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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For #NWZAW: Major construction zones for this weekend

It's National Work Zone Awareness Week (#NWZAW) for the transportation industry, and hopefully you're seeing some of the talk about work zone safety on your social media news feeds, on billboards during your commute or on the television. Hey, you might even be hearing about it on the radio.

The bottom line is this: the roads you drive on each day are our offices. Can you imagine a steady stream of 50- or 60- or 70-miles-per-hour traffic along the corridor between your cubicle and the water cooler at your office? That's what our guys experience. Every. Single. Day.

That's why we ask you to slow down when you're driving through a work zone. That's our office, and we'd like to go home safely each day.

Three of our "offices" will be of particular concern this weekend. Here we get to the meat of this post - a pair of major closures that will yield major traffic shifts in San Antonio.

I-35

We will have all lanes of southbound I-35 closed between Rittiman Road and George Beach Saturday night and through Sunday morning. This will allow crews to move barrier and restripe the main lanes to follow the new permanent southbound main lanes of I-35.

The new lanes of I-35 are shifted significantly, allowing traffic to southbound I-410 to begin exiting to the right side of the road. In this area, many trucks coming from Rittiman Road sweep across several lanes of traffic to reach the old ramp. These trucks will have access to the new right-side ramp directly from Rittiman, helping to keep the flow of traffic on southbound I-35 flowing.

I-10 (northwest SA)

Beginning Friday night, all but one eastbound lane of I-10 will close between UTSA Blvd and Huebner Rd while crews restripe the road. This closure includes an alternating rotation of exit and entrance ramps. All lanes will reopen in time for Monday's morning commute.

On the frontage roads we will have officers directing traffic at the intersection of DeZavala Road. Expect delays on DeZavala as officers will likely give priority to the I-10 traffic.

If this is your planned travel area, you may wish to add a solid half hour to your travel plans. When the work is finished, the main lanes will open up to five full lanes plus an auxiliary lane over DeZavala.

I-10 (east SA)

Over on the east side of San Antonio, just east of downtown, we'll have a day-long closure Saturday on the westbound main lanes of I-10 between Roland Avenue and Pine Street. The right lane will close while crews move barrier and restripe the road.

That work will begin 7 a.m. Saturday and will wrap up by 7 p.m., and again Sunday night at 9 until 5:30 a.m. Monday.

Why all at once?

We get the question often enough, we may as well answer the question now: Why in the world would we schedule so many major closures across the city at the same time?

The answer: With the holidays and events in line for the month of April, failure to perform the traffic shifts scheduled for this weekend would mean pushing this work back until May. That would delay these projects a full month.

Some of the work we're doing this weekend was indeed scheduled for earlier weekends, but was pushed back because of weather. So ... here we are. We are faced with tough decisions, but this is the most responsible course to take in order to provide the congestion relief drivers in these areas are clamoring for.