First Prop 1 project for the area approved

We've got several posts in the hopper, but haven't been able to finish any to have them ready for posting this week - it's been pretty busy around here as we've helped field questions about road closures and damage and a whole lot of other stuff in the wake of last weekend's flooding.

But yesterday a state-wide news release went out that's worth commenting on, and we didn't want to delay. So, though we've got some other topics about to post as well (today may be a busy day on this blog...), here's a few words about the first Prop 1 project to be approved for the San Antonio area.

Several Prop 1 projects across the state have already been approved - we have about 200 of them planned in all - but for San Antonio, a project that spans U.S. 90 between I-410 and Loop 1604 on the city's west side is the first to be formally approved with a contractor bid accepted. This happened at the monthly Transportation Commission meeting, with about 40 projects approved statewide this week.

Once the contractor has signed all the appropriate contracts, we'll talk more about that. For now, here are the important details (there are also some slide shows from the public meetings processes here):

Who
The apparent low bidder is Hunter Industries, of San Marcos. Hunter has done a number of projects in Comal County in recent years (the U.S. 281 expansion in Spring Branch, the reconfiguration of the Lp 337 overpass bridge over I-35, the FM 306 expansion between I-35 and Gruene and addition of passing lanes along FM 306 in Canyon Lake are some examples) and a few years ago constructed the Loop 1604 superstreet intersections at New Guilbeau and Shaenfield roads.


What

• Convert the frontage roads of U.S. 90 between I-410 and Lp 1604 to one-way frontage roads
• Adjust ramps to fit new one-way frontage road configuration
• Build a new west-to-east turnaround at Loop 1604

Why
The frontage roads conversion is a safety first project. In metro and urban areas, we're doing what we can to eliminate two-way frontage roads as we see a higher frequency of wrong-way drivers along these roads. Also, the added traffic in this area due to continued growth requires us to address congestion issues - and one-way frontage roads will help that for current and future growth.

When
With a bid accepted and approved, we're about three months or thereabouts from starting construction. Once we get going, expect the project to last somewhere around two years. That means we can expect work to begin late 2015 and finish late 2017.

How
Prop 1 funding - that's right, this will be the first (of many) projects in San Antonio funded through Proposition 1, which was approved by voters last fall. This project carries an estimated total project cost of $26.2 million.

New projects upcoming

In December the Texas Transportation Commission approved contract awards for six projects in the San Antonio District, totaling $13.5 million in work spread across five counties.

Atascosa County

On U.S. Hwy 281 between I-37 and FM 1099, at Campbellton, Hunter Industries will work to restore the roadway and improve some of the intersections. The $1.5 million restoration work will address some of the deterioration due to recent heavy truck traffic, while the intersection improvements will improve safety at key intersections.

The intersections to be improved are at FM 140, FM 791 and FM 1099.

Bexar County

On San Pedro Road between I-410 and U.S. 281, in north-central San Antonio, Clark Construction will repair and replace the roadway base. The $1 million project will mostly be done at night in order to avoid impacting daytime traffic.

Frio County

On FM 1581 between FM 117 and Divot Road, south of Pearsall, Angel Brothers Enterprises will widen the road to add a continuous left-turn lane. The $1.9 million project also improves the intersection at Divot Road.

Uvalde County

On U.S. Hwy 90 between the Kinney County line and FM 481, west of Uvalde, Ace Asphalt will improve safety features along the roadway. The $1.4 million project will add inverted pavement rumble strips and flatten roadway side slopes.

On FM 117 between U.S. Hwy 83 and the Zavala County line, south of Uvalde, Hunter Industries will restore and rebuild the roadway. The $2.1 million project will address roadway deterioration issues along the 6.7-mile stretch brought by increased truck traffic.

Wilson County

On FM 541 between U.S. Hwy 181 and the Atascosa County line, southwest of Poth, Dean Word COmpany will rehabilitate and widen the existing roadway. The $5.6 million job will add shoulders to the roadway, enhancing safety along a corridor carrying heavy truck traffic.

Work on all projects will begin this spring.

Projects awarded in March

In an ongoing effort to improve safety and address congestion, the Texas Transportation Commission last month awarded $3.4 million in contracts, split among four projects, including the repair of park roads at Garner State Park and upgrades to signals in San Antonio and Atascosa counties.

Salinas Construction, of New Braunfels, will repair and resurface the roads and parking lots at the park. All this work will be done on areas that are already paved; no new pavement is being placed at the park. The total project cost is $1.1 million, with $891,000 in construction costs.

“Our state’s natural beauty has long been a point of pride, so it is imperative that we keep state park roadways safe for Texans and out-of-state visitors,” said Commissioner Fred Underwood, of the Texas Transportation Commission. “The benefits offered by our state parks will continue to be enjoyed by all with the approval of this project.”

Other projects awarded to contractors include an upgrade of traffic signals at five intersections along North Bryan Street near Pleasanton High School. Signals at Highway 97, Adams Street, Stadium Drive, Goodwin Street and Bensdale Road will be upgraded, and the intersection of Wilshire Road will get a new set of signals. These signals will include smart technology, allowing the signals to communicate with one another to optimize traffic flow.

Levy Construction will perform this signal work, winning the job with a bid of $740,000. The overall project cost is estimated at $1 million.

Levy will also perform work to upgrade various traffic signals across Bexar County as part of a district-wide initiative, directed by the district traffic engineer. The contract for this work is worth $1.3 million, with a total project cost of $1.6 million.

Rounding the list of projects approved by the commission last month is the repair of the Leon Creek bridge on Somerset Road in Bexar County. K-Bar Services, of Pleasanton, will rehabilitate the surface of the bridge deck. Their awarded contract is worth $425,300; the total project cost is $462,000.

These projects will begin this summer. None of them will take more than a few months to complete.

November bids accepted

*Each month the routine business – that is, the approval of low-bid awards by the Texas Transportation Commission – will be announced as part of a push to ensure Texans know about each TxDOT construction project in their respective area. The idea here is to make sure every construction project, and not just the major ones, is recognized and accounted for - at least at the project's start.

A word about the bid proces.... Each month bids are accepted over the course of a few days for specific projects that are "let" across the state. The bids are sent to the Texas Transportation Commission, in Austin, to be officially awarded during their montly meeting (held toward the end of the month). By rule, TxDOT awards contracts to the lowest bonded bid - that helps eliminate any shenanigans in the bid process. We don't want Bobby to get all the work because he and Carl are best buds while Bill stands out in the cold, even though Bill might have the right qualifications. We want to be as fair as possible.

The projects described below are at least a few months from starting, and only the projects within the San Antonio District boundaries are described here. At any rate, here's our first of a monthly series announcing project contracts awarded to our contractors:

In an ongoing effort to improve safety and address congestion,the Texas Transportation Commission approved a total of $9.8 million to seal coat two stretches of the state highway system in Frio and in Kendall counties.

Clark Construction of Texas, Inc., submitted an accepted low bid of $4.7 million to seal coat Texas Spur 581 between Farm to Market 1582 and the southbound I-35 frontage road south of Pearsall. That work will take about six months to complete and should begin early spring 2014.

Ronald R. Wagner & Co. submitted an accepted low bid of $5.1 million to seal coat less than a mile of Ranch to Market 473 at FM 1376 in Kendall County. The work will take about eight months to complete and should begin early spring 2014.

“As Texas roadways become increasingly crowded, we must find ways to relieve congestion without compromising safety,” said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director. “Keeping travelers moving safely and efficiently will continue to be an ongoing priority as Texas welcomes nearly 1,000 newcomers each day.”

Seal coats, also known as chip seals, are simple and relatively inexpensive pavement surfaces designed to extend the life of a roadway. A seal coat is an application of a layer of asphalt binder covered with a layer of aggregate, or rock chips, atop an existing paved surface. The average life of a seal coat or surface treatment is about six to eight years; however, some have performed successfully for periods of up to 20 years.

These projects typically require lane closures to complete – often a single lane at a time – and, in rural areas, can cause traffic to be limited to a single lane in each direction. Temperature requirements for the asphalt limit work to spring, summer and fall months.