Keeping an eye on traffic ... and closures on I-10

Did you know you can see up-to-date photos of traffic on our major corridors across the city on our Transguide website?
The folks on the morning and evening news casts aren't the only ones who can view the 200-plus cameras Transguide has across the city. That list of cameras just got longer with new fixtures along the I-10 project expanding the highway to include HOV lanes between La Cantera Parkway and Ralph Fair Road.

Those new cameras are located at:

• Ralph Fair Road
• Boerne Stage Road
• Dominion Drive
• Heuermann Road
• Camp Bullis Road
• Rim Drive
• La Cantera Parkway

While you can't get a live video feed from the cameras at home without a hard line directly into the Transguide center, you can catch snapshots of traffic updated every few minutes online from any computer.
As we're doing on most of our highway projects across the area, the new cameras were included during the earliest stages of construction and came online the beginning of 2018. This means any time you plan to move between Leon Springs and San Antonio you can take a look at how traffic is moving on the Transguide website and potentially save you a from a headache.


Speaking of headaches....

We'll have all lanes of I-10 closed at Camp Bullis this weekend (April 6-9) while crews prepare the overpass bridge to be expanded. Next weekend (April 13-16) we'll have I-10 down to a single lane at Dominion Drive to do the same work there. Both weekends the cross street under the highway will be completely closed.
Work begins each weekend on Friday at 9 p.m. and we'll have things wrapped up no later than Monday morning at 5.
This weekend traffic will exit Camp Bullis, follow the frontage road and re-enter the highway at the next available ramp. We'll have officers working at the intersection of Camp Bullis to direct traffic and keep things moving.


What’s next at the bridges?
In addition to getting the existing bridges ready to be expanded we have bridge crews still working on those support structures. Once all that support work is finished we'll be ready to set bridge beams and work on the expansion we're preparing for. That will require a slight diversion at these intersections, which is still being worked on. We should have an update in May telling you what to expect while these bridge decks get built.


One more thing....

The west-to-east turnaround at Camp Bullis will close Monday, April 9 and will remain closed through the month of April. During that time traffic will use the signalized intersection to turn around. We are working with San Antonio TCI to ensure the signal is timed appropriately to handle the additional traffic.
These kinds of closures at the intersections will happen throughout the project as we work overhead to expand the bridges. Though we may not be to your favorite turnaround yet, expect it to happen at some point this year. We'll do our best to keep the duration of the closure down to as close to a month as we can.

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.

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?

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.