Fred-Med: night work helps accelerate work during the day

Construction work during any time of the day is difficult - and at times inconvenient - for anyone neighboring an active project. Daytime neighbors see delays in traffic flow and can deal with sun-dried dust. That's kicked up (though we try to use water trucks to keep the dust at a minimum). Overnight neighbors deal with noise and lights.

To all of our neighbors, we are sympathetic and understanding. We, like you, are residents of the area and taxpayers, and we get frustrated about the work as well.

This project is unique in that it sets withing a tight transition area between a commercial area and a residential area. We do our level best to minimize our nuisance, but we hear a few neighbors lament our work schedule. The good news is most of the work that's causing such angst should be done by the end of summer. In the meantime, here's why we do what we do:

Utility work - including storm drain work and moving water lines - is typically done at night in order to minimalize the impact of services to residents. We do what we can with excavation during the day, but when it comes to moving water lines, power lines, gas lines ... well, that's all best done at night. (In fact, we are planning one such interrtion the night if Monday, July 14, for the folks at Spyglass Hill. Their water should be back on by Tuesday morning's shower time.)

Road work is done around-the-clock on this project. It's also a six-days-per-week job, meaning we've got guys working on weekends. This was done to speed up the project. Think of it: we have guys working on the job 18-20 hours each day, six days each week. Our estimated project duration was just shy of 18 months when we got going. What if we only worked Monday through Friday, 8 to 5? Why, this project wouldn't be done until almost 2017!

We also have unique bridge support structures being built under Fredericksburg Road. They're under those huge steel plates folks drive over at the intersection....

Anyway, some of that work can be done during the day, but a lot of it is done at night so we can close roadway lanes. We can't do closures during the day for a slew of reasons, so that stuff - including the louder drill work - has to be done overnight.

While we're on the topic of night work (and weekend work), let's talk about a date to mark on your calendar: July 18. 

That Friday night, starting around 8 p.m., Texas Sterling will reduce traffic on Medical Drive at Ewing Halsell to a single lane each way while crews rebuild the roadway to match the eventual footprint in the area. Police will be on hand to ensure folks headed to hospital facilities for emergencies will be able to do so quickly. The closure will be opened back up to two lanes each way by Monday at 5 a.m.

The latest look at the intersection itself:

http://spher.es/420007

Major work on I-10 at DeZavala is ON for this weekend

We just got word at 11:30 today from the local leadership team with Webber Construction confirming this weekend's major work will indeed happen. This will mean major closures on the main lanes of I-10 between UTSA Blvd and Huebner Rd Friday night into Saturday morning and on DeZavala Road through the weekend.

Here are the closures:
- All but one lane of eastbound I-10 is scheduled to close Friday night at 8:30 p.m. and reopen at 5 a.m. Saturday.

- DeZavala Road will close at I-10 Friday night at 8:30 p.m. and reopen Monday morning at 5 a.m.

- The turnarounds under I-10 at DeZavala Road will close for a year, beginning Friday night.

- Eastbound and westbound main lanes will be limited to three 11-foot lanes each way for the next year, beginning Saturday morning.

During these closures, access will be possible for all - but it will be frustrating for most. The posted detour for DeZavala traffic is to turn right onto the frontage road, then turn around at UTSA Blvd (southbound DZV) or at Fredericksburg Rd (northbound DZV). The best thing for folks to do is find an alternate route to get to your destination. We are hoping people avoid the intersection of DeZavala Road and I-10 unless it's absolutely needed; if you're using the intersection, please plan some extra time into your commute. If you are a walker note that all through traffic under I-10 at DeZavala - including foot and bike traffic - is restricted this weekend. Walkers and bikers will need to use the crosswalks at UTSA Blvd. or at Huebner Rd. to reach their destination.

No detour is needed for traffic on I-10, but expect significant delays Friday night and Saturday.

These closures will allow Webber to tear out the eastbound side of the overpass bridge and begin a six-month process of reconstructing the bridge. The overpass will be taller, wider and longer than the current bridge is (though most of us will only notice the widening). Once the eastbound side is done, Webber will move over to the westbound side (requiring another weekend like this one).

Excavation for the new bridge support structures will begin immediately after this weekend's demolition work. Daily drivers could see the bridge support columns begin going up by the end of the month. This work can be mostly done without major closures, but folks should anticipate occasional daytime closures on the frontage roads. These won't be major, but will mirror closures Webber has had in recent weeks.

Major I-10 closures scheduled next weekend

This won't be a "granddaddy" of a closure, but it won't exactly be a picnic, either.

Now, before we move on, I want to acknowledge that we've discussed this closure before. Several times, actually. In fact, so often I fear we've become a bit like the Highway Department that keeps crying "wolf"....

Delays in work by equipment, contractor turnover and weather have pushed this work back ... well, several months. As of right now, Webber Construction has scheduled a hard date to do this work next weekend (that is, July 11-14).

Here are the closures (pending weather):

- All but one lane of eastbound I-10 is scheduled to close Friday night at 11 p.m. and reopen at 5 a.m. Saturday.

- DeZavala Road will close at I-10 Friday night through Monday morning.

- The turnarounds under I-10 at DeZavala Road will close for a year, beginning Friday night.

- Eastbound and westbound main lanes will be limited. To three 11-foot lanes for the next year, beginning Saturday morning.

As we've said before, this is part of the expansion of I-10 between Huebner Road and Loop 1604. We are also raising the bridge and making it just a bit longer to meet geometric requirements. This means knocking out the old bridges and building new ones.

This Saturday we will demo the first side, the side currently carrying eastbound traffic.

The earliest we'll know if any of this changes is Tuesday, but we want to be sure that if it does happen folks will have adequate time to plan accordingly.

Next week's construction-related closures

*Note: No closures scheduled for the holiday weekend. Be safe, and enjoy your Fourth of July!

Interstate 10

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Westbound main lanes between Huebner Road and UTSA Boulevard (northwest San Antonio)

The right lane will close while crews widen the road at the area of the Woodstone exit ramp. The ramp will be closed as part of this closure. Traffic will use the next available ramp. Expect delays.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Eastbound main lanes between Loop 1604 and Fredericksburg Road (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. Expect delays.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. This closure includes the exit ramp to Woodstone Drive. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around. This closure includes the east-to-west turnaround at Huebner Road. Traffic will move through the intersection to turn around.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. This closure includes the exit and entrance ramps around DeZavala Road. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and place asphalt. This closure includes, as needed, the exit ramps to Woodstone Drive and DeZavala Road and the entrance ramp from UTSA Boulevard. Traffic will use the next available ramp. Expect delays.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. This closure includes the exit and entrance ramps around DeZavala Road. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around.

Interstate 35

Sunday-Friday, July 6-11

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Northbound main lanes between FM 2252 and Solms Road (Schertz)

Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the pavement base. Expect delays.

Sunday-Friday, July 6-11

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Southbound main lanes between Solms Road and FM 3009 (Schertz)

Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the pavement base. Expect delays.

Sunday-Friday, July 6-11

9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Main lanes, both directions, between Judson Road and Evans Road (Live Oak)

Alternating lanes will close in each direction while crews resurface the roadway.

Interstate 37

No closures scheduled.

Interstate 410

No closures scheduled.

Loop 1604

Sunday-Saturday, July 6-12

9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily

Main lanes, both directions, between Culebra and Bandera roads (northwest San Antonio)

Various shoulder locations will close while crews prepare the work area.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

10 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Northbound main lanes between Shaenfield and Culebra roads (northwest San Antonio)

The right lane and shoulder will close while crews set barrier. Expect delays.

Monday-Tuesday, July 7-8

10 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Northbound main lanes at Culebra Road (northwest San Antonio)

The right lane and shoulder will close while crews drill the foundation for a sign support structure. Expect delays.

Monday-Tuesday, July 7-8

10 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Southbound main lanes at Bandara Road (northwest San Antonio)

The right lane and shoulder will close while crews drill the foundation for a sign support structure. Expect delays.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily

Main lanes, both directions, between Emory Peak and Spurs Ranch/Big Mesa (far west Bexar County)

The left lane will close while crews build sidewalk. Expect delays.

Monday-Friday, July 7-11

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Main lanes, both directions, between Emory Peak and Spurs Ranch/Big Mesa (far west Bexar County)

The left lane will close while crews resurface the road. Expect delays.

Saturday-Monday, July 12-14

1 a.m. until 5 a.m. continuous

Main lanes, both directions, between Emory Peak and Spurs Ranch/Big Mesa (far west Bexar County)

The left lane will close while crews resurface the road. Expect delays.

U.S. Highway 90

No closures scheduled.

U.S. Highway 281

No closures scheduled.

Other roads

Sunday-Saturday, July 6-12

8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Fredericksburg Road, both directions, between Louis Pasteur and Data Point (Medical Center)

Alternating lanes will close while crews build bridge support structures. Expect delays.

Sunday-Saturday, July 6-12

8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Medical Drive, both directions, between Fredericksburg Road and Ewing Halsell (Medical Center)

Alternating lanes will close while crews work on the road. Expect delays.

Friday-Monday, July 11-14

8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Medical Drive, both directions, between Fredericksburg Road and Ewing Halsell (Medical Center)

Alternating lanes will close while crews work on the road. Expect delays.

All planned lane closures are pending weather.

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.