May 2016 has brought some of the worst flooding on record in Texas. Flash floods brought by torrential downpours seems to have become a way of life the last year-plus. East Texas - particularly around Houston - has been hit the worst, logging more than 100 inches of rainfall since March 2015. Bexar County sits at some 60-70 inches over that period, by the way.
Still, as wet as it's been, let's not forget last May was worse - we got nearly 8 inches of rain in a single month at that point. (The infographic and those memes making their way through Facebook right now are actually about last May, not the one that just finished....)
At any rate, it's been a really wet spring. The impacts to our daily lives have been well documented and you've heard us make the #TurnAroundDontDrown cry pretty darned often. Heck, we even posted on it.
Now the water is receding and we're seeing sunnier skies. We're not out of the wet just yet - more is predicted for the weekend - but we're getting a break. With the sun out, so are our construction crews. In some areas you'll likely see activity pick up to a flurry to try to make up for any potentially lost time.
With that in mind, here's a run-down of the impacts of the rain on our biggest of construction projects (if we miss a project you're interested in, let us know by submitting a question for our mail bag).
New Braunfels
Walnut Ave - Despite the wet weather crews with Dean Word were able to open Walnut to a single lane each direction before the Memorial Day weekend. Crews still have quite a bit of concrete work remaining to finish the job. That work should be wrapped up in July.
FM 306 - Hunter Industries hasn't seen any major impacts due to weather, and are moving forward with the expansion of FM 306 between Hunter Road and Hoffman Lane.
Boerne/Fair Oaks Ranch
I-10 at Scenic Loop Road - Wet weather set crews back about two weeks on their efforts to expand the intersection of Scenic Loop Road at I-10. That said, we fully expect this project should recover the time over the course of the summer. If you drive this area, expect to see work intensify with warmer and dryer weather.
I-10 Fair Oaks Ranch - The biggest impact has been the delay of moving traffic of the I-10 main lanes over away from the median area, where the bulk of construction will take place as we build a new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road. That traffic shift was scheduled to happen mid-May; we were only able to get that done on the eastbound side. Right now Sundt Construction is aiming to have the westbound side shifted late June.
I-10 Leon Springs - A lot of the work on the new exit and entrance ramps between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive has been pushed back a couple of weeks, but Texas Sterling Construction is confident they'll be able to make up that time over the summer. That means, of course, a lot more activity as weather allows - we're trying to wrap this project up as close to the end of summer as we can.
San Antonio
I-35 near SAMMC - The asphalt work planned for the last four weeks on the main lanes near Splashtown keeps getting pushed back, and is again slated to happen this weekend (expect major main lane closures for that work). We still have concrete work as well. This project was all set to wrap up right about now until the rain started pummeling us in April; right now we're looking at wrapping up in July. As for work on the interchanges at I-410 and the new exits and entrances at Rittiman, Eisenhauer and Walzem ... well, LANE Construction is telling us the delays haven't been anything they can't make up over the summer.
FM 78 - This work to widen FM 78 under Loop 1604 out in the Converse/Universal City area has actually pushed back a full month due to weather. The biggest victim to RELMCo's work here is the new roadway base for the widened portions - it's tough, after all, to get good compaction on fine dirt when the rain just won't stop. This project, to be frank, is still waiting for the ground to dry out enough to begin that base work before it starts progressing again at a good pace.
Loop 1604 Northwest - Somehow Williams Brothers Construction seems to remain relatively unfazed by the rain, but will be on a much-bolstered work schedule to have expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads complete by next week. This will require a slew of (let's be honest) frustrating closures drivers will encounter, but the consolation is the fact we're at the end of the job. These closures are allowing crews to lay asphalt and paint, which are about all that's left to do on the job. We still have some concrete work - which will also require occasional frontage road closures - but the bottom line is work should be wrapped up next week. Again, if this is your commute, expect to see intermittent delays through the end of next week ... and then thing should be a whole lot better.
Hwy 151 and I-410 - Well, the old eastbound on-ramp from Potranco still isn't open and the driveways in and out of Westover Marketplace are still being worked on. This is all stuff that had initially been anticipated to be finished in April, for those keeping track. Then April rains washed us back. Then May rains came, and kept on coming. We're hoping for a much more dry June to help us get this stuff all done. The good news is Williams Brothers Construction has kept their bridge crews busy, getting as much aerial work done as possible. This should minimize the overall delay on this project, which is set to finish in 2018.
Showing posts with label Walnut Avenue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walnut Avenue. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 7
Thursday, May 26
Walnut Avenue to open TODAY (and other New Braunfels updates)
It's been a while since our last update on projects in the New Braunfels area ... and now we've got something kind of major happening today. Here's the scoop:
Walnut Avenue
Lead with the biggest story, right? By the end of business today we'll have Walnut Avenue opened up to traffic. It'll only be one lane in each direction (so, basically, exactly what was out there when we shut things down last year).
Traffic will be using the center lanes to traverse the hill. Crews are still doing concrete work across the project, so we're keeping those outside lanes closed the next several weeks while crews wrap things up.
Once concrete work is complete paving crews will lay the final surface of asphalt to give a final product. We hope that final product will be delivered by the end of July.
FM 306
One of the biggest issues along FM 306 near New Braunfels is the traffic load at the intersection of Hoffman Lane - largely due to school in the mornings and in the afternoons.
We currently have a project going between Hoffman and Hunter that's expanding FM 306 to four lanes (plus a center left-turn lane and shoulders large enough for bicycles), and we're right now about one-third the way through this project. By the way, we have another project set to go for bids later this year that will extend this work on out to River Chase.
At any rate, we've been asked about the impact on that approach to Hoffman Elementary School. Here's what we'll have things looking like when we're finished:
Just for comparison, here's what's out there now:
Note only one through lane in each direction and the lack of sidewalks and bike areas ... the finished product will be a huge help to folks driving through the region on the daily.
Hwy 46 at US 281
If you're thinking how embarrassing it must be for us to see so much infrastructure pop up around us faster than it's taken for us to build some simple turnarounds, you're absolutely right. Those turnarounds should have been finished months ago, and we're still docking CRG about $20,000 each month we're not finished. The latest estimates show the project wrapping up before school starts this fall; we plan to do all we can to see this job finished earlier than that, even, if possible.
FM 1101
Most of the utility conflicts that have kept us from doing this work (and, yes, we've been waiting more than a year and a half on this now) are out of the way. At this point the project hinges on some discussions between our higher administrative folks and their counterparts with Hunter Industries. When Hunter bid the project in 2014, they did so under prices valid in 2014. Well, it's been two years and things have changed. Both parties are looking for an equitable middle ground to settle on and allow work to get going.
Once work begins - which we hope will be very soon - we expect about a year and a half of overall construction time.
Walnut Avenue
Lead with the biggest story, right? By the end of business today we'll have Walnut Avenue opened up to traffic. It'll only be one lane in each direction (so, basically, exactly what was out there when we shut things down last year).
Traffic will be using the center lanes to traverse the hill. Crews are still doing concrete work across the project, so we're keeping those outside lanes closed the next several weeks while crews wrap things up.
 |
| The center line is striped and traffic cones mark the closed-off outside lanes. Walnut Ave should be ready to open today. |
FM 306
One of the biggest issues along FM 306 near New Braunfels is the traffic load at the intersection of Hoffman Lane - largely due to school in the mornings and in the afternoons.
We currently have a project going between Hoffman and Hunter that's expanding FM 306 to four lanes (plus a center left-turn lane and shoulders large enough for bicycles), and we're right now about one-third the way through this project. By the way, we have another project set to go for bids later this year that will extend this work on out to River Chase.
At any rate, we've been asked about the impact on that approach to Hoffman Elementary School. Here's what we'll have things looking like when we're finished:
Hwy 46 at US 281
If you're thinking how embarrassing it must be for us to see so much infrastructure pop up around us faster than it's taken for us to build some simple turnarounds, you're absolutely right. Those turnarounds should have been finished months ago, and we're still docking CRG about $20,000 each month we're not finished. The latest estimates show the project wrapping up before school starts this fall; we plan to do all we can to see this job finished earlier than that, even, if possible.
FM 1101
Most of the utility conflicts that have kept us from doing this work (and, yes, we've been waiting more than a year and a half on this now) are out of the way. At this point the project hinges on some discussions between our higher administrative folks and their counterparts with Hunter Industries. When Hunter bid the project in 2014, they did so under prices valid in 2014. Well, it's been two years and things have changed. Both parties are looking for an equitable middle ground to settle on and allow work to get going.
Once work begins - which we hope will be very soon - we expect about a year and a half of overall construction time.
Tuesday, May 10
Project delivery season
It's that time of year - weather is just right to lay asphalt and a lot of projects are either wrapping up or getting ready to deliver certain elements to improve your commute. Here's a run-down of what you're getting from us over the next few weeks:
I-10 frontage road between Dominion and Boerne Stage
A small connector - no more than about 200 feet long - connecting traffic along the westbound frontage road of I-10 from Dominion Drive to the new westbound frontage road running behind Fralos, Leon Springs Elementary School and the Leon Springs dance hall opened today. Texas Sterling Construction is still working on a westbound on-ramp that runs parallel to this new connector; that ramp should open in June.
Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads
A ceremony to open new northbound main lanes is planned for Thursday morning, marking the substantial completion of this effort to extend the Lp 1604 expressway through Culebra Road (southbound lanes opened in April). New overpasses at Braun, New Guilbeau and Shaenfield will help improve the daily commute for these drivers dramatically.
I-35 between AT&T Center Parkway and George Beach
New ramps near Binz-Engleman are set to open late this week, and overall project completion is set to come by July Fourth. This project reconfigured - slightly - entrance ramps and exit ramps while adding an extra lane (an auxiliary lane) to the main lanes of I-35 as they go over Leon Creek. This work is in the finishing stages and these crews will move on to hit hard the significant work between George Beach and Randolph Boulevard.
With warm temps, overnight paving crews are working hard to finish what they started last year. The new concrete medians are in place and complete. All that's left for the TxDOT project is that final inch or so of asphalt to give everyone a smooth ride. The city's project on Tezel Road is ongoing.
Walnut Avenue (New Braunfels)
This one is going to be a boon for the tourist season - just in time for the summer season, we'll have at least one lane open in each direction between Kerlick and Landa. That'll happen by the end of this month if weather holds up for us. Overall project completion, which includes two lanes in each direction, should come by the end of June.
Thursday, February 4
Comal County projects roundup
It's been a while - like, since at least last year. Isn't it about time we gave a run-down on the happenings in and around Comal County?
Here's a look:
Walnut Hill
To put it simply, Dean Word Company is nearly three-quarters the way done with the project. The most visible portion of the project, though - the full closure of Walnut Avenue between Grandview and Floral - has been stretched even further over the last month. Initially slated to reopen mid-December, we are now looking at waiting for late March to reopen the roadway. The biggest reason here is safety.
The original plan called for opening Walnut Avenue to one lane each way. Concerns of rubber-necking through a canyon with limited sight distances has led project bosses to work with city officials and come to a later opening agreement.
A lot of work remains, but construction is progressing well. Crews have begun setting up a sound wall along the canyon and are finishing up drain structures. Perhaps nicest for those living in the immediate vicinity, cleanup at the top of the hill has begun while crews prepare to do concrete work.
Loop 337 at Ridge Hill
The striping contractor is scheduled to come through early next week to restripe the roadway and provide for a new left-turn lane. We are also working to add a new ditch line to the project and fix the barricades that have occasionally drifted into the travel lanes.
FM 1101
To be completely honest, we're still waiting on a private utility to complete work they began more than a year ago. Current estimates place completion of the utility work sometime this spring. We will then move forward with the project.
US 281 at Hwy 46
The biggest thing to report her is we're more than 80 percent of the way finished with this project. This project has admittedly moved extremely slow and we are assessing the contractor, CRG, appropriate liquidated damages. With the walls nearly complete, dirt crews will begin grading the new turnarounds next week with the aim to start laying asphalt by the middle of the month. We are holding bi-weekly meetings with the contractor to keep them moving, and hope to have work complete in time for summer.
FM 306
Hunter Industries is moving along well, working primarily on drain structures and extensions to existing box culverts. As a relatively new project, we don't have much else to report at this time. This project is scheduled to finish up in 2017.
I-35 ramp reversals
The only thing we really have left at this point is a quick resurfacing of the southbound frontage road. That should eliminate the issues we have with the glare during certain times of the day.
Upcoming projects
Lots of work is coming on the horizon, but here are the highlights:
Upcoming meetings
You're getting everything with this post! Don't miss out on some MAJOR meetings we have coming up. Mark these on your calendar and be sure to join us to give your thoughts on some very important issues:
Here's a look:
Walnut Hill
To put it simply, Dean Word Company is nearly three-quarters the way done with the project. The most visible portion of the project, though - the full closure of Walnut Avenue between Grandview and Floral - has been stretched even further over the last month. Initially slated to reopen mid-December, we are now looking at waiting for late March to reopen the roadway. The biggest reason here is safety.
The original plan called for opening Walnut Avenue to one lane each way. Concerns of rubber-necking through a canyon with limited sight distances has led project bosses to work with city officials and come to a later opening agreement.
A lot of work remains, but construction is progressing well. Crews have begun setting up a sound wall along the canyon and are finishing up drain structures. Perhaps nicest for those living in the immediate vicinity, cleanup at the top of the hill has begun while crews prepare to do concrete work.
Loop 337 at Ridge Hill
The striping contractor is scheduled to come through early next week to restripe the roadway and provide for a new left-turn lane. We are also working to add a new ditch line to the project and fix the barricades that have occasionally drifted into the travel lanes.
FM 1101
To be completely honest, we're still waiting on a private utility to complete work they began more than a year ago. Current estimates place completion of the utility work sometime this spring. We will then move forward with the project.
US 281 at Hwy 46
The biggest thing to report her is we're more than 80 percent of the way finished with this project. This project has admittedly moved extremely slow and we are assessing the contractor, CRG, appropriate liquidated damages. With the walls nearly complete, dirt crews will begin grading the new turnarounds next week with the aim to start laying asphalt by the middle of the month. We are holding bi-weekly meetings with the contractor to keep them moving, and hope to have work complete in time for summer.
FM 306
Hunter Industries is moving along well, working primarily on drain structures and extensions to existing box culverts. As a relatively new project, we don't have much else to report at this time. This project is scheduled to finish up in 2017.
I-35 ramp reversals
The only thing we really have left at this point is a quick resurfacing of the southbound frontage road. That should eliminate the issues we have with the glare during certain times of the day.
Upcoming projects
Lots of work is coming on the horizon, but here are the highlights:
- Resurfacing of I-35 between Solms Rd and the river. This work should start late spring or early summer. This should only feature overnight work.
- Pedestrian and bike facility improvements along Landa Street. This work will begin this summer.
- Rehabilitate Hwy 46 between I-35 and FM 758. This is an extensive repair job that will start this fall.
- Reconstruct the I-35 bridge at FM 1103 and widen FM 1103 between I-35 and Steele High School. This work is programmed for early 2017.
- Loop 337 expansion. We're actually working to make this a one-piece project rather than complete work in segments as initially planned. We hope to begin work mid-2017.
- Expansion of Hwy 46 in Bulverde. This is currently planned for late 2017.
Upcoming meetings
You're getting everything with this post! Don't miss out on some MAJOR meetings we have coming up. Mark these on your calendar and be sure to join us to give your thoughts on some very important issues:
- Feb. 16, 6p-8p at Eden Hill. Open house forum regarding future work on Loop 337.
- March 1, 6p-8p at the New Braunfels Civic Center. Metropolitan Planning Organization presentation on projects being considered for federal funding.
- March 3, 5p-7p at Smithson Valley High School. Open house forum regarding the expansion of Hwy 46 in Bulverde.
- March 29, 5p-7p at Steele High School. Open house forum regarding future work on FM 1103.
Thursday, November 19
Beyond Bexar: Hwy 306, Walnut, FM 1516
This weekend crews will close FM 1516 at Crestway in Converse for some emergency repair work on a box culvert. Work on FM 306 between Hunter Road and Hoffman Lane will start the week after Thanksgiving. Weather issues has delayed the projected opening of Walnut Avenue in New Braunfels.
So ... let's get into all that.
FM 1516
This is the most pressing issue and is our strongest place to start. CRG Construction will close FM 1516 at Crestway Friday night at 8 p.m. and will reopen the road by 5:30 a.m. Monday (Nov. 23). Through the weekend traffic will be detoured on Loop 1604 and FM 78.
Crews will continue work the weeks of and after Thanksgiving with daily closures of a single lane, with flaggers posted to control traffic as needed. The traffic signal at the intersection of FM 1516 and Crestway will be adjusted to flash a red light during this time; flashing red lights are to be treated as a four-way stop sign. The signal will be returned to normal function when the work is complete.
The work will repair a box culvert running across the road that's worn down with age.
Walnut Avenue
When Dean Word Company closed Walnut Avenue earlier this year to construct new roadway lanes as part of a project expanding Walnut to four lanes (two each way) between Landa and Kerlick, the goal was to have Walnut Avenue reopened for through traffic in time for Christmas.
Then the weather came. Over the course of 2015 crews lost about a month (maybe a little more) of good work time. While crews were able to catch some of that up through the dry months of summer, our current projection shows Walnut Avenue reopening in January.
In the meantime Dean Word has been able to finish almost all the drain structures along this project and, as a group of dignitaries from the city of New Braunfels say, the mechanically stabilized wall has been erected relatively quickly. As the wall goes up higher the anchors used get longer, requiring the need to cut deeper into what was the existing roadway - which is why we won't be ready to open the new lanes quite by Christmas. Dean Word remains committed to do well in their hometown, though, and are working hard to have the road reopened in January.
The overall project is slated to wrap up summer 2016.
FM 306
Hunter Industries finished this year the overpasses over the UPRR crossings between I-35 and Hunter Road (well, a little beyond Hunter Road). Now they're going to work on expanding the road, starting where they left off, through Hoffman Lane.
The project itself, an $8 million effort, will continue for about a year and a half - so folks should expect to see a final product in 2017. When we're all done we'll have two lanes in each direction with curbs and sidewalks - effectively matching what now exists between I-35 and Hunter Road. A center left-turn lane will be included at strategic locations.
While closures will be minimal - we're expanding on both sides of the roadway - drivers in the area should expect normal road construction delays associated with the project during their daily commute.
So ... let's get into all that.
FM 1516
This is the most pressing issue and is our strongest place to start. CRG Construction will close FM 1516 at Crestway Friday night at 8 p.m. and will reopen the road by 5:30 a.m. Monday (Nov. 23). Through the weekend traffic will be detoured on Loop 1604 and FM 78.
The work will repair a box culvert running across the road that's worn down with age.
Walnut Avenue
When Dean Word Company closed Walnut Avenue earlier this year to construct new roadway lanes as part of a project expanding Walnut to four lanes (two each way) between Landa and Kerlick, the goal was to have Walnut Avenue reopened for through traffic in time for Christmas.
Then the weather came. Over the course of 2015 crews lost about a month (maybe a little more) of good work time. While crews were able to catch some of that up through the dry months of summer, our current projection shows Walnut Avenue reopening in January.
In the meantime Dean Word has been able to finish almost all the drain structures along this project and, as a group of dignitaries from the city of New Braunfels say, the mechanically stabilized wall has been erected relatively quickly. As the wall goes up higher the anchors used get longer, requiring the need to cut deeper into what was the existing roadway - which is why we won't be ready to open the new lanes quite by Christmas. Dean Word remains committed to do well in their hometown, though, and are working hard to have the road reopened in January.
The overall project is slated to wrap up summer 2016.
FM 306
Hunter Industries finished this year the overpasses over the UPRR crossings between I-35 and Hunter Road (well, a little beyond Hunter Road). Now they're going to work on expanding the road, starting where they left off, through Hoffman Lane.
The project itself, an $8 million effort, will continue for about a year and a half - so folks should expect to see a final product in 2017. When we're all done we'll have two lanes in each direction with curbs and sidewalks - effectively matching what now exists between I-35 and Hunter Road. A center left-turn lane will be included at strategic locations.
While closures will be minimal - we're expanding on both sides of the roadway - drivers in the area should expect normal road construction delays associated with the project during their daily commute.
Wednesday, September 30
Comal County round-up
It's been a while since we've written about the projects active in Comal County ... lots has happened! In addition to a project wrapping up, we've got one project about to start and another nearing completion.
FM 306
So we're finished with the overpasses between I-35 and Hunter Road, improving dramatically the drive from I-35 to the Gruene area (and beyond).
With that project behind us we're ready to get going on the next major project in the area. Hunter Industries, the company that built the overpasses on and widened FM 306 up to Hunter Road, will widen FM 306 to Hoffman Lane. The look and feel of the finished product will match what's there up to Hunter Road. For those not familiar, that means two lanes in each direction with a center left-turn lane where needed.
Work on the new FM 306 project is already starting up, and folks should start seeing crews on site within the next few weeks. The project will wrap up in 2017.
Walnut Ave
Though folks can't really see the progress each day, we're moving along pretty well. One of our two large retaining walls that will hold up the area we're expanding the roadway through the canyon area is nearing completion and the other is about halfway finished.
The toughest part of any road job is getting the drain system put in - most of that is finished. We've got a few items left through the canyon area, but that will be taken care of as the retaining walls near completion.
The big-ticket item is the opening date for Walnut Avenue - that is, when we anticipate reopening the road for through traffic. For that, we are currently on schedule for the end of the year.
Overall project completion is scheduled for summer 2016.
Conrads-Kohlenberg
Those driving the area often have found southbound exit 191 - that is, the southbound exit to FM 306 - closed earlier this month. This will allow Dan Williams Company to wrap up some of the frontage road work closer to FM 306. The new exit will be opened in mid-October.
In the meantime, traffic is using exit 193 (the exit for Conrads-Kohlenberg) to reach FM 306. The detour only adds time spent on the frontage road, and requires no real route change for folks.
The work being done out there is actually about the entrance and exit ramps; we're "reversing" the ramps. That is, where the exit ramp was a new entrance ramp will be; where the entrance ramp was a new exit ramp will be. The idea is to improve traffic flow and allow a bypass for those who would ordinarily have to go through the intersection of FM 306 to reach their destination via the I-35 main lanes.
The project is on target to wrap up later this year.
FM 306
So we're finished with the overpasses between I-35 and Hunter Road, improving dramatically the drive from I-35 to the Gruene area (and beyond).
With that project behind us we're ready to get going on the next major project in the area. Hunter Industries, the company that built the overpasses on and widened FM 306 up to Hunter Road, will widen FM 306 to Hoffman Lane. The look and feel of the finished product will match what's there up to Hunter Road. For those not familiar, that means two lanes in each direction with a center left-turn lane where needed.
Work on the new FM 306 project is already starting up, and folks should start seeing crews on site within the next few weeks. The project will wrap up in 2017.
Walnut Ave
Though folks can't really see the progress each day, we're moving along pretty well. One of our two large retaining walls that will hold up the area we're expanding the roadway through the canyon area is nearing completion and the other is about halfway finished.
The toughest part of any road job is getting the drain system put in - most of that is finished. We've got a few items left through the canyon area, but that will be taken care of as the retaining walls near completion.
The big-ticket item is the opening date for Walnut Avenue - that is, when we anticipate reopening the road for through traffic. For that, we are currently on schedule for the end of the year.
Overall project completion is scheduled for summer 2016.
Conrads-Kohlenberg
Those driving the area often have found southbound exit 191 - that is, the southbound exit to FM 306 - closed earlier this month. This will allow Dan Williams Company to wrap up some of the frontage road work closer to FM 306. The new exit will be opened in mid-October.
In the meantime, traffic is using exit 193 (the exit for Conrads-Kohlenberg) to reach FM 306. The detour only adds time spent on the frontage road, and requires no real route change for folks.
The work being done out there is actually about the entrance and exit ramps; we're "reversing" the ramps. That is, where the exit ramp was a new entrance ramp will be; where the entrance ramp was a new exit ramp will be. The idea is to improve traffic flow and allow a bypass for those who would ordinarily have to go through the intersection of FM 306 to reach their destination via the I-35 main lanes.
The project is on target to wrap up later this year.
Wednesday, June 24
Comal County roundup
We've got some stuff happening in the New Braunfels area, but it's best to show rather than just tell. Take a look:
Saturday, March 14
Comal County roundup
If anyone else thinks it been far too long since a run-down on Comal
County projects has been posted, well ... so did we. Without further
ado:
Walnut Avenue
If you've not heard by now, Walnut Avenue will close between Grandview and Floral for the remainder of the year. This is more than the daily closures drivers have been seeing with the ongoing utility work that's progressed to the top of the hill. That closure has pushed traffic onto Fredericksburg Road to get around; our detour suggests using Landa Street to Loop 337.
Of course, local residential and business access will be maintained; you'll still be able to reach those businesses along Walnut. Through traffic will be restricted, however.
With the road closed, Dean Word Company will have more open access to widen the road through the canyon portion of this project. There they are building a huge retaining wall on the downhill side of the road, which they'll then backfill with tons (literally!) of dirt. It's called a "mechanically stabilized earth" wall, and will hold up the additional width of the roadway.
Loop 337
The expansion of the bridge over I-35 at Loop 337/Rueckle Road is within a week of being finished and all lanes in use. An elevation issue (of only an inch or two - which is a bigger deal than it sounds like) between the old turnaround bridge and the existing bridge prevented us from opening it when we had hoped a cuople of months ago.
With the specialized crews on site to make appropriate adjustment, we're only a matter of days from having traffic on all lanes of the bridge.
I-35 ramps between FM 306 and Conrads-Kohlenberg
About five months ago, Dan Williams Company began reversing the ramps between FM 306 and Conrads-Kohlenberg. Basically, that means the entrance ramps will be switched to exit ramps, and the exit ramps to entrance ramps.
Crews will be ready for the first big move on this work next weekend. For more, watch the video:
FM 306
At this point, it's almost all bridge work that remains. We've got crews pouring concrete at the overpass near Hunter Road, mainly to form the approach slabs for the bridge deck. Meanwhile, on the overpass near Goodwin Lane, we're preparing to pour the bridge deck itself. We still have a lot of curb work and a median to build, then we'll need to finish tying the second halves of the bridges into the halves that are already constructed.
Hunter Industries wants to be finished with the project by the end of the school year - still ahead of schedule, though later than they'd have initially liked to be finished when work began in 2013.
FM 1101
We are still waiting for utility adjustments to be complete before turning loose Hunter Industries on this project to widen FM 1101 between Hwy 46 and FM 306. This expansion will include a center left-turn lane, sidewalks and a larger shoulder area for safe bicycling.
As of now, crews are expected to be able to start work in April.
Walnut Avenue
If you've not heard by now, Walnut Avenue will close between Grandview and Floral for the remainder of the year. This is more than the daily closures drivers have been seeing with the ongoing utility work that's progressed to the top of the hill. That closure has pushed traffic onto Fredericksburg Road to get around; our detour suggests using Landa Street to Loop 337.
Of course, local residential and business access will be maintained; you'll still be able to reach those businesses along Walnut. Through traffic will be restricted, however.
With the road closed, Dean Word Company will have more open access to widen the road through the canyon portion of this project. There they are building a huge retaining wall on the downhill side of the road, which they'll then backfill with tons (literally!) of dirt. It's called a "mechanically stabilized earth" wall, and will hold up the additional width of the roadway.
 |
| This diagram, published by cenews.com, shows how a mechanically stabilized earth wall works. An MSE wall will hold up the expansion portion of Walnut Avenue through the canyon between Grandview and Floral. |
The expansion of the bridge over I-35 at Loop 337/Rueckle Road is within a week of being finished and all lanes in use. An elevation issue (of only an inch or two - which is a bigger deal than it sounds like) between the old turnaround bridge and the existing bridge prevented us from opening it when we had hoped a cuople of months ago.
With the specialized crews on site to make appropriate adjustment, we're only a matter of days from having traffic on all lanes of the bridge.
I-35 ramps between FM 306 and Conrads-Kohlenberg
About five months ago, Dan Williams Company began reversing the ramps between FM 306 and Conrads-Kohlenberg. Basically, that means the entrance ramps will be switched to exit ramps, and the exit ramps to entrance ramps.
Crews will be ready for the first big move on this work next weekend. For more, watch the video:
FM 306
At this point, it's almost all bridge work that remains. We've got crews pouring concrete at the overpass near Hunter Road, mainly to form the approach slabs for the bridge deck. Meanwhile, on the overpass near Goodwin Lane, we're preparing to pour the bridge deck itself. We still have a lot of curb work and a median to build, then we'll need to finish tying the second halves of the bridges into the halves that are already constructed.
Hunter Industries wants to be finished with the project by the end of the school year - still ahead of schedule, though later than they'd have initially liked to be finished when work began in 2013.
FM 1101
We are still waiting for utility adjustments to be complete before turning loose Hunter Industries on this project to widen FM 1101 between Hwy 46 and FM 306. This expansion will include a center left-turn lane, sidewalks and a larger shoulder area for safe bicycling.
As of now, crews are expected to be able to start work in April.
Friday, March 6
Comal County round-up
Recent weather has pushed back some huge milestones across Comal County - particularly in and around New Braunfels - but big developments are still taking shape. The result is a flurry of activity inside a two-week window, set to start late next week.
Here's a run-down, in no particular order:
Lp 337 (Rueckle Road)
For two months folks have been using a finished product that expanded Lp 337 between I-35 and Altgelt Road, but barricades have remained blocking a portion of the overpass bridge. This has limited traffic from the northbound frontage road to a single left turn lane and traffic crossing the bridge over I-35 to a single lane.
The goal of the project, however, was to expand the bridge to allow for two through lanes plus a left turn lane for traffic coming from Rueckle Road and headed north (or west, depending on your perspective) on Lp 337. That was hampered by a slight elevation difference between what used to be the south-to-north turnaround bridge and the existing overpass bridge. The difference, which is only a matter of an inch or so, was noticed when the concrete barrier was demolished as part of the project requirements.
The specialized subcontractor for the work to correct the elevation difference, which happens to fall right in the middle of the wheelpath of one of the lanes, was scheduled to solve the issue this week. Cold and wet weather has pushed that back, and they are now expected to be working on the bridge by the start of next week.
Once work on the bridge begins we'll need about a week to have everything opened up. Call it a St. Patrick's Day gift.
FM 306
Hunter Industries continues to work toward completing the expansion of the roadway and construction of overpasses at the UPRR crossings near Hunter Road and Goodwin Lane in time for summer. Right now that's exactly what will happen.
Crews have been pouring concrete to form the concrete barriers along the overpass near Hunter Road and are working to do the same near Goodwin. This may require temporary or sporadic closures as trucks enter or exit the roadway, but nothing lasting or long-term at all. At most, these closures will last 10 minutes.
Hunter is on pace to have the work complete by the end of the school year (and start of the summer river floating season).
FM 1101
The expansion of FM 1101 between Hwy 46 and FM 306 has been on hold nearly six months while we await utilities to be moved out of conflict. The deadline for that is in April, and we'll then release Hunter Industries to begin work.
The project will last about a year and a half, with most of the work happening during the summers of 2015 and 2016. Since three schools are along this work zone, it's critical we reduce our impact during the school year.
The final product will feature a new center left-turn lane, expanded shoulders for bike use and sidewalks.
I-35 ramp reversals
Dan Williams Company is running slightly ahead of schedule and is ready to open the new northbound entrance ramp from FM 306 around St. Patrick's Day. This new on-ramp is located near Conrads-Kohlenberg and will require the current exit to Conrads-Kohlenberg to close. Traffic to Conrads-Kohlenberg will exit FM 306 and pass through the intersection.
Naturally, that means an uptick in traffic at an already stressed intersection. However, the north-to-south turnaround at FM 306 will open - permanently - and the intersection should see some relief.
The new exit ramp, located near FM 306 (designed to capture the truck traffic headed to the WalMart transfer warehouse), is set to open by the first weekend of April.
Meanwhile, Dan Williams is beginning to set up for work on the southbound side. This is about two months ahead of schedule. They have more work to do on the southbound side than they did on the northbound side, so drivers shouldn't expect such an early finish on the southbound side. We initially planned about six months for each side. We are sticking with the six-month schedule on the southbound side for now.
Walnut Avenue
The city of New Braunfels has approved a proposal brought by us on behalf of the contractor, Dean Word Company, to close Walnut Avenue completely between Grandview and Floral avenues. That closure should take place the week after St. Patricks Day.
Once Walnut Avenue is closed, Dean Word will begin expanding the road through the canyon and will install storm drain features on the uphill and downhill sides of the canyon. The phase of work - and the closure - is expected to last about nine months.
The closure will shorten the overall project duration, however, by about six months. Work began earlier this year and will wrap up before the summer of 2016.
U.S. 281 at Hwy 46
We have received occasional calls asking about the progress on this project that constructs turnarounds for U.S. 281 traffic at Hwy 46 in Bulverde.
CRG is the contractor out there, and they are indeed running behind schedule. As is typical in a situation like this, TxDOT is assessing liquidated damages against the contractor to the tune of a little under $1,000 per day. This is the strongest leverage the department has to help motivate a contractor to accelerate production of a project.
Lately the delays on the project have been due to an equipment breakdown that took several weeks to get repaired. Once the machinery that broke down was ready to work again, weather tackled the area and stopped any productive work from happening.
Project managers are pointing to a completion date early this summer, if all goes well.
Here's a run-down, in no particular order:
Lp 337 (Rueckle Road)
For two months folks have been using a finished product that expanded Lp 337 between I-35 and Altgelt Road, but barricades have remained blocking a portion of the overpass bridge. This has limited traffic from the northbound frontage road to a single left turn lane and traffic crossing the bridge over I-35 to a single lane.
The goal of the project, however, was to expand the bridge to allow for two through lanes plus a left turn lane for traffic coming from Rueckle Road and headed north (or west, depending on your perspective) on Lp 337. That was hampered by a slight elevation difference between what used to be the south-to-north turnaround bridge and the existing overpass bridge. The difference, which is only a matter of an inch or so, was noticed when the concrete barrier was demolished as part of the project requirements.
The specialized subcontractor for the work to correct the elevation difference, which happens to fall right in the middle of the wheelpath of one of the lanes, was scheduled to solve the issue this week. Cold and wet weather has pushed that back, and they are now expected to be working on the bridge by the start of next week.
Once work on the bridge begins we'll need about a week to have everything opened up. Call it a St. Patrick's Day gift.
FM 306
Hunter Industries continues to work toward completing the expansion of the roadway and construction of overpasses at the UPRR crossings near Hunter Road and Goodwin Lane in time for summer. Right now that's exactly what will happen.
Crews have been pouring concrete to form the concrete barriers along the overpass near Hunter Road and are working to do the same near Goodwin. This may require temporary or sporadic closures as trucks enter or exit the roadway, but nothing lasting or long-term at all. At most, these closures will last 10 minutes.
Hunter is on pace to have the work complete by the end of the school year (and start of the summer river floating season).
FM 1101
The expansion of FM 1101 between Hwy 46 and FM 306 has been on hold nearly six months while we await utilities to be moved out of conflict. The deadline for that is in April, and we'll then release Hunter Industries to begin work.
The project will last about a year and a half, with most of the work happening during the summers of 2015 and 2016. Since three schools are along this work zone, it's critical we reduce our impact during the school year.
The final product will feature a new center left-turn lane, expanded shoulders for bike use and sidewalks.
I-35 ramp reversals
Dan Williams Company is running slightly ahead of schedule and is ready to open the new northbound entrance ramp from FM 306 around St. Patrick's Day. This new on-ramp is located near Conrads-Kohlenberg and will require the current exit to Conrads-Kohlenberg to close. Traffic to Conrads-Kohlenberg will exit FM 306 and pass through the intersection.
Naturally, that means an uptick in traffic at an already stressed intersection. However, the north-to-south turnaround at FM 306 will open - permanently - and the intersection should see some relief.
The new exit ramp, located near FM 306 (designed to capture the truck traffic headed to the WalMart transfer warehouse), is set to open by the first weekend of April.
Meanwhile, Dan Williams is beginning to set up for work on the southbound side. This is about two months ahead of schedule. They have more work to do on the southbound side than they did on the northbound side, so drivers shouldn't expect such an early finish on the southbound side. We initially planned about six months for each side. We are sticking with the six-month schedule on the southbound side for now.
Walnut Avenue
The city of New Braunfels has approved a proposal brought by us on behalf of the contractor, Dean Word Company, to close Walnut Avenue completely between Grandview and Floral avenues. That closure should take place the week after St. Patricks Day.
Once Walnut Avenue is closed, Dean Word will begin expanding the road through the canyon and will install storm drain features on the uphill and downhill sides of the canyon. The phase of work - and the closure - is expected to last about nine months.
The closure will shorten the overall project duration, however, by about six months. Work began earlier this year and will wrap up before the summer of 2016.
U.S. 281 at Hwy 46
We have received occasional calls asking about the progress on this project that constructs turnarounds for U.S. 281 traffic at Hwy 46 in Bulverde.
CRG is the contractor out there, and they are indeed running behind schedule. As is typical in a situation like this, TxDOT is assessing liquidated damages against the contractor to the tune of a little under $1,000 per day. This is the strongest leverage the department has to help motivate a contractor to accelerate production of a project.
Lately the delays on the project have been due to an equipment breakdown that took several weeks to get repaired. Once the machinery that broke down was ready to work again, weather tackled the area and stopped any productive work from happening.
Project managers are pointing to a completion date early this summer, if all goes well.
Friday, December 19
Walnut Hill project to start
Dean Word Company will begin setting up barricades and clearing the right-of-way Monday, December 21, on the Walnut Hill project in New Braunfels.
The $12.7 million project expands Walnut Avenue between Kerlick Lane and Landa Street to a five-lane road with two lanes in each direction and a center-left turn lane. The turn lane will only cover portions of that segment, but the portions involved are significant. Sidewalks and bike lanes will also be added.
We expect to have all the work finished mid-2016.
New Braunfels Utilities have been working hard to get utilities moved out of the way, and have been successful. All publicly owned aerial lines are moved as needed (a few private communication lines owned by the likes of Time Warner Cable or AT&T remain in the way) and crews are working on sewer and water lines. The underground lines will be moved by May.
Typically we don't like to have projects get underway without the utilities moved out of the way. However, because of some federal regulations regarding trees with migratory bird nests, we need to have trees and other potential nesting areas moved out of the way as needed before February 15. Over the next few weeks this removal and project clearing is the work that will be done.
The problem is, beyond the clearing work, we don't have a whole lot of areas in which to work. Clearing work will take about two weeks - maybe a little more - and Dean Word's work will be done. Again, the importance is getting the right-of-way cleared and setting up environmental controls for the work zone.
Expect daily lane closures that may reduce traffic to one-way mid-day, with a flagger controlling traffic. Hours of closures are limited to between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. These closures will happen all but Thursday (Christmas) and Friday next week and almost every day the week after.
Once that's done, Dean Word will need to wait for some NBU work to be able to move forward with other activities. One such activity is a drain structure near the Wells Fargo building that's posing a particular challenge. Project personnel are discussing a way to get that drain structure built without imposing on the NBU work in the area. NBU work will require major closures, and it doesn't look like our work can move simultaneously.
More on the work on the drain structure will come as details are hammered out.
Tuesday, December 2
Comal County roundup
One of the adverse effects of holiday-shortened months and having a lot going on elsewhere is an utter lack of updates on project in outlying areas. In this case, the several major projects in Comal County - particularly around New Braunfels - have been moving right along and we need to tell you about it.
FM 306
Last week, just before Thanksgiving, Hunter Industries set bridge support beams over the railroad crossing near Hunter Road to form the backbone for the eastbound bridge, then reworked the intersection at Hunter Road.
While this meant a minor traffic nuisance for the two days crews were out there, it marks another major step toward getting finished with the project overall. Hunter's plan is to have the Hunter Road crossing finished first, though crews will continue working on the overpass at Goodwin as well. Once the overpass near Hunter Road is finished focus will shift to the Goodwin overpass.
The hope is to have the overpass near Hunter Road finished and in use around the New Year, and to have the overpass near Goodwin Lane finished near the end of the school year. Overall project completion is scheduled before the end of the school year.
Loop 337
Another Hunter Industries project, we're falling victim to weather right now. If Hunter Industries had their way, we'd be finished with everything by now ... but cold temperatures and wet weather (much-needed wet weather!) has dampened our ability to lay asphalt and paint the roadway.
Crews were scheduled to do the last bit of asphalt and all the roadway striping last week, but weather pushed that work back. As soon as we get a stretch of weather that's warm enough and dry enough to finish things out, we'll do that.
Again, we were hoping to have the project finished by now (even though we have until January to finish up), and we're trying to have the work done very soon.
I-35 ramps
The project to reverse the entrance and exit ramps between Conrads-Kohlenberg and FM 306 is underway, with Dan Williams Company working already to construct the new northbound ramps. The overall plan is to develop the northbound side first, then move over to the southbound side. Each side should take about six months.
This project is one of our top generators of emails right now - there are several who seem concerned about the length of the northbound entrance ramp from FM 306. The barricade set up in the shoulder area has taken away the shoulder, which was being improperly used by traffic as a defacto acceleration lane.
Here's the thing: entrance ramps are actually designed so that traffic can get to appropriate highway speeds before reaching the lanes of the highway. Ramps are designed to help accelerate - they are acceleration lanes, in and of themselves.
But that's not how they're being treated.
At any rate, folks believe a safety hazard exists so we have our engineers digging through options. We've got four options being examined, and we hope to have settled on one of those four by the end of the week.
Walnut Avenue
Right now the work on Walnut Avenue, between Kerlick and Landa, is being done by NBU and is all utilities work. NBU reported this morning they are on schedule to finish their work by the start of summer. TxDOT work will begin early 2015.
FM 1101
Walnut Avenue
Right now the work on Walnut Avenue, between Kerlick and Landa, is being done by NBU and is all utilities work. NBU reported this morning they are on schedule to finish their work by the start of summer. TxDOT work will begin early 2015.
FM 1101
Right now this one is all utilities. Specifically, a certain telephone company has lines in the way and we're waiting for them to move out of the way. Hopefully those lines may be moved before we get started (early 2015) so we don't encounter any delays.
US 281 turnarounds
Nearly a year ago we gave the go-ahead to CRG to begin constructing turnarounds on U.S. 281 at Hwy 46. Almost immediately after setting up the work area, CRG realized they wouldn't be able to construct the project the way they had bid it. They halted work and began acquiring the resources (including equipment and personnel) to construct the project the way we designed it.
That process was lengthy ... and CRG went back to work just this fall. As of the end of November they've finished about half the work scheduled for the project, and they are on target to finish the work before the end of the school year.
As for the delays, those are being appropriately handled between the contractor and our area office.
US 281 turnarounds
Nearly a year ago we gave the go-ahead to CRG to begin constructing turnarounds on U.S. 281 at Hwy 46. Almost immediately after setting up the work area, CRG realized they wouldn't be able to construct the project the way they had bid it. They halted work and began acquiring the resources (including equipment and personnel) to construct the project the way we designed it.
That process was lengthy ... and CRG went back to work just this fall. As of the end of November they've finished about half the work scheduled for the project, and they are on target to finish the work before the end of the school year.
As for the delays, those are being appropriately handled between the contractor and our area office.
Thursday, September 4
Comal County round-up
Lots going on in and around Comal County in terms of highway projects ... here's a look:
Seguin Avenue
Last week (Wednesday) we formally and ceremoniously celebrated the completion of the Seguin Avenue underpass. On hand were representatives of Austin Bridge & Road, the contractor who built this project. As you may recall, this is the same contractor who built the original project back in 1935.
The event was hosted by the city of New Braunfels, and Mayor Barron Casteel reminded folks just how long the project had been in the making - at least since he was still in school, referring to his college days. He thanked Rep. Doug Miller, who helped secure the funds for the project through the Texas Proposition 12 grant from the Texas State Legislature.
With other civic leaders - those from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce and others - around, the underpass was toasted. TxDOT District Engineer Mario Jorge lauded some of the engineering of the new underpass - including the nearly 800,000-pound steel structure that now carries rail traffic safely over Seguin Avenue and the 140,000 gallon detention pond under the roadway that will store stormwater to keep the road open through all conditions.
The Loop
Hunter Industries will close portions of the intersection of Loop 337 and Altgelt Lane over the next two weekends. These closures will keep one lane going in each direction, but will squeeze traffic quite a bit. Folks are advised to find alternate routes where they can.
This will allow road builders to reconstruct the intersection. Once this work is complete (mid-September) traffic on Loop 337 between I-35 and Altgelt will shift onto the new asphalt on the south side of the road. Crews will only need a few weeks to rebuild the road on the north side of the road, and work should be ready to wrap up before Halloween.
FM 306
Another Hunter Industries project, this one hit a snag a few weeks ago in waiting for some utilities to be moved. AT&T has been on site regularly, and report they should have their work finished by mid-September. Once that work is finished, Hunter's bridge crews will go to work on the drain structures at the Hunter Road overpass.
While Hunter waits for AT&T to get out of the way, they are working on embankments and structures for the future eastbound lanes of the bridge. They've also got the turnarounds nearly complete at Coleman and at Goodwin Lane, and local traffic may begin using those immediately. This should be helping traffic move through the project a little more smoothly.
If it weren't for the utility adjustments, this project may be finished in time for the holidays. Instead, we're still on pace to be finished early in the new year - which is still ahead of our initial schedule.
U.S. 281 Spring Branch
The temporary (and, by temporary, we mean at least 2-3 years) fix for the U.S. Post Office problem is underway. Hunter Industries (yes, those guys again) is building a "detour" around the building; the northbound lanes of U.S. 281 will simply scoot left, then right again around the building.
Crews are also finishing up work north of the post office, completing the future northbound lanes of the highway. If all goes according to plan, we'll be moving northbound traffic onto the northbound lanes at the Coyote Ridge area and up through to FM 306. As the southbound lanes are finished - traffic in both directions are using the southbound side for most of the project - this will effectively split traffic to its final path.
To be clear: we won't have two lanes in each direction until work is complete (end of the year). Until then, we'll have a single lane each way, but those lanes will be on the final location of the roadway.
On the south end of the project (more or less from FM 311 south to the river) we're hoping to have traffic moved over nearly as quick; we have a few utilities to adjust and some finishing touches to some bridge structures to wrap up.
Again, all told ... we're hoping to be finished with this project around the end of the year.
Upcoming projects
Seguin Avenue
Last week (Wednesday) we formally and ceremoniously celebrated the completion of the Seguin Avenue underpass. On hand were representatives of Austin Bridge & Road, the contractor who built this project. As you may recall, this is the same contractor who built the original project back in 1935.
The event was hosted by the city of New Braunfels, and Mayor Barron Casteel reminded folks just how long the project had been in the making - at least since he was still in school, referring to his college days. He thanked Rep. Doug Miller, who helped secure the funds for the project through the Texas Proposition 12 grant from the Texas State Legislature.
With other civic leaders - those from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce and others - around, the underpass was toasted. TxDOT District Engineer Mario Jorge lauded some of the engineering of the new underpass - including the nearly 800,000-pound steel structure that now carries rail traffic safely over Seguin Avenue and the 140,000 gallon detention pond under the roadway that will store stormwater to keep the road open through all conditions.
The Loop
Hunter Industries will close portions of the intersection of Loop 337 and Altgelt Lane over the next two weekends. These closures will keep one lane going in each direction, but will squeeze traffic quite a bit. Folks are advised to find alternate routes where they can.
This will allow road builders to reconstruct the intersection. Once this work is complete (mid-September) traffic on Loop 337 between I-35 and Altgelt will shift onto the new asphalt on the south side of the road. Crews will only need a few weeks to rebuild the road on the north side of the road, and work should be ready to wrap up before Halloween.
FM 306
Another Hunter Industries project, this one hit a snag a few weeks ago in waiting for some utilities to be moved. AT&T has been on site regularly, and report they should have their work finished by mid-September. Once that work is finished, Hunter's bridge crews will go to work on the drain structures at the Hunter Road overpass.
While Hunter waits for AT&T to get out of the way, they are working on embankments and structures for the future eastbound lanes of the bridge. They've also got the turnarounds nearly complete at Coleman and at Goodwin Lane, and local traffic may begin using those immediately. This should be helping traffic move through the project a little more smoothly.
If it weren't for the utility adjustments, this project may be finished in time for the holidays. Instead, we're still on pace to be finished early in the new year - which is still ahead of our initial schedule.
U.S. 281 Spring Branch
The temporary (and, by temporary, we mean at least 2-3 years) fix for the U.S. Post Office problem is underway. Hunter Industries (yes, those guys again) is building a "detour" around the building; the northbound lanes of U.S. 281 will simply scoot left, then right again around the building.
Crews are also finishing up work north of the post office, completing the future northbound lanes of the highway. If all goes according to plan, we'll be moving northbound traffic onto the northbound lanes at the Coyote Ridge area and up through to FM 306. As the southbound lanes are finished - traffic in both directions are using the southbound side for most of the project - this will effectively split traffic to its final path.
To be clear: we won't have two lanes in each direction until work is complete (end of the year). Until then, we'll have a single lane each way, but those lanes will be on the final location of the roadway.
On the south end of the project (more or less from FM 311 south to the river) we're hoping to have traffic moved over nearly as quick; we have a few utilities to adjust and some finishing touches to some bridge structures to wrap up.
Again, all told ... we're hoping to be finished with this project around the end of the year.
Upcoming projects
- The Walnut Avenue expansion - we're calling it the "Walnut Hill" job - should start up this fall (likely late fall, like November). Right now we're still getting utilities cleared out of the way.
- The I-35 Conrads/Kohlenberg project - which will realign the entrance and exit ramps between FM 306 and Conrads/Kohlenberg on the northeast end of the county - could start as early as October.
- FM 1101 between Hwy 46 and FM 36 is getting a continuous center turn lane, sidewalks and some space for bikes (handy with three schools along the route). Though the project can start in November, we're expecting the start date to perhaps push back to January. Right now utilities are being moved.
Tuesday, July 1
Comal County roundup
It's been a few weeks since we've looked at the projects in and around Comal County ... time to get everyone updated and up-to-speed. We'll try to keep things to the point....
I-35 Selma
This project is winding down, and should be complete - totally complete - by the end of July. Representatives of Dan Williams Company have indicated they'll have crews working on the turnarounds at FM 3009 over the next two weeks and hope to have it in play by mid-July. Right now their focus is squarely on the main lanes of I-35, which are being resurfaced and striped with overnight work.
The turnaround at FM 1518 also remains, but should be built along with the turnaround at FM 3009.
Questions have abounded about the timing on this project. We are examining the impacts of events beyond the control of the contractor (including design issues and weather-related delays), and may credit that time to the contractor as appropriate. Given the circumstances, TxDOT engineers doing these reviews indicate they may conclude the contractor was able to successfully perform the work within the allotted time (adjusted for these delays).
That's a round-about, technical way of saying the project is still running on time.
Loop 337
Mark your calendars for July 7. It's that date that Hunter Industries has set aside to close the driveway for the truck stop on Loop 337 so they can rebuild the road in that area. The closure should last only a few short weeks, and when that work is done the contractor plans to move traffic onto the new asphalt. The current asphalt will be torn up to allow the road to be rebuilt.
All told, Hunter is aiming at having the road reconstruction finished somewhere around the end of August or early September. If that happens, the whole project (which expands the overpass bridge at Loop 337 and I-35 to handle the added capacity brought, in part, by the truck stop) could be done as early as October. That would be at least three months earlier than anticipated.
There are factors that could knock that goal back a bit, but for right now that's the target.
Seguin Avenue
The rock face facade on the retaining walls has taken a little longer than anticipated. Austin Bridge Company hoped to be finished with the project last week, but they are looking now at being done by the end of July. That's not just an optimistic aim, either. With most of the infrastructure finished up - as well as the last pieces of the retaining wall facade being put in place - all that will remain by the end of next week is a final layer of asphalt and pavement markings. Well, that and a few other adjustments.
Bottom line: this project will be complete by the end of July.
FM 306
Most are well aware of the overpasses at the two railroad crossings. Hunter Industries has also tweaked the traffic signals at Common Street, optimizing traffic flow.
We're dealing with some conflicts with AT&T in the area still, and that's slowing the pace a bit. Even still, the folks at Hunter are aiming for early 2015 to be finished with everything. That still looks extremely doable.
FM 1101
This project was just awarded to Hunter Industries, and expands FM 1101 between Hwy 46 and the extension of FM 306 on the north side of New Braunfels.
We're aiming at early fall to begin work. This will go through two - two - school zones, so folks commuting to those schools should be aware of changing conditions as we begin work.
U.S. 281 Comal
The biggest question here is how we're going to get around the U.S. Post Office in Spring Branch. Once that question is answered, the project will be able to wrap up pretty quickly. In fact, we're eyeing a completion date of this fall - something like nine months earlier than we had planned at the start of the project.
That said, we still need to figure out the Post Office issue. We've got a couple of ideas on the table, but we need to iron out the costs associated with these plans. We're doing so with the constant reminder these solutions are temporary. When the USPS is able to vacate the building, we'll go back and finish the job as it was originally planned.
U.S. 281 and Hwy 46
Those out in Bulverde know of the barricades we've got in place for a project that adds turnarounds on U.S. 281 at Hwy 46. CRG - that's the name of the contractor - has halted work for a while because they're trying to renegotiate the way the project is constructed. We're doing our best to work with them and get them working as quickly as possible.
Because work could resume any day now, we can't remove the barricades that were put in place and restripe the roadway. That would cost us quite a bit of money, and could have to be undone in a simple matter of days. We know it's frustrating to see the barricades without much going on, but for now we're a bit stuck.
Walnut Avenue
Back to New Braunfels for a moment....
The Walnut Avenue job is still in the middle of a 180-day delay to allow for utilities to be adjusted. We're aiming right now at getting work going early 2015. Between now and then, folks may see utilities crews out there adjusting lines as appropriate. At least, we hope that's seen by folks.
I-35 at FM 306
Another new project to be awarded is a project that will realign the exit and entrance ramps along I-35 between FM 306 and Conrads/Kohlenberg north of New Braunfels. This project has been awarded to The Dan Williams Company, and is slated to begin (most likely) early 2015. We've got a bit of a delay built into the project for utility adjustments. The project is pretty straight-forward, and should take less than a year to construct.
I-35 Selma
This project is winding down, and should be complete - totally complete - by the end of July. Representatives of Dan Williams Company have indicated they'll have crews working on the turnarounds at FM 3009 over the next two weeks and hope to have it in play by mid-July. Right now their focus is squarely on the main lanes of I-35, which are being resurfaced and striped with overnight work.
The turnaround at FM 1518 also remains, but should be built along with the turnaround at FM 3009.
Questions have abounded about the timing on this project. We are examining the impacts of events beyond the control of the contractor (including design issues and weather-related delays), and may credit that time to the contractor as appropriate. Given the circumstances, TxDOT engineers doing these reviews indicate they may conclude the contractor was able to successfully perform the work within the allotted time (adjusted for these delays).
That's a round-about, technical way of saying the project is still running on time.
Loop 337
Mark your calendars for July 7. It's that date that Hunter Industries has set aside to close the driveway for the truck stop on Loop 337 so they can rebuild the road in that area. The closure should last only a few short weeks, and when that work is done the contractor plans to move traffic onto the new asphalt. The current asphalt will be torn up to allow the road to be rebuilt.
All told, Hunter is aiming at having the road reconstruction finished somewhere around the end of August or early September. If that happens, the whole project (which expands the overpass bridge at Loop 337 and I-35 to handle the added capacity brought, in part, by the truck stop) could be done as early as October. That would be at least three months earlier than anticipated.
There are factors that could knock that goal back a bit, but for right now that's the target.
Seguin Avenue
The rock face facade on the retaining walls has taken a little longer than anticipated. Austin Bridge Company hoped to be finished with the project last week, but they are looking now at being done by the end of July. That's not just an optimistic aim, either. With most of the infrastructure finished up - as well as the last pieces of the retaining wall facade being put in place - all that will remain by the end of next week is a final layer of asphalt and pavement markings. Well, that and a few other adjustments.
Bottom line: this project will be complete by the end of July.
FM 306
Most are well aware of the overpasses at the two railroad crossings. Hunter Industries has also tweaked the traffic signals at Common Street, optimizing traffic flow.
We're dealing with some conflicts with AT&T in the area still, and that's slowing the pace a bit. Even still, the folks at Hunter are aiming for early 2015 to be finished with everything. That still looks extremely doable.
FM 1101
This project was just awarded to Hunter Industries, and expands FM 1101 between Hwy 46 and the extension of FM 306 on the north side of New Braunfels.
We're aiming at early fall to begin work. This will go through two - two - school zones, so folks commuting to those schools should be aware of changing conditions as we begin work.
U.S. 281 Comal
The biggest question here is how we're going to get around the U.S. Post Office in Spring Branch. Once that question is answered, the project will be able to wrap up pretty quickly. In fact, we're eyeing a completion date of this fall - something like nine months earlier than we had planned at the start of the project.
That said, we still need to figure out the Post Office issue. We've got a couple of ideas on the table, but we need to iron out the costs associated with these plans. We're doing so with the constant reminder these solutions are temporary. When the USPS is able to vacate the building, we'll go back and finish the job as it was originally planned.
U.S. 281 and Hwy 46
Those out in Bulverde know of the barricades we've got in place for a project that adds turnarounds on U.S. 281 at Hwy 46. CRG - that's the name of the contractor - has halted work for a while because they're trying to renegotiate the way the project is constructed. We're doing our best to work with them and get them working as quickly as possible.
Because work could resume any day now, we can't remove the barricades that were put in place and restripe the roadway. That would cost us quite a bit of money, and could have to be undone in a simple matter of days. We know it's frustrating to see the barricades without much going on, but for now we're a bit stuck.
Walnut Avenue
Back to New Braunfels for a moment....
The Walnut Avenue job is still in the middle of a 180-day delay to allow for utilities to be adjusted. We're aiming right now at getting work going early 2015. Between now and then, folks may see utilities crews out there adjusting lines as appropriate. At least, we hope that's seen by folks.
I-35 at FM 306
Another new project to be awarded is a project that will realign the exit and entrance ramps along I-35 between FM 306 and Conrads/Kohlenberg north of New Braunfels. This project has been awarded to The Dan Williams Company, and is slated to begin (most likely) early 2015. We've got a bit of a delay built into the project for utility adjustments. The project is pretty straight-forward, and should take less than a year to construct.
Thursday, February 13
Future projects: Loop 1604 (east San Antonio), Walnut Avenue (NewBraunfels)
Today Bexar County and its construction partners broke ground on a project expanding Loop 1604 to a four-lane divided highway between Randolph Air Force Base and I-10 on the east side of San Antonio. Meanwhile, in New Braunfels, utility companies are preparing to mobilize crews that will address conflicts with an upcoming expansion project on Walnut Avenue between Landa Street and Kerlick Lane.
Loop 1604
Bexar County provided the funds to make this important project happen, and they are managing the year-and-a-half of work. When the work is finished, TxDOT will buy the project from the county (so to speak) at a price that will be determined by a complex formula involving traffic counts and actual costs. Ordinarily, the purchase price for the state is around 80 percent the total cost of construction, which is $23.5 million.
This is a funding method called "pass-through financing", and it allows local contributions maximum leverage to get state funds dedicated to mobility projects. Comal County has successfully used the method a number of times, including on Highway 46 on the west side of New Braunfels.
Credit for the work to secure this funding goes to the Bexar County Commissioner's Court and the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization. They are the entities with control over transportation purse strings, and the elected officials on those councils worked hard to ensure this work happens.
Alright ... so on to the scope of the actual project....
The work will turn Loop 1604 into a four-lane divided highway between I-10 and Lower Seguin Road on the city's far east side. Basically, it'll match what we (TxDOT) built back in 2011 between FM 78 and Lower Seguin Road. Right now the road is a two-lane country road, carrying over 25,000 cars per day. We think the expansion of this roadway will serve each of our department goals of maintaining safety, addressing congestion and connecting Texas communities. How will it do that?
Walnut Avenue
Loop 1604
Bexar County provided the funds to make this important project happen, and they are managing the year-and-a-half of work. When the work is finished, TxDOT will buy the project from the county (so to speak) at a price that will be determined by a complex formula involving traffic counts and actual costs. Ordinarily, the purchase price for the state is around 80 percent the total cost of construction, which is $23.5 million.
This is a funding method called "pass-through financing", and it allows local contributions maximum leverage to get state funds dedicated to mobility projects. Comal County has successfully used the method a number of times, including on Highway 46 on the west side of New Braunfels.
Credit for the work to secure this funding goes to the Bexar County Commissioner's Court and the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization. They are the entities with control over transportation purse strings, and the elected officials on those councils worked hard to ensure this work happens.
Alright ... so on to the scope of the actual project....
The work will turn Loop 1604 into a four-lane divided highway between I-10 and Lower Seguin Road on the city's far east side. Basically, it'll match what we (TxDOT) built back in 2011 between FM 78 and Lower Seguin Road. Right now the road is a two-lane country road, carrying over 25,000 cars per day. We think the expansion of this roadway will serve each of our department goals of maintaining safety, addressing congestion and connecting Texas communities. How will it do that?
- Maintain a safe system Any time you seperate oncoming traffic from one another you are almost automatically improving safety. The risk of catastrophic head-on collisions is reduced to a minimum and a little extra wiggle room is given to protect us from others who can't seem to stay in their own lane.
- Address congestion Again ... we're adding capacity all the way on this. The new road has an added lane in each direction to carry traffic. Gone will be the days of getting stuck behind a piece of farm equipment going 30 miles per hour when you're running late; you should be able to cruise at the posted speed limit all the way through.
- Connect Texas communities Clearly this is an area that's growing, and the corridor is becoming increasingly important as bedroom communities in the county's eastern rural areas become more suburban. Though our 2012 numbers show the corridor supporting more than 25,000 cars per day, the same area only carried about 18,500 cars per day three years earlier. For those keeping score at home, that's an increase of more than 35 percent in just three years. Put another way, that's a bump of better than 10 percent each year. With a trend like that continuing, we could see use jump to more than 30,000 cars per day by 2015. We'd reach 50,000 cars per day by 2020. Not to mention it simply makes sense to have four lanes reaching from I-10 all the way around to U.S. Hwy 90 on the north side of San Antonio.
Walnut Avenue
We've been working for a few years now on the plan to widen Walnut Avenue "up the hill" in New Braunfels. Essentially, this effort will match the winding road to the rest of Walnut Avenue/Highway 46 on either side of it, including the center left-turn lane and the bike lanes and sidewalks. The total price tag is an estimated $12.6 million for work that will take a full year-and-a-half to complete.
Now, that's when we get started on the work. We received bids earlier this month and anticipate announcing a contractor late February or the first few days of March. Ordinarily, that would mean seeing construction activities as early as May or June.
This contract has a built-in delay that will push our start to this fall while utility crews (contracted by our friends at New Braunfels Utilities) work on getting all appropriate lines out of the way before work starts.
Now, the interesting portion of this project is between Grandview Avenue and Howard Street. Those who drive the area routinely know there's a large rock face on both sides of the road. In order to widen the road we have to add to or take away from a cliff face. We decided to add. We also decided to make things a little easier on ourselves by eliminating the left-turn lane on this stretch. Not much call for it anyway - there's nowhere to turn!
In order to accomplish this widening, we'll build what's called a "Mechanically Stabilized Earth" wall on the downhill side (south side, or along the eastbound side). This MSE wall is a really big retaining wall that will range between 20 and 35 feet tall from the bottom of the wall to the top of the
Initially I told you we were widening the road in both directions. I was partially correct; We’re expanding in both directions along the whole area, except for the cliff portion of the project. In that area we’re going to use a retaining wall to build up the needed expansion area on the downhill side, preserving the existing cliff face on the north side of the roadway. This will allow us to preserve the rock face on the uphill slope and do all our widening on the downhill slope.
The length of the MSE wall? about 2,200 feet; that's nearly half a mile!
Monday, August 5
Project roundup (because ... well ... it's all about being in the know!)
First of all, the goal when this blog was launched was to publish between three and five meaningful posts each week to let folks know what's going on with specific construction projects and construction-related road closures.
The problem with all that is when the poster is out-of-town, no posts get published. So ... in lieu of the last two weeks' worth of posts, here's a round-up of everything that's been happening on our major highway road projects in the San Antonio district. I'll start with the rural projects and work cityward (is that a word, even? If not, it is now...).
Kerr County - Hwy 39 (Ingram)
During a recent meeting of the minds between Ingram city officials and TxDOT staff, plans to work heavily on the Hwy 39 bridge over Johnson Creek were outlined.
According the the most recent construction schedule, the expansion of the bridge - it's being widened to accommodate the widened road, which will include sidewalks and bike lanes along with a center left-turn lane - should be finished early this fall. Until the work is finished, no pedestrian traffic should be permitted on the bridge. It's simply unsafe with the work zone barricaded off and only enough space on the bridge for the two active lanes of traffic. Because of the proximity to Ingram Tom Moore High School, this may present an issue for some of the local youth. We are working with school district officials to develop a solution for the few weeks of overlap we'll have with the upcoming school year.
Beyond the work on the Johnson Creek Bridge, work has begun and reached about the quarter-way-there mark on the new bridge over the Guadalupe River at Cade Loop Road. The column shafts sticking out of the water are at their final heights, though we still need to build column caps (which act as shelves for support beams) and build the deck itself. All that will come once the work on Johnson Creek Bridge is finished.
Meanwhile, we've begun building the detour - which will really act as a temporary road path side-by-side with the current roadway - which will be in use by late August so road crews can install drain structures along the west end of the project. Businesses in the middle of the project should also expect more action in front of their locations over the next week or two.
Kendall County - Main Street
With the signal upgrades nearing completion, the work on the Cibolo Creek Bridge is also headed quickly toward its finish line. Most of the overnight closures - used to allow bridge crews to safely hang beams and perform other major structure work - are done, but a few remain. Those closures, as always, will be announced as they arrive.
Comal County - US 281 through Spring Branch
Two of the final three property parcels have been acquired by TxDOT to continue construction, and we'll be able to work on those properties by October (there's a 90-day grace period so anything the former landowner wanted to keep can be salvaged). The final piece of land to acquire is the land where the Spring Branch Post Office is located. I don't have any updates on that.
It's really common for TxDOT to begin a project having acquired all but a few final pieces of land through right-of-way acquisition. It allows us to expedite projects and provide our safe, reliable solutions to safety or congestion issues to Texas drivers all that much faster.
Otherwise, work on the project is steaming along. Most of the future south-bound lanes between the Blanco County line and FM 311 are formed and built, waiting concrete and cement. We've still got a few gaps due to utility conflicts, but otherwise we're all in place up that way. Further south, we've got land being cleared along Coyote Ridge. Nothing being worked on (for now) really impacts daily traffic.
There is a concern about trucks entering and exiting the roadway, however. Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do beyond telling truck drivers to be more cogniscent of the traffic flow. We've posted signs reading "TRUCKS ENTERING ROADWAY" signs in an effort to make drivers more aware this is an issue, but it (sadly) won't be going away any time soon. Because of the unpredictable and intermittent frequency of this, we simply cannot have flaggers or other traffic control out there to get these trucks in and out of the roadway. For now, we're reminding drivers to be good neighbors.
Comal County - FM 306
With efforts to add strategically located turning and passing lanes in the Canyon Lake area nearing an end - most of the pavement was in place by the end of last week, and job bosses are looking for a dry spell to allow lanes to be painted successfully - most of the concern on FM 306 has turned to the segment near Gruene.
In tha last few weeks folks have seen the bridge support structures go up for the future west-bound lanes near Hunter Road, and some of the similar work is happening near Goodwin Lane. As we begin putting caps - those shelves that top the columns and hold up the beams on bridges - on the columns at Hunter, look for the columns to start going up near Goodwin. We've already made some good headway on the retaining walls that will hold the approach to the overpass at Goodwin.
That bridge work is and will be the most visible work we do over the next several weeks. Yes, we're busy putting inlet drains in and working on a few other underground things ... and we've got some of the portions of roadway to be widened already graded out and the base layers of asphalt is down ... but we've still got a long way to go. Perhaps the most significant change for folks driving this corridor is the upgraded traffic signals. We've changed the signal devices from the old-fashioned timers to a new VIVDS Camera system. Basically, we've made the signals smart, and that should improve the traffic flow a bit while we're still in construction.
Comal County - Seguin Avenue
The magic day to mark on the calendar on this project is September 9. On that morning Seguin Avenue will be closed - completely and totally - at the UPRR underpass near I-35. The closure will last six months. Traffic will be detoured onto Nacogdoches Street, Comal Avenue and Hampe Street to get to their respective destinations.
Again, that's September 9. For six months.
Between now and then, you'll see more of the same stuff you've seen all summer. Work continues - and is nearing completion - on the new retaining wall. Drill shafts are being worked on to support the temporary "shoo-fly" detour. None of the work happening now will impact traffic until the summer is over. But, once September 9 hits, well ... hopefully you're getting the idea!
Comal County - Walnut Avenue
A clear distinction needs to be made here. The project at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Landa Street, extending along Walnut Avenue south/east of that intersection, is being overseen by the city of New Braunfels. The TxDOT project on Walnut Avenue (which will expand the street and add sidewalks and bike lanes) is set to begin next year after utilities are appropriately adjusted. These adjustments are slated for later this year and early 2013.
Comal County - FM 2252 and FM 3009
After a three-week haiatus from the project - the contractor turned the intersection back over to TxDOT while we tested the new signal cabinets and got things calibrated appropriately - the contractor is back on the job. THey are scheduled to have the new signals in place by 8 August and should have the project buttoned up by the middle of the month.
Keep in mind most remaining work will be done at night, so you might not see the crews at work. We're trying to stay out of the way!
Comal/Guadalupe/Bexar County - I-35 Selma
This project ... wow. Where do I begin? Let's start north and work down from there.
The turnarounds at FM 3009 have been put at a lower priority on the list of tasks on this project, but should still be hammered out by the first part of September. That's the aim, for now. Crews were reallocated to the ramps and highway expansion between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway.
About two weeks ago we opened the north-bound exit ramp to Schertz Parkway. We can't get the entrance ramp from FM 1518 opened up quite yet as there are some concerns about the distance between that entrance ramp and the exit to FM 3009 without all the expansion work in place. The south-bound entrance ramp from Schertz Parkway was opened when the main lanes were repaved over the weekend. The closures caused some heavy congestion, but crews were able to work quickly and get the lanes reopened a full two hours earlier than estimated.
We are still working on the highway widening between Schertz Pkwy and FM 1518 ... but we're getting there! We have the south-bound exit to FM 1518 to finish up as well, and the south-to-north turnaround to complete.
A design team at our district office has taken over the reworking of the construction sequence and traffic control plan for the north-bound exit to Forum Parkway. We're hopeful to have a new plan in place this week and get shovels in the ground again, allowing us to have that finished and reopened around Halloween.
Bexar County - Wurzbach Parkway
This three-in-one project (it's actually three seperate projects, but I talk about it as if it were one) has been interesting over the last couple of years. The biggest question asked is the one I'll answer first: When's it going to be done? The answer is in three parts:
Closer to U.S. Highway 281, crews are working on the bridge structures east of the highway. There's a lot of activity on Bitters at U.S. 281, as well as at Nakoma and Hwy 281. This work has required some turnaround closures at both locations and some actual lane closures of Bitters Road under the highway. we're expecting work to continue in both locations for another five months or so, but the contractor has been working hard to get the traffic lanes reopened sooner.
Efforts to get Jones-Maltsberger finished (it's been involved with closures and a detour configuration for over a year now) and sized up for the future intersection with the Parkway are moving more intensely. Last week electricians were building the infrastructure needed for all the traffic signals and pedestrian sign posts. We're hoping to have the road opened to its final, four-plus lane configuration by the end of September.
Bexar County: Vance Jackson overpass bridge
With everything else in the district, this significant project has managed to fly under the radar a bit. The good news is we're nearly finished, and hope to have the bridge opened for use by the end of September. That will allow traffic along Vance Jackson from, say, DeZavala Road to reach The Rim without turnarounds or using I-10. We're hoping it affords local traffic a viable alternate to I-10 in the event of heavy traffic during peak hours.
Bexar County: Marbach Road overpass
With work on a sound wall along the north-bound lanes south of Marbach, the biggest work (for now) outside the median area is underway. For the most part, we've not had a ton of major lane closures as yet. That will change (a little) when we start building the actual overpass bridge at Marbach ... but that's still quite a way out.
The best news of all is knowing this project is running on time and is (so far) pretty smooth. (Quick - somebody knock on some wood!) We're hoping to be finished by early fall next year. I'll say this: having met the head honcho with the contracting company (Capital Excavation) on that project, I've met few motivated to get a project as quickly as this group is. They really want to be in, out and done.
Bexar County: I-10 Huebner
This project is moving right along with Webber Construction pushing the cart. Bridge building crews are just a couple of weeks from having work on the I-10 overpass at Fredericksburg Road finished, which means traffic will be returned to a full three lanes on the main lanes by the end of the month. (May be a little sooner than that, even!)
It also means some relief at the intersections of I-10, Huebner and Fredericksburg is in sight. It's a tough area to start with during peak hours, and we know the work we've been doing has complicated things. Thank you to those who've dealt so well with the work we're doing.
Those driving the project have noted the retaining walls near UTSA Boulevard as well. We're glad to be moving forward with that work. Seems so many struggles getting the support structures for those walls have been encountered, it's really satisfying to see the walls take shape.
The goal for the contractor is to get everything else ready for major work at the DeZavala overpass to start this fall. That work is going to result in major pinch points for traffic along I-10 and DeZavala; the main lanes will be squeezed (made narrower) and shifted over. If anyone drove through I-410 during work on the north side of San Antonio a few years back, they'll recognize the traffic patterns.
When we get into the DeZavala bridge (we're lifting it, and in turn need to lengthen the bridge and widen it a bit), we'll close down BOTH turnarounds underneath. This work will continue for a full year - six months in each direction. The work has incentives tied to it, and the contractor stands to earn an extra $300K for each side if the work can be done fast enough.
Job bosses are telling me they hope to be finished with the entire project by the start of 2015 - which is only six months behind the initial schedule (most of the delay coming from the bankruptcy proceedings for Ballenger Construction).
Bexar County: Fred-Med
Questions on this project come weekly, so here's what we've got:
We selected a contractor earlier this summer (the project went through the entire bid process all over again) and expect to start work in September. This is a two-year job, so expect to see action until near the end of 2015.
Texas Sterling Construction won the contract with a bid of a little more than $13.8 million, which was pretty well in line with the construction estimate offered by our engineers. All told, the project has a projected total cost of about $14.6 million.
Bexar County: I-35 SAMMC
This project is going to be a doozy. It's all about safety, and the U.S. Department of Defense even kicked in a bit of money (to the tune of more than $20 million, enough to pay for more than a third of the total construction) to make this happen.
While we're expanding the highway between the north and the south I-410 interchanges on I-35, the biggest thing we're doing here is moving the ramp from south-bound I-35 to south-bound I-410 to the right side. Currently, as a left-hand exit, we're seeing some safety concerns and some traffic bog-down from trucks moving across four lanes of traffic to reach the ramp.
We're hoping to shave something like five minutes off the average commute time through this corridor with this improvement (and a host of others). But growing pains will come first, and the work on the 4.6-mile stretch is scheduled to be finished by mid-2017.
Lane Construction - one of the largest road builders in the country - won the award for the $74.4 million project. We're expecting this work to kick off in the next month or so.
That's it - for now!
That just about sums it up. I'll have smaller posts related to each project as they progress. Thanks for your patience!
The problem with all that is when the poster is out-of-town, no posts get published. So ... in lieu of the last two weeks' worth of posts, here's a round-up of everything that's been happening on our major highway road projects in the San Antonio district. I'll start with the rural projects and work cityward (is that a word, even? If not, it is now...).
Kerr County - Hwy 39 (Ingram)
During a recent meeting of the minds between Ingram city officials and TxDOT staff, plans to work heavily on the Hwy 39 bridge over Johnson Creek were outlined.
According the the most recent construction schedule, the expansion of the bridge - it's being widened to accommodate the widened road, which will include sidewalks and bike lanes along with a center left-turn lane - should be finished early this fall. Until the work is finished, no pedestrian traffic should be permitted on the bridge. It's simply unsafe with the work zone barricaded off and only enough space on the bridge for the two active lanes of traffic. Because of the proximity to Ingram Tom Moore High School, this may present an issue for some of the local youth. We are working with school district officials to develop a solution for the few weeks of overlap we'll have with the upcoming school year.
Beyond the work on the Johnson Creek Bridge, work has begun and reached about the quarter-way-there mark on the new bridge over the Guadalupe River at Cade Loop Road. The column shafts sticking out of the water are at their final heights, though we still need to build column caps (which act as shelves for support beams) and build the deck itself. All that will come once the work on Johnson Creek Bridge is finished.
Meanwhile, we've begun building the detour - which will really act as a temporary road path side-by-side with the current roadway - which will be in use by late August so road crews can install drain structures along the west end of the project. Businesses in the middle of the project should also expect more action in front of their locations over the next week or two.
Kendall County - Main Street
With the signal upgrades nearing completion, the work on the Cibolo Creek Bridge is also headed quickly toward its finish line. Most of the overnight closures - used to allow bridge crews to safely hang beams and perform other major structure work - are done, but a few remain. Those closures, as always, will be announced as they arrive.
Comal County - US 281 through Spring Branch
Two of the final three property parcels have been acquired by TxDOT to continue construction, and we'll be able to work on those properties by October (there's a 90-day grace period so anything the former landowner wanted to keep can be salvaged). The final piece of land to acquire is the land where the Spring Branch Post Office is located. I don't have any updates on that.
It's really common for TxDOT to begin a project having acquired all but a few final pieces of land through right-of-way acquisition. It allows us to expedite projects and provide our safe, reliable solutions to safety or congestion issues to Texas drivers all that much faster.
Otherwise, work on the project is steaming along. Most of the future south-bound lanes between the Blanco County line and FM 311 are formed and built, waiting concrete and cement. We've still got a few gaps due to utility conflicts, but otherwise we're all in place up that way. Further south, we've got land being cleared along Coyote Ridge. Nothing being worked on (for now) really impacts daily traffic.
There is a concern about trucks entering and exiting the roadway, however. Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do beyond telling truck drivers to be more cogniscent of the traffic flow. We've posted signs reading "TRUCKS ENTERING ROADWAY" signs in an effort to make drivers more aware this is an issue, but it (sadly) won't be going away any time soon. Because of the unpredictable and intermittent frequency of this, we simply cannot have flaggers or other traffic control out there to get these trucks in and out of the roadway. For now, we're reminding drivers to be good neighbors.
Comal County - FM 306
With efforts to add strategically located turning and passing lanes in the Canyon Lake area nearing an end - most of the pavement was in place by the end of last week, and job bosses are looking for a dry spell to allow lanes to be painted successfully - most of the concern on FM 306 has turned to the segment near Gruene.
In tha last few weeks folks have seen the bridge support structures go up for the future west-bound lanes near Hunter Road, and some of the similar work is happening near Goodwin Lane. As we begin putting caps - those shelves that top the columns and hold up the beams on bridges - on the columns at Hunter, look for the columns to start going up near Goodwin. We've already made some good headway on the retaining walls that will hold the approach to the overpass at Goodwin.
That bridge work is and will be the most visible work we do over the next several weeks. Yes, we're busy putting inlet drains in and working on a few other underground things ... and we've got some of the portions of roadway to be widened already graded out and the base layers of asphalt is down ... but we've still got a long way to go. Perhaps the most significant change for folks driving this corridor is the upgraded traffic signals. We've changed the signal devices from the old-fashioned timers to a new VIVDS Camera system. Basically, we've made the signals smart, and that should improve the traffic flow a bit while we're still in construction.
Comal County - Seguin Avenue
The magic day to mark on the calendar on this project is September 9. On that morning Seguin Avenue will be closed - completely and totally - at the UPRR underpass near I-35. The closure will last six months. Traffic will be detoured onto Nacogdoches Street, Comal Avenue and Hampe Street to get to their respective destinations.
Again, that's September 9. For six months.
Between now and then, you'll see more of the same stuff you've seen all summer. Work continues - and is nearing completion - on the new retaining wall. Drill shafts are being worked on to support the temporary "shoo-fly" detour. None of the work happening now will impact traffic until the summer is over. But, once September 9 hits, well ... hopefully you're getting the idea!
Comal County - Walnut Avenue
A clear distinction needs to be made here. The project at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Landa Street, extending along Walnut Avenue south/east of that intersection, is being overseen by the city of New Braunfels. The TxDOT project on Walnut Avenue (which will expand the street and add sidewalks and bike lanes) is set to begin next year after utilities are appropriately adjusted. These adjustments are slated for later this year and early 2013.
Comal County - FM 2252 and FM 3009
After a three-week haiatus from the project - the contractor turned the intersection back over to TxDOT while we tested the new signal cabinets and got things calibrated appropriately - the contractor is back on the job. THey are scheduled to have the new signals in place by 8 August and should have the project buttoned up by the middle of the month.
Keep in mind most remaining work will be done at night, so you might not see the crews at work. We're trying to stay out of the way!
Comal/Guadalupe/Bexar County - I-35 Selma
This project ... wow. Where do I begin? Let's start north and work down from there.
The turnarounds at FM 3009 have been put at a lower priority on the list of tasks on this project, but should still be hammered out by the first part of September. That's the aim, for now. Crews were reallocated to the ramps and highway expansion between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway.
About two weeks ago we opened the north-bound exit ramp to Schertz Parkway. We can't get the entrance ramp from FM 1518 opened up quite yet as there are some concerns about the distance between that entrance ramp and the exit to FM 3009 without all the expansion work in place. The south-bound entrance ramp from Schertz Parkway was opened when the main lanes were repaved over the weekend. The closures caused some heavy congestion, but crews were able to work quickly and get the lanes reopened a full two hours earlier than estimated.
We are still working on the highway widening between Schertz Pkwy and FM 1518 ... but we're getting there! We have the south-bound exit to FM 1518 to finish up as well, and the south-to-north turnaround to complete.
A design team at our district office has taken over the reworking of the construction sequence and traffic control plan for the north-bound exit to Forum Parkway. We're hopeful to have a new plan in place this week and get shovels in the ground again, allowing us to have that finished and reopened around Halloween.
Bexar County - Wurzbach Parkway
This three-in-one project (it's actually three seperate projects, but I talk about it as if it were one) has been interesting over the last couple of years. The biggest question asked is the one I'll answer first: When's it going to be done? The answer is in three parts:
- Blanco-to-West: Early fall 2013
- West-to-Jones Maltsberger: Early 2015
- JM-to-Wetmore: Mid 2014
Closer to U.S. Highway 281, crews are working on the bridge structures east of the highway. There's a lot of activity on Bitters at U.S. 281, as well as at Nakoma and Hwy 281. This work has required some turnaround closures at both locations and some actual lane closures of Bitters Road under the highway. we're expecting work to continue in both locations for another five months or so, but the contractor has been working hard to get the traffic lanes reopened sooner.
Efforts to get Jones-Maltsberger finished (it's been involved with closures and a detour configuration for over a year now) and sized up for the future intersection with the Parkway are moving more intensely. Last week electricians were building the infrastructure needed for all the traffic signals and pedestrian sign posts. We're hoping to have the road opened to its final, four-plus lane configuration by the end of September.
Bexar County: Vance Jackson overpass bridge
With everything else in the district, this significant project has managed to fly under the radar a bit. The good news is we're nearly finished, and hope to have the bridge opened for use by the end of September. That will allow traffic along Vance Jackson from, say, DeZavala Road to reach The Rim without turnarounds or using I-10. We're hoping it affords local traffic a viable alternate to I-10 in the event of heavy traffic during peak hours.
Bexar County: Marbach Road overpass
With work on a sound wall along the north-bound lanes south of Marbach, the biggest work (for now) outside the median area is underway. For the most part, we've not had a ton of major lane closures as yet. That will change (a little) when we start building the actual overpass bridge at Marbach ... but that's still quite a way out.
The best news of all is knowing this project is running on time and is (so far) pretty smooth. (Quick - somebody knock on some wood!) We're hoping to be finished by early fall next year. I'll say this: having met the head honcho with the contracting company (Capital Excavation) on that project, I've met few motivated to get a project as quickly as this group is. They really want to be in, out and done.
Bexar County: I-10 Huebner
This project is moving right along with Webber Construction pushing the cart. Bridge building crews are just a couple of weeks from having work on the I-10 overpass at Fredericksburg Road finished, which means traffic will be returned to a full three lanes on the main lanes by the end of the month. (May be a little sooner than that, even!)
It also means some relief at the intersections of I-10, Huebner and Fredericksburg is in sight. It's a tough area to start with during peak hours, and we know the work we've been doing has complicated things. Thank you to those who've dealt so well with the work we're doing.
Those driving the project have noted the retaining walls near UTSA Boulevard as well. We're glad to be moving forward with that work. Seems so many struggles getting the support structures for those walls have been encountered, it's really satisfying to see the walls take shape.
The goal for the contractor is to get everything else ready for major work at the DeZavala overpass to start this fall. That work is going to result in major pinch points for traffic along I-10 and DeZavala; the main lanes will be squeezed (made narrower) and shifted over. If anyone drove through I-410 during work on the north side of San Antonio a few years back, they'll recognize the traffic patterns.
When we get into the DeZavala bridge (we're lifting it, and in turn need to lengthen the bridge and widen it a bit), we'll close down BOTH turnarounds underneath. This work will continue for a full year - six months in each direction. The work has incentives tied to it, and the contractor stands to earn an extra $300K for each side if the work can be done fast enough.
Job bosses are telling me they hope to be finished with the entire project by the start of 2015 - which is only six months behind the initial schedule (most of the delay coming from the bankruptcy proceedings for Ballenger Construction).
Bexar County: Fred-Med
Questions on this project come weekly, so here's what we've got:
We selected a contractor earlier this summer (the project went through the entire bid process all over again) and expect to start work in September. This is a two-year job, so expect to see action until near the end of 2015.
Texas Sterling Construction won the contract with a bid of a little more than $13.8 million, which was pretty well in line with the construction estimate offered by our engineers. All told, the project has a projected total cost of about $14.6 million.
Bexar County: I-35 SAMMC
This project is going to be a doozy. It's all about safety, and the U.S. Department of Defense even kicked in a bit of money (to the tune of more than $20 million, enough to pay for more than a third of the total construction) to make this happen.
While we're expanding the highway between the north and the south I-410 interchanges on I-35, the biggest thing we're doing here is moving the ramp from south-bound I-35 to south-bound I-410 to the right side. Currently, as a left-hand exit, we're seeing some safety concerns and some traffic bog-down from trucks moving across four lanes of traffic to reach the ramp.
We're hoping to shave something like five minutes off the average commute time through this corridor with this improvement (and a host of others). But growing pains will come first, and the work on the 4.6-mile stretch is scheduled to be finished by mid-2017.
Lane Construction - one of the largest road builders in the country - won the award for the $74.4 million project. We're expecting this work to kick off in the next month or so.
That's it - for now!
That just about sums it up. I'll have smaller posts related to each project as they progress. Thanks for your patience!
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