Traffic switch on Ralph Fair Road at I-10

We know that we're looking at pretty much a 100 percent chance of rain - and a good amount of it - for Saturday, but we're still planning to switch traffic on Ralph Fair Road at I-10. There's a Plan A, Plan B and a Plan C in place right now. We should have a final plan on what's happening nailed down by midday Friday. Here are our plans, so you can be prepared:

Plan A (pending weather)

Saturday morning, November 22, Sundt will shut down the Ralph Fair Road bridge and the left half of the frontage roads (both sides) approaching Ralph Fair Road. Crews will spend the weekend laying asphalt on the frontage roads approaching the intersection to tie in the new bridge.

By late in the day the traffic lanes of Ralph Fair Road across I-10 will be striped to use the new bridge structure, and crews will have everything opened back up by Sunday morning.

Plan B (pending availability of crews/materials)

Saturday evening, November 22, Sundt will shut down the Ralph Fair Road bridge and the left side of the frontage roads (both sides). Work to move the lanes on the bridge would begin Sunday, November 23, and Sundt would have the new bridge ready for traffic by Monday morning's commute.

Plan C (if we get lots of rain this week and weekend)

Basically we'll go with Plan A, pushed back to Saturday, December 6. The reason for pushing it back so far is to avoid Thanksgiving weekend. If we can avoid impacting big travel weekends like that, we certainly do.

The detour route

Whatever plan we go with, the detour route will be relatively simple: traffic from Ralph Fair Road will be pushed north/west to Fair Oaks Ranch Pkwy to turn around, then continue on to its destination that way. If you're coming from the Boerne area to reach Ralph Fair Road, you'll go to Boerne Stage Road and use the intersections to turn around, then use Old Fredericksburg Road to get back to Ralph Fair Road.

The frontage roads will be limited to a single lane at Ralph Fair Road, so expect traffic to pinch and back up a little bit. We will have officers strategically positioned to keep traffic flowing the best we can, so please be patient as you go through and know we really are paying attention and trying to get you where you need to go.

Looking ahead

Once we get traffic moved off the old bridge and onto the new bridge, crews will begin preparing for the demolition of the old bridge. That demolition will happen on the next available weekend after getting traffic switched at Ralph Fair Road. That means Plan A/B would mean the demo work would happen December 5-8 and if we push to Plan C the demo work would happen December 12-15.

The demolition of the old bridge will require a full closure of I-10 main lanes, just like we've done a couple of times before. The difference is this time Sundt won't be able to speed through the process and finish in a matter of hours. Bridge demolition like this will require a few feet of dirt and sand laid on the roadway before anything begins - this dirt and sand protects the I-10 road surface from major damage caused by falling chunks off concrete. Once the bridge is demolished and the debris is cleared ad hauled away, the road would need to be cleaned off.

It's a laborious process, and we anticipate needing every bit of the Friday night through Monday morning schedule when the time comes.

Again, that's (Plan A/B) Friday, Dec. 5 through Monday, Dec. 8 or (Plan C) Friday, Dec. 12 through Monday, Dec. 15.

Look for a tweet Friday telling whether we'll be using Plan A, Plan B or Plan C. Our Twitter feed is at http://www.twitter.com/TxDOTSanAntonio.

Wurzbach Parkway progress

After a bit of a haiatus on posts for this project, it's time to get a more in-depth run-down of what's happening on Wurzbach Parkway.

First, to answer a question that's come from a variety of places: will the frontage roads between West Avenue and U.S. 281 open in time to be used as a detour for the West Avenue work by the city?

The short answer: no.

Longer answer: First of all, the work on West Avenue involves the city of San Antonio, not TxDOT. Our roadway projects was not intended to be considered as a viable detour route, as it has always been scheduled for completion mid- to late-2015. We cannot change that schedule to appease an outside project like that.

Before the frontage roads can be open, we still have work on drain inlets to finish. We have barrier rails that are yet incomplete. We don't have a final surface  of asphalt down yet. We don't have street signs up (they've not yet been fabricated, even). We don't have pavement markings down. We don't have our overhead highway sign supports finished.

While the roadway is, for the most part, in place and we have concrete barriers ... we are still a long way from having things ready for traffic. What's more, if we were to open the frontage roads out-of-sequence, the contractor would be assuming liability for the drivers on the roadway. If you've met a contractor before, you already know how unlikely that would be.

So, that's the longer answer ... but it can be summed up simply: The Wurzbach Parkway frontage roads between West Avenue and U.S. Highway 281 will not be a viable detour route for the city's work on West Avenue.

Alright, next topic: the eastern segment, spanning Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore.

Our pavement and materials lab is testing the concrete and the substructure (that's all the dirt under the concrete) for the approach slabs on the parkway as it approaches Starcrest from either side. We know it's deficient, but we're trying to determine whether it's a problem with materials, with the way it was constructed or if it's a design issue. It's not about to crumble any time soon, but we want to be sure the product we deliver is quality and is built to last.

The reason for the testing and the forensics investigation by the lab is to deterrmine the source of the cause, which will determine whose checking account will cover the fix. Once that is determined, work on the fix will begin in earnest. Until the fault is determined, work on the entire stretch of parkway between Jones-Maltsberger and Wetmore is on hold.

Once we have the fix complete and the parkway is OK to carry traffic, we'll switch traffic over and begin letting folks use the parkway. Well, with the exception of the left lane (in both directions) at the city's brush site. We still have a concrete median barrier to finish up, which can't be done until traffic is using the parkway itself.

Best-case scenario, we'll have the parkway opened up between Jones-Maltsberger and Wetmore early 2015.

The final segment, spanning West Avenue to Jones-Maltsberger, is on pace to be finished mid-2015. Right now the bulk of work is on the U.S. 281 area: inlets are being built and completed; electrical connections for lighting is going in; bridge crews are busy  on the overpass at U.S. 281; road crews are getting ready to build the new ramps on the southbound side between Bitters Road and Nakoma Drive.

The southbound ramps will be built and in use before the northbound ramps will be. That's mainly because of the bridge work (which is ongoing) for the braided ramp going to Bitters Road and coming from Nakoma Drive on the northbound side. Again, that work is ongoing but will take a bit longer to finish than the work on the southbound side will. The new Wurzbach Parkway exit, which will be about where the current/old Bitters Road exit ramp is at, has a barrier rail that needs to be worked on before it will be ready to open. Again, the work on the southbound side will be done before that's ready to be complete.

The turnarounds at Nakoma Drive will likely be among the last items to be finished on the project, as they require work to reach the final phase before they can be done.

Just for emphasis: we are on pace to have the final segment of the Parkway complete mid-2015.

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10

• Saturday-Sunday, November 15-16. 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. continuous. Eastbound main lanes between Pine Street and Roland Avenue. Alternating lanes will close while crews restripe the road and move traffic. This closure includes the entrance ramp from Pine Street, which will remain closed up to six months. Traffic will use the next available ramp. 
• Sunday-Friday, November 16-21. 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Huebner Road and UTSA Boulevard (northwest San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews build concrete barrier and work on overhead highway signs.
• Sunday-Friday, November 16-21. 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road (Northwest San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
• Monday-Friday, November 17-21. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road (Northwest San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
• Monday-Friday, November 17-21. 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Eastbound frontage road between University Heights and DeZavala Road (Northwest San Antonio). All lanes will close while crews do road work. Traffic will turn right onto University Drive, left onto Silicon Drive, then left onto DeZavala Road to reach its destination.
• Tuesday-Thursday, November 18-20. 7:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes between Pine Street and Roland Avenue (east San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews switch travel lanes.
• Wednesday-Thursday, November 19-20. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Westbound main lanes between Roland Avenue and Walters Street (east San Antonio). The left lane will close while crews work on the digital message board.
• Saturday, November 22. 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Eastbound main lanes between Pine Street and Roland Avenue (east San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews shift travel lanes.

 I-35

• Sunday, November 16. 3 a.m. until 2 p.m. Southbound main lanes between Eisenhauer and George Beach (Northeast San Antonio). The two right lanes will close while crews shift traffic.
• Sunday-Friday, November 16-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Randolph Boulevard (Northeast San Antonio). Two right lanes will close while crews move barrier.
• Sunday-Friday, November 16-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Rittiman and Eisenhauer roads (Northeast San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews place barrier.
• Sunday-Tuesday, November 16-18. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between FM 3009 and Solms Road (Schertz-New Braunfels). All lanes will close while crews repair the pavement base and repave the road. Traffic will exit FM 3009 and re-enter the highway after Solms Road.
• Monday-Friday, November 17-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Solms Road and FM 3009 (Schertz-New Braunfels). Alternating lanes will close while crews mark the pavement.

I-410

• Sunday-Friday, November 16-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound exit to southbound I-35 (Northeast San Antonio). The right lane will close while crews move barrier.

U.S. Highway 281

• Saturday, November 15. 4 a.m. until 3 p.m. Southbound frontage road between Bitters Road and Nakoma Drive (north-central San Antonio). All lanes will close while crews pour the bridge deck for the Wurzbach Parkway overpass bridge. Traffic will enter the main lanes and exit again at Nakoma. Traffic missing the ramp may use Interpark to reach its destination.
• Tuesday-Saturday, November 18-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound frontage road between Nakoma Drive and Bitters Road (north-central San Antonio). The two right lanes will close while crews install drain inlets.

Loop 1604

• Monday, November 17. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Northbound main lanes at Culebra Road (northwest San Antonio). The right lane will close while crews work on the guardrail.

Other roads

• Monday-Saturday, November 17-22. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Fredericksburg Road between Louis Pasteur and Data Point. Alternating lanes will close as needed for road work.
• Monday-Saturday, November 17-22. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Medical Drive between Ewing Halsell and Fairhaven Street. Alternating lanes will close as needed for road work.

All closures are pending weather.

A little tweak on I-10 near Ralph Fair Road

Earlier this year, when the frontage roads of I-10 were converted to one-way between Ralph Fair Road and Boerne Stage Road in the Leon Springs area, a small segment of frontage road between Autumn Stage Road and Boerne Stage Road was left two-way to facilitate traffic during the county's Boerne Stage Road project.

As of Monday, November 17, that small segment will be permanently converted to one-way traffic. Traffic that used Autumn Stage Road to reach the Stage Run subdivision will need to use Boerne Stage Road and Baywater Stage Road.

The good news: This should significantly help traffic at I-10 and Boerne Stage Road, allowing us to time the traffic signals to allow a stronger flow of traffic in various directions. The difference won't be huge, but it should be enough to improve the commutes of those driving through the area just a little.

Meanwhile, crews with Sundt Construction are planning to switch traffic on Ralph Fair Road onto the new bridge surface the weekend of November 21-23. That switch won't make a huge dent in traffic flow over the weekend, but should cause a bit of slowing.

With traffic off the old bridge, Sundt will be ready to demolish the structure to make way for the new bridge taking its place. That demolition is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of December 5-8. That work will require the full closure of I-10 at Ralph Fair Road, similar to the closures we've used before.

Remember: right now the December 5-8 schedule is tentative.

Wurzbach Parkway progress

First, a hearty THANK YOU to those who've asked for an update. It's hard to believe this project hasn't had an update written in well over a month ... but that's exactly what's happened.

We'll blame it on our focus on Fred-Med and on I-10. And I-35. And ... well, an absolute lack of excuses.

Meanwhile, Williams Brothers has continued to develop the overpass bridges over U.S. Highway 281 and the roadway between West Avenue and Highway 281 and between Highway 281 and Jones-Maltsberger. Meanwhile, crews are working on the new entrance and exit ramps along the northbound side of U.S. 281. Once the bridge deck for the overpass is finished, expect to see work on the southbound side as well.

The segment between West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger is still on track for completion mid-2015.

The segment between Jones-Maltsberger and Wetmore has run into some snags. We previously had looked at mid-October for a targeted completion date. However, we discovered some issues with the road surface near the overpass bridge at Starcrest.

The process to fix it has to begin with determining who is financially responsible for the fix. We have forensic engineers taking a look at things to determine if the issue is caused by the design or if it's caused by the way it was constructed. That will determine who is on the hook for the bill to fix the issue.

Once we figure out who's paying for what, we'll be able to get moving to repair the issue. Until then, the contractor will use their resources on other projects.

We still have the concrete barrier near the city brush dump site to finish, but that will not be done until we're ready to put traffic on the entire stretch of the Parkway from Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore. That can't happen until the issue at Starcrest is resolved.

So ... when will we be finished with this segment and have the parkway opened for use between Jones-Maltsberger and Wetmore?

Right now we're hoping to have it ready for use by the first of 2015.