Stephanie Ann Brown, then just 27, was driving south to answer a call for an officer in trouble and was unaware of Baldaramos. He drove his SUV head-on into Brown's patrol car. Baldaramos was pronounced dead at the scene; Brown died less than an hour later at the hospital.

Within two months a task force was assembled in Brown's honor. Its mission is simple: prevent wrong-way fatalities. Its efforts have garnered nationwide attention. Because of the taskforce's efforts we've installed LED-lit "Wrong Way" signs across the city, making the specialty sign standard for all future highway projects. Public awareness campaigns have launched to combat drunken driving - the leading factor in wrong-way driving incidents. By the end of 2013 special radar-detection systems were installed at select locations along US 281 north of downtown.

Each step taken has led to another. The latest step - installing WrongWayAlert detection systems on a handful of ramps along US Hwy 90 at the start of the year - came when the detection systems along US 281 proved ineffective. The previous systems used a single detection point and would often provide false positives, rendering the system ineffective. It also failed to provide a point of origin for the wrong-way driver, only detecting the threat once it was on the highway.

The new system uses three detection points, triangulating objects being detected to give the system the ability to know precisely when - and where - a wrong-way driver enters the highway.

The moment an issue is spotted WrongWayAlert, a system developed by the company to manufacture the first radar speed signs back in 2001, sends a text message to a dedicated phone a the TransGuide center and issues email alerts to mailboxes we keep open around the clock. Our operator is able to pass the alert along to a police dispatcher sitting less than a dozen feet away while simultaneously finding the culprit on one of more than 200 traffic cameras across the city.

Together the TransGuide operator and the police dispatcher then guide responding officers to the driver to assess the situation and make arrests if needed.

Four ramps, all along US 90 on the city's West Side, have been equipped with the new gear thus far, with another dozen or so planned as we pilot the system. If Monday's ping is an indicator of performance it won't be long before we have WrongWayAlert running across the city.

The truck detected Monday turned out to be a construction vehicle traveling safely through the work zone. The time it spent on the ramp was no more than one or two seconds before it was safely back behind barrier. TransGuide engineer John Gianotti says the detection of this truck was actually remarkable and boosted confidence in the new system. After all, actual wrong-way drivers will be on these ramps a much longer duration (between five and ten seconds) to allow the system to see and create an alert.

Closures impeding Thanksgiving weekend travel?

If you're headed over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house this week the last thing you're going to want to encounter is highway construction.
We feel the same way. The following note was sent to construction supervisors across our district a week ago. This covers all projects in Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Guadalupe, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, McMullen, Wilson and Uvalde counties.

The overall gist of the memo is simple: we should have no planned lane closures on major roads during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, defined as beginning noon Wednesday and ending 10 pm Sunday. This doesn't mean we won't have any work going on, but it does mean that work will be done without needing closures.
During the holiday week both maintenance and construction inspectors will drive through projects to ensure major issues that crop up are dealt with in a timely manner. Things they'll specifically look for are work zone signs, barricade placement and pavement markings.
Before the holiday break comes crews will dress up the project areas as much as is practical.
One thing drivers can expect to see is a continuation of detours for long-term closures, like ramps or other features that have been closed long-term.
If something weird happens through the week our folks in the field will pass word along so we are able to post on our Twitter feed and get that information out there. We know many folks aren't on Twitter, but all major news outlets are and they follow us. If something weird happens, the news outlets will know and will be passing word along to you.
This isn't the only period on our calendar with such closure moratoriums. We'll have a similar prohibition on closures running December 15-January 2. Some minor exceptions may be made, but those are extremely rare.
These closure restrictions are long-running norms for us in the San Antonio District, by the way, and are designed to keep us out of your way during peak seasonal traffic and to allows everyone to stay just a little more safe as we prepare for that extra time with family.
And for those of you traveling beyond our little slice of Texas, check www.drivetexas.org for major closures across the great state of Texas. Please make sure you do not check the DriveTexas maps while driving; that's a job for someone in a passenger seat.

Mail Bag: Ideas from New Mexico and our past; a history question

What retail businesses and restaurants can we expect on 281 N near TPC Parkway?
- Tania
Honestly, Tania, your guess is as good as ours. We can only bet the business corridor will continue to develop up that way the way it has over the last decade-plus.

Why doesn't TxDOT utilize the white canvas shields that block motorists views of construction projects? New Mexico employed these shields when the I-25/I-40 exchange was rebuilt. It minimized the traffic slowdown since motorist were no longer distracted by the construction since they could not see it.
- Vicky
You know, this question intrigued us. We got on the phone and actually called the good folks with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to chat a bit and are happy to share what we found.
First, the only major project NMDOT used these "gawk shields" (their term) was on the "Big I" project - construction of the major interchange of I-25 and I-40 in the heart of Albuquerque back in 2002. These were not widely used, and have not been used since.
Per the NMDOT, the shields were basically two-foot-tall planks of plywood fixed via two-by-fours to the top of concrete barriers along the work zones. While it did create a visual barrier to prevent gawking (thus the name of these shields), they don't comply with current safety regulations as a barricade. Those familiar with working on projects involving federal funding know such violations disqualify a project from receiving federal dollars.
So to answer your question directly, Vicky, we won't be employing Gawk Shields until we can find a way to get them to comply with federal safety standards - and, even then, it appears these shields would be used pretty sparingly.

When was the DeZavala exit closed to combine with the new Woodstone/DeZavala exit?
- Demetrio
Ah, geez, Demetrio. That's really digging into our memory banks!
Looking through posts back in 2014 it seems that happened June (or perhaps July) of 2014. We had a firm schedule for June 19, then had some weather issues that summer that pushed our work to mid-July.
That's the closest we can get through our searches. Hope that helps!

The amber color is difficult to read on the lighted road signs in many cases. Also, when there is a lot of information on the sign, there should be more than one sign (kind of like the old "Burma-Shave" signs) of many years ago where you can read ALL of the information - going too fast to read on one sign as they are now.
- Glenna

Holy smokes - those Burma-Shave signs are old-school! Those are still used by businesses around the country, though we've not used them on our projects for a number of years.
We actually have a standard we have to follow when using our portable changeable message boards. These standards are found in section 6F.60 in the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Particular to your question, we'll look at paragraphs 11-12 and 20-21.
First, we have to keep each panel active at least two seconds (no more than eight) before changing to the next panel. We typically shoot for about four seconds, sometimes five. The lettering is supposed to be visible from about a half-mile in both day and night conditions. That's typically done by adjusting the brightness of the lights. Against the black background on these signs to provide contrast, that's our best practice.
We can use LED message boards - that's allowed, but involves some additional issues - but don't because of the increased cost. Honestly, we simply request a "portable changeable message board" and let the contractor figure out which one makes most economic sense to use.

Mail Bag: Lp 1604, I-10, FM 1103 and safety

I'm trying to find images, drawing or visual representations on how Loop 1604 and Wiseman is supposed to look like after the construction.
- Guy
We have the materials presented at public meetings posted online, including the schematic of the overall project. Enjoy!

Why are so many electronic message boards being erected along I-10? I count five new ones between Boerne and Kerrville.
- Tim
To be honest, Tim, this was the idea of our folks out in San Angelo. They had been using portable message boards during the winter to key in road conditions updates for drivers. The problem: portable message boards require a guy on-site to update the messages.
Dynamic message boards serve as a very effective means to transmit information to drivers. This is particularly true during major weather events when we have highway obstructions we need to advertise in real time.
For those who remember, we had to close I-10 in various places in West Texas due to ice during storms Kronos and Goliath. The closures created a gridlock scenario with some motorists - particularly big rigs - getting stranded. If we had in place a dynamic messaging system (like we are now installing) at the time the situation could have been mitigated by allowing motorists to get off the highway and detour to other locations. That's what we're about here with this effort.
In fact, we're installing about 30 new signs between Boerne and Sheffield. There are talks of adding signs beyond that - perhaps all the way to El Paso. These signs will be connected to our TransGuide base of operations in San Antonio and be available to the folks in the San Angelo District Operations Center.
The whole project costs us about $3 million. That includes the cost of cameras mounted atop these signs, giving us not only messaging capability but a real-time look at highway and traffic conditions at some pretty remote locations. The end product for you will be not unlike the system of mountain pass cameras used in some states, like Washington.
We should have everything installed and ready for use before winter hits us this year.

I keep seeing damage to the cable guard rails in the median between the lanes of I-10 West from San Antonio to Boerne. Are there any studies or statistics on how many head on collisions they may have prevented? How expensive are they to repair when someone "takes advantage of them?"
- Scott
Cable median barriers are relatively new in the American highway scene - they really came into vogue about a decade ago. Prior to using these cable medians no positive barrier was used, or a type of barrier was used carrying burdensome costs. New York was the first to employ the cable barriers and the Federal Highway Administration posted a 2006 paper extolling their virtues. They've since caught on across the country.
The truth is, every location you see damaged cable is a potential fatality averted. Cross-median collisions (when a vehicle travels across the grass median and strikes an oncoming vehicle, most often head-on) are among the most fatal collisions we see on our highways. The aim of these barriers is preventing these.
Cable barrier is way cheaper to install than concrete is, even if the upkeep is slightly more expensive. Some repair costs - about 20 percent - are offset by insurance claims for us locally.
By the way, we spend somewhere around $400,000 each month (not a typo) on guardrail repairs. That figure includes steel guardrail, crash cushions and cables.

In regards to the expansion project between The RIM and Ralph Fair Road starting September 11th, can we get a detailed plan on how you are planning to minimize the amount of traffic that is invariably going to occur for the next 3 years? I agree we need to do the expansion, but hopefully we learned some lessons from the first I-10 expansion from UTSA to Huebner where the traffic was unbearable and accidents were an all-too-common occurrence. For the sake of everyone's sanity during this time, please tell us you've got something figured out to keep the flow of traffic to a non-road-rage inducing level. You could literally spend an hour getting from Huebner to the RIM during those days, and I don't want to have to do the same again getting from the RIM to RFR!
- Gerard
Well, Gerard, the two projects are pretty much apples and oranges. With the I-10 Huebner project we were adding lanes to the outside (right-hand side) of the highway and we did a lot of work on the ramps. That work on the ramps was a large part of the traffic control issues you saw.
There are a slew of variables that make the comparison a poor one, but we'll keep things simple here.
On the project we're doing now a lot of the work will be done on the inside (left-hand side) and we're not closing any ramps (beyond overnight stuff). We are not reconfiguring any ramps. We are not changing your current traffic alignments or reducing capacity at all.
Honestly, this project is really straightforward and we're out of the way for the most part. Will you see slower traffic? Probably - it's a natural byproduct of the orange signs and barrels. We won't complain about that, ourselves; the slower traffic goes through our office, the safer our workplace is and better our odds of returning home safely each day. But more to your point the daily commute shouldn't be impacted negatively too badly through the project. In fact, you'll see some pretty immediate relief with one new lane (we're building two each way) being opened for your use as soon as early 2019.

What is going on with 1103 Bridge Replacement? You reported on August 8th it was beginning that week. Later delayed until September 5th. Now nothing. Is it now being delayed due to Harvey related repairs?
- Jeff
Work on the FM 1103 overpass officially began September 18 and was delayed for a few reasons - Harvey being one of them.
Those of you not named Jeff, this question was posed twice in a four-week span ... once earlier in August and again just after Harvey hit. We had a few issues pushing us back on the start time, including inconvenient weather patterns and some scheduling gaffes. The good news is a delayed start means little to no impact on drivers.
With work now started the clock is ticking, though. We'll have updates available here as they are pertinent.

When will Military Dr W return to its normal lane configuration?
- Mike
When this traffic shift started the plan was to have things back to normal by September 1. Well, we then got hit with some weather issues in August and had some permitting issues with Bexar County. Then Harvey it. Now we're getting rained on.
Long story short, Mike, we're hoping to have things back to normal by Halloween.
We will have to switch it around one more time to match the intersection to the new southbound frontage road - a task currently anticipated for summer of 2018.

I have seen your advocacy of the "zipper" or late merge. I understand in principle why it should be better than early merging, but I think you neglect to take into consideration two factors that work together to make it impractical in practice. First, there is the law that requires merging traffic to yield. Second is human nature, and the specific driving culture of Texas big cities, which is extremely competitive. Trying to get someone to let you over in ANY situation where you need to change lanes is difficult because people just don't want to give up their position or be behind another car. Add to that in zipper merging the perception that the late merger is "cutting" in front of the line (something most of us were taught was rude since preschool) it's a heavily ingrained sociological problem. Blogs and citing studies won't change that, so what else are you going to do to change the driving culture in Texas?
- Mark
That's a great question, Mark. In short we are still having internal discussions about just how far we want to go as a state to promote the move. As our explanatory post points out some states use fixed and digital highway signs and others have launched full-out awareness campaigns. We aren't sure yet whether we're going to jump onto the bandwagon fully or if we're going to simply advance messaging done by others.
We will point out the "me-first" attitude of too many drivers is not exclusive to Texas; it really is global. The Zipper isn't about being first or not cutting, though - it's about taking turns. And that's a behavior about which even Kindergarteners know well.

Could someone look into the signal timing on the I-10 frontage roads at Dominion Drive? The westbound frontage road has extended green lights in the afternoon to handle the large volume of traffic; as appropriate. However, in the morning, the westbound frontage road still has extended green lights to the detriment of the eastbound frontage roads which now have the largest volume of traffic. This seems way out of balance vis-a-vis the traffic flows.
- Dave
You bet, Dave! We'll be happy to look into this issue and ensure the signal is running optimally vis-à-vis your daily commute (and others).

Back to school brings new safety challenges

Most families in the San Antonio area are sending kiddos to back to school today. And, if you're in an area of growth (like the northwest region of San Antonio or Bexar County) it may also be the first day of school for the actual school.
Back to School week always means an increase in traffic - on the roads and on crosswalks. The San Antonio region saw 15 crashes in school zones during 2015 and 683 such crashes state-wide. Most of those crashes were due to driver inattention or speeding.
We do all we can to create a safe route to school zones - on our system or not. We partner with municipalities to develop safe routes and manage traffic. What we cannot do, however, is take the wheel of those doing the actual driving to ensure safety. Since you're the one behind the wheel out there, please keep these major tips in mind:

• Remain alert - school zones are constantly changing with unpredictable kids (and parents driving them)
• Put away your cell phone - use of a cell phone is banned in active school zones to start with, and you really shouldn't be using your cell phone while driving anyway (no matter what)
• Slow down and obey school zone speed limit signs (traffic fines are double in school zones, which are often heavily patrolled by law enforcement)
• Drop off and pick up children in designated areas only
• Pay close attention to kids gathered at bus stops and be alert for those who might dart across the street or between vehicles

If you're a pedestrian, you need to pay attention to a few things as well:

• If walking kids to school, always cross at intersections and designated crosswalks
• Always walk on sidewalks and obey crossing guards
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street - never assume a driver sees you
• Wear a helmet when riding bicycles and follow traffic rules
• Whether driving, walking or riding a bike put the dang phone away and pay close attention to what's happening around you

Don't forget those buses:

• Drivers must stop for flashing red lights on a school bus, regardless of the direction you're driving
• Only continue your trip once the stop lights are turned off or the driver motions you to continue
• Remember passing a school bus when you shouldn't carries a $1,000 fine

The bottom line: just be cool around the school traffic. Be patient and you'll reach your destination just fine.

Mail Bag: Accommodations around Harlan High School

Those living on the far northwest side will see another new high school opened by Northside ISD next week. It's the third such school to open in the last decade by the state's fourth-largest school district - another indication of the rapid growth in the area.

Image from Northside ISD

When Harlan High School opens traffic volumes will certainly surge and some new elements will be introduced. We actually sat down with folks from NISD, Harland High School and Bexar County last month to discuss a host of issues we are already expecting. With that meeting in mind - and the below question - let's discuss what you can expect.

Will you be adding a light or crosswalk on West FM 471 in front of the new Harlan High School opening this year? I've already seen many children running back and forth across this street that is filled with large trucks from the quarry down the street.
- Christine

The big picture
The first thing - and most important thing - we want people to know is we have a traffic signal study planned at the intersection of FM 471 and Cheyenne Pass in September to determine the actual, data-driven need for a signal at this location to accommodate both traffic coming out of the subdivision and the pedestrian traffic you've already started to observe. You can read more about how that warrant study works in a previous post we had about how we determine when and where to install traffic signals.
Right now we actually do not want anyone crossing FM 471 near Harlan High School - we do not have any pedestrian protections and crossing FM 471 at this location is extremely dangerous. Northside ISD will provide buses for students in that community to cut down the potential of kids trying to dart across in front of the heavy trucks cruising through there. We are installing signs to discourage the practice and will rely on law enforcement to keep kids from ignoring these signs.
To recap, here is what we are doing (and what we are not doing):

• We are conducting a traffic signal and pedestrian study in September, once traffic around the school normalizes
• We are working with Northside ISD to post signs prohibiting pedestrian traffic along FM 471 near Harland High School
• We are posting signs with flashing yellow beacons on FM 471 around the high school to encourage drivers to slow down
• We are not ignoring the issue or unaware
• We are not taking the issue lightly, and are thus working closely with school administration and county staff to ensure we're seeing things from all angles

Future pedestrian accommodations
When the county's work on FM 471 is finished (it extends to Old FM 471 - just shy Harlan High School) bike lanes and sidewalks will help pedestrian students get almost all the way to campus. We already have a project on the books to address the issue further and will continue what the county is doing for us all the way out to the Bexar-Medina county line. That project is scheduled to get going in 2021, but we are looking at options to accelerate that plan.

We need traffic signals

As we said before we have a process to determine when and where to install signals. This process is pretty well set in stone and we can't deviate from it. If we do find a location warranting a signal we will begin the process to make that happen. In case people are wondering a typical signalized intersection comes with a $250K price tag. That doesn't keep us from putting in a signal where it's warranted, but it does mean we take greater care to ensure actual need. We've also found installing signals where they're not actually warranted creates congestion and safety problems we want to avoid.
As for the pedestrian need, those warrant standards actually tell us to construct a pedestrian bridge and exercise every other available option before installing a signal to manage a crosswalk. We are following that directive by working with the school district to ensure kids don't have the need to walk across the busy road.

The big takeaway
If you're a resident of the area and do not have a student at Harlan, please realize students will be coming and going from about 6:30 a.m. until after 6 p.m. Extracurricular activities run both before and after normal school hours. It also means you'll be driving through two high school areas on your way to Loop 1604 with Taft High School just down the road. That first two weeks is going to be rough - but not just for you. It's going to be rough for everyone across the county, with hundreds of thousands of kiddos headed to school after being off the last three months.
We know of the need to take a look at the area around Harlan High School, and we're doing just that. We are working with the county and the school district to identify and address issues. We know there are many who may observe some issues and write in or call in - we hope these folks will get this message and know we are already working on solutions. (In fact ... we would ask you to post this to your community's Facebook page or NextDoor thread to ensure the word gets around.) Until the traffic situation normalizes we cannot predict exactly how traffic will behave, and we need to know exactly what we are dealing with to really make the right things happen.

That first week or two, though ... well, traffic patterns should be interesting. We hope residents in the area will realize everyone is working to figure out exactly what route will be best for their family and what happens through the first week of September is certainly not indicative of what you'll see through the duration of the school year.
The bottom line: we are all going to struggle together to figure out the new traffic patterns that come with school. After those first two weeks we will look at the situation around this new school (and others) and determine what, if anything, can be done to address any outstanding issues.
Between now and then, be safe and drive smart! And don't try passing any school buses!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TransGuide saves lives

Armando Rodriguez discovered this wrong-

way driver headed east on the westbound

lanes of I-10 on the city's northwest side

before the driver could cause harm to other

drivers.

At 1:50 a.m. Sunday 18-year TransGuide veteran Mando Rodriguez got word of a wrong-way driver moving east along I-10 near DeZavala Road. After switching between some of the 193 cameras at his disposal around the city he was able to positively locate the offender and alert the San Antonio Police Department, to which he has a direct line.
Officers were able to head off the driver on the left shoulder of westbound I-10 nearly directly over his office at the intersection of I-10 and I-410 and make an arrest. It was the third wrong-way driver Armando has stopped this year, a new personal record.
Mando and his colleagues have now teamed up to stop six wrong-way drivers since January 1 and have caught 61 since staff started keeping track in 2011. Over that same span 69 wrong-way drivers have caused crashes, killing 27 people and seriously hurting another 25.
The goal is to catch one-hundred percent of offenders before they can do the damage. They need your help to reach that goal.

The mission of Transguide
When TransGuide went operational July of 1995 its primary goal was to monitor traffic and provide live traffic updates to drivers through a system of digital message boards. TransGuide was the first Intelligent Transportation System in the great state of Texas (we have 16 statewide now) and detects disruptions in traffic through a system of sensors and cameras, allowing us to get notifications through social and traditional media as well as through our dynamic message boards. Over the years the mission of TransGuide has not changed, but it has embraced new technologies and agency partners.
For instance SAPD has deployed a dispatcher to the Transguide offices over the years, and a dispatcher for towing services remains at the hub around-the-clock.
Among the new technologies being embraced and employed is radar - a detection system alerting TransGuide staff and SAPD of problems early near the downtown area. Beacons surrounding Wrong Way signs have also been added along freeway entrance ramps to catch the attention of those mistakenly using these ramps as on-ramps.
New cameras with updated equipment (fiber optics and wireless systems are replacing older connectivity methods) are being installed wherever new projects are being built (and no, none of them record video). With expanded coverage comes improved capabilities - about half the crashes occurring since 2011 are outside the TransGuide coverage area. Two-thirds of the fatalities were outside the watch area.

This shows the locations of all WWD crashes in Bexar County since 2011. The black marks are in areas the TransGuide team doesn't yet have eyes.

Historic heroes
The team's arguably best year was 2014, when they caught 11 wrong-way drivers and only missed eight. Then there was 2012, where 13 WWDs were caught (nine got through).
Since 2011 Benjamin Lopez has been the top nabber, thanks in part to his regular work during overnight hours. Seven of the 11 WWDs caught in 2014 were by Benjamin - all of them between midnight and 4 a.m.
The team keeps track of each WWD discovered. Their criteria is simple: the WWD must be discovered on TransGuide equipment and stopped by law enforcement as a result of communication from the TransGuide center. The team is interested in lives saved, not just detection. That's how the events are noted in their record books, too - saved lives. As of May 31 the team has been credited with 61 lives saved.
They're an unsung group and deserve some added recognition. Here's the team:

• Benjamin Lopez, 20 lives saved
• Michael Barker (retired), 10 lives saved
• Mando Rodriguez, 7 lives saved
• Luis Ugarte, 5 lives saved
• Ishmael Trevino, 5 lives saved
• John Paniagua (retired), 4 lives saved
• Derrick Burke (retired), 4 lives saved
• David Rodrigues, 4 lives saved
• Christine Jauregui, 2 lives saved

You, too, can be a hero

Sunday's WWD faces police - and

a likely DWI arrest - after being

located by our TransGuide team.

The sad truth we've learned is the overwhelming majority of these wrong-way drivers are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In our crash reports we've seen some test with blood alcohol levels well over .25 - plenty to cause an individual to black out and succumb to alcohol poisoning. These people can barely walk and are still getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
When you are out celebrating a good week, or busy forgetting a rough one, remember to plan ahead for a safe - sober - ride home. Be that sober ride for your friends and family where possible. Staying sober means completely abstaining from alcohol during the day or evening. A sober driver sticks to Sprite or Coke or root beer and makes sure none of their friends make the truly horrible decisions that can ruin lives.
A sober driver is a hero.
In fact, sober drivers should tally their evenings in terms of lives saved - each individual you drive home is a life saved from death, dismemberment or financial (and social) ruin.
With that in mind, how many lives will you save this weekend?

Five quick tips to prevent hot-car child deaths

A 7-month-old boy died in a hot car in a Helotes Wal-Mart parking lot Aug. 12 last year. According to news stories the child's father arrived for his shift at Wal-Mart around 6:15 that morning and had forgotten to drop his son off at day care. The child was discovered by the father that afternoon about 3 o'clock - far too late. Temperatures in the area had reached triple digits that day outside the car, with temperatures inside the car rising at least another 20 degrees.
The boy was the 27th child that died from vehicular heatstroke in the US last year, and the sixth here in Texas. By the end of the year 39 children died across the country from vehicular heatstroke - the most since 2013 and sixth-highest all-time.


Stats from KidsAndCars.org

Already local temperatures have been reaching the low-90s since April, but the weather doesn't need to be particularly hot to lead to a tragedy. In March nine-month-old Bryce Balfour died of heatstroke in his mom's car with outside temps in Virginia barely reaching the mid-60s. Despite the relatively cool temps outside the interior was a scorching 110, more than enough to cause heat stroke.

Bryce Balfour was nine months old

when he died of vehicular heat stroke

March 2017.

Photo credit: KidsAndCars.com.

Bryce's mom said he had been sick all week and his parents hadn't been sleeping too well. When the exhaustion paired with an odd morning - some distractions through phone calls, major routine changes and changes in the placement of Bryce's diaper bag and car seat contributed to her believing she had dropped Bryce at daycare - the situation was ripe for tragedy. At this point the family has done what others have done in hoping their story can help save a child elsewhere. Bryce is one of six children who have died from vehicular heatstroke already in 2017. These are preventable deaths if we all follow some quick and easy steps. It is in that spirit we offer five quick tips to make sure you never have to think, as Bryce's mom thought, something like this could never happen to you.

 

 

1 - This absolutely could happen to you
"When the ambulance arrives and we rush to the hospital, I am in shock and overcome in disbelief that this cannot be happening to me," Bryce's mom wrote. "I cannot be the type of mother who would accidentally forget her child."
This is a familiar refrain from other parents sharing their stories. Each has admitted, in one way or another, criticizing parents involved with other tragedies while simultaneously scoffing at the idea this could ever happen to them. Good parents would never forget a child, after all, and we all believe ourselves to be fantastic parents.
In this arena, however, a truly good parent is one who can readily admit their own vulnerability to an event like this. Honest confession of the reality of this threat is the first step toward prevention in your family.

 

2 - Always check the back seat

Dozens of techniques or suggestions exist to help make this routine, ranging from sticky notes to bracelets to other devices. The bottom line: simply get into the habit of checking all car seats before leaving your vehicle. The life of any parent with small children is hectic and problems can come quickly when other routines are broken. This is the routine that safeguards against other broken routines! If you need some ideas, try one of these:

• Open the back doors - an act that can double to make sure your vehicle is secure - before walking away.
• Keep a large stuffed animal in the car seat that gets moved to the front seat when a child is on board.
• Place a diaper bag in the front seat each time a child is in his or her car seat.
• Store your phone (or something else you'd never leave your car without) near your child's car seat. This could also serve to reduce your distractions while driving!

3 - Secure your car at home

This sounds like a basic idea, but so many - particularly in rural areas - keep their vehicles open and unlocked while at home. Locking a car doesn't simply deter a bad guy from taking your stuff; the act prevents children from getting into and playing in hot cars. Those with small children know how much kids love to play in cars - there's just something about a steering wheel that's more alluring to a toddler than a teenager.

Kids often get into cars to retrieve a favorite toy - sometimes sent by their parents. Many parents engage the child lock on the car door, preventing children from opening the door from the inside. This can become tragically fatal if a child shuts the door. The answer isn't to disengage the child safety lock (it's there for a reason!), but to simply keep the car secured and keep tabs on the kids when they are sent to fetch something from your vehicle. Remember: it only takes 15 minutes for a child to die or suffer lasting harm from heat stroke.

Don't feel bad about asking visitors and neighbors to similarly secure their vehicles - safety is the responsibility of everybody.

And pay special attention to your trunk - we often forget about that compartment, though most of us frequently fail to shut it completely when driving around.

4 - Set up a phone reminder from your daycare or school

Most stories we hear - including those of Bryce and of our young friend from Helotes - involve parents mistakenly believing they had dropped off their children at day care. By time the realization sets in a mistake was made, several hours have passed and it's too late.

The folks at KidsAndCars.org say you should have a strict policy in place with your childcare provider about drop-off. If your child isn't attending daycare as scheduled, it's the parents' responsibility to alert the childcare provider. If your child does not arrive as scheduled and have not received a call from a parent, they pledge to contact you immediately.

We have similar programs in place with our schools - the "absence hotline" that calls home when a child misses classes at various levels. This system isn't automated, though, and involves your child care provider reaching out until they've successfully made contact. This simple reminder might just save the life of your child.

5 - If you see something, take action

If you see a child - or a pet! - alone in a car, even with the windows left open a crack, call 911 immediately. If the child is visibly hot or in distress, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible. First check all doors to see if a door was left unlocked. If the car is locked select a window away from the child to break so the broken glass doesn't cause any injury to the child. Do not attempt to break the window with your hand or elbow to avoid injury to yourself. Once a window is opened, unlock and open the doors. Treat the child for heat stroke as appropriate.

Make sure someone is sent into the establishment near the car to locate the child's caretaker. Remember to reserve judgment - most of these issues involve otherwise excellent parents who suffer a momentary lapse.

One note worth sharing: many states have adopted laws protecting good Samaritans in the act of saving a child from a hot car. Texas has not yet adopted such a law, and we're not here to advocate in one way or another (it's illegal for us to do so). We simply want folks to be aware of the laws and protections that are or are not out there. Right now Texas law is silent in any direction on this matter.

Bonus - Use drive-through services when available

It's counter-intuitive to those hoping to add to their daily steps through running errands, but this minor convenience service could prove life-saving. Parents look to avoid waking children up from midday naps, and have even been known to leave a child in a car intentionally because the child is napping. These children sadly never wake up when temps rise. Again, it only takes 15 minutes for a problem to arise. Most of us can't run into a grocery store and successfully get a gallon of milk in less time than that.

Drive-through services are everywhere now: banking, restaurants, pharmacies, dry cleaners and grocery stores. Consider using these services when running errands with children to ensure your children remain safe. When getting gas, pay at the pump when possible so your child isn't left unattended in that hot car.

For those of you looking to add to those steps, you'll have to make them up with a walk to the mailbox or something. Be sure to take your stroller, though, and make sure your kids enjoy the walk with you.