Mail Bag: Loop 1604 NW, How to Use the Blog, I-10 and more

What happens to the light poles on the center median that are taken down before construction? Where are they taken?
- Josie

Great question, Josie. And we've got a pretty simple answer, too. The short version is the fate of these older light poles greatly depends on the nature of the work and contract we have with the contractor. In some cases, the poles are salvaged and re-used. In others, the poles become the property of the contractor (this is part of their bid package; some contractors are able to bid lower dollar amounts knowing they'll also end up with some equipment like light poles as well) and new poles can be used.


Where is the closure information regarding the westbound lanes of I-10 at Heubner through UTSA Boulevard? I do not see the information on your Web site. The lack of posting the information and the closure of three lanes on a four lane interstate at 8:30pm is not appropriate. The work could be accomplished by closing two lanes at a time.
- Ricky

This closure - along with all other planned construction-related closures in the San Antonio region - was posted online right here on the Go Ahead! blog. This announcement is also sent to traditional media outlets. Because of the fluid nature of the closures along I-10 between Huebner and Loop 1604, we don't publish them on the TxDOT main Web site. For the same reason, and because of the temporary nature of these closures, we don't post specifics of the closure on the map application we have - that is reserved, by policy, for larger closures and weather-related stuff (like ice or floods).

As for the number of lanes closed, when we're working on the middle lanes we actually do need to take three lanes. This is done for safety - the safety of our crews as well as that of motorists. Safety will always be our top priority for stuff like this. By taking three lanes we can work in one lane and have a buffer area of one lane either side of our work crews, allowing for a safe work environment. This is considered a best practice that's used not only Texas-wide, but also nation-wide. It's not specific to us in San Antonio. Because it is, indeed, a larger closure we avoid daytime and peak traffic times. The closures start at 8:30 p.m. and are finished by 5:30 a.m.

We have had issues with the contractor closing multiple consecutive ramps, but that is being resolved with our contractor. That's not a best practice, and we're taking steps to ensure we don't have consecutive exits or consecutive entrances in the future.


I'm new to this site. Great info! Are there any new updates to the Shaenfield-Loop 1604 area work?
- Rich

Thanks - glad it's helping you out!
We had a post on the Loop 1604 project (tagged as "Loop 1604 Northwest") just this last week - Tuesday, in fact.
For all projects and posts, we use a tag cloud to help folks narrow their search of blog posts for specific projects. The tag cloud is that big mass of words - it seems random, but it's not - to the left of the screen when you're looking at the blog from your browser. The tags are listed in alphabetical order, and you'll notice the tags with more posts (like "closures") are much larger in the cloud than tags with very few associated posts.
The challenge is reading our minds regarding what we've named projects - we've tried to be as intuitive as possible. For instance, the expansion of Loop 1604 on the northwest side of town between Bandera and Culebra roads (including Shaenfield) is tagged "Loop 1604 Northwest" and the project at the intersection of Fredericksburg and Medical Drive is tagged "Fred-Med".
If you're finding some projects tagged in a way that's tough to decipher, let us know! We can always re-tag something - we just need to know when something doesn't make sense! Give us some reasons and some suggested alternatives, by the way. Solutions accompanying a sincere complaint will always gain the most traction with us.


How much longer do we have to wait for the project on Hwy 281 at Loop 1604 to begin?- David

Great question - and one we're only partially capable of answering. Hwy 281 - particularly north of Loop 1604 - falls under the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, who has what we call a "right of primacy" (also known as "dibs") on that corridor and is overseeing future development.
That includes getting finalized environmental clearance on the project, which should come this summer (according to the RMA, with whom we spoke on the phone to find answers to this question). The Environmental Impact Statement is finished and can be viewed by pretty much anyone online right here. Once that environmental clearance is issued work will begin in earnest to finish the designs for the project. The good folks with the RMA say they're shooting for early 2017 as a start date for the work on U.S. 281 north of Loop 1604 - and that includes the remaining connectors from Loop 1604 to U.S. 281.


The green traffic light for the westbound frontage road of I-10 at Ralph Fair Road is way too short! It allows only 4-5 vehicles (depending on type of vehicle) through before cycling to yellow. Traffic is backing up beyond the I-10 on ramp in the mornings. All is lost if someone is making a left turn onto Ralph Fair, as the lane configuration does not allow for any way around them to make a right turn on a red light. Can the length of the green light please be extended?
- Bernie

Bernie, we've had several mention issues with signal timing at this intersection, but yours is the first to tell us we're giving too little green time to the I-10 frontage road. Most are exactly the opposite.
That said, we clearly need to make sure our contractors are ensuring the timing is right and the detection system is picking up traffic appropriately.
As for that right-turn movement ... we should have that opened back up when we finish repaving the intersection in the next couple of weeks. When we're all done, that westbound frontage road will have one through lane, a left-turn lane and a right-turn lane. You'll be able to get where you're going a lot easier than you did before we got going.


I had a quick question regarding the FM 306 project Hunter Industries is working on. Part of the project was to create side roads to connect Goodwin Lane up to FM 306, one of which wraps around under the new railroad overpass. The side road themselves are completely lacking any type of curbs or water control of any sort nor any form of sidewalks for pedestrians to utilize. There are multiple apartment complexes in the vicinity and with all the care to pedestrian access on 306, I would have thought the side roads would have also included sidewalks.
Is this just temporary or was this the intended final design?
- Peter

Peter, when these plans were drawn up most of those apartments were completely non-existent. In fact, when we started construction there was one apartment complex along the entire project - one. Since then, following growth in that area of New Braunfels, apartments have been built.
We do not have in our plans sidewalks along the turnarounds under the UPRR underpasses. These turnarounds are built as access points to an area that is decidedly industrial (or so it was when the project was designed, using input from the general public).
That said, we can look into an additional project to add sidewalks and curbs. In order to make that a priority, you'll need to work with your local elected officials and the Metropolitan Planning Organization.


Anything you can find out about future plans for the intersection of I-10 and Scenic Loop Road in Boerne?
- Kam

A picture is always worth a thousand words, so here's a look (via a PowerPoint presentation to the Boerne City Council last month) at what's proposed and being planned. Keep in mind this $10 million project will take about two years to complete and will start late 2015 or early 2016.

Notice that we're adding turnarounds (proposed!), expanding the intersection itself and likely doing some work on the I-10 overpass itself. Again, this is all proposed - it's not yet finalized.
Also, forgive the use of "IH 10" on the slide - we just can't break our engineers of using that moniker....


TxDOT's site has an illustration of the new Hwy 151 intersection, and it is not clear on how Culebra connects to Hwy 151. Can you clarify?
- David

This picture should show a little better what's happening out there (and on pace to be finished by the end of 2016). As for the connection from Culebra Road, heading south along the Loop 1604 access road to reach the Hwy 151 ramp ... well, that's not happening. There's just not enough space to accommodate both traffic movements from southbound Loop 1604 main lanes onto westbound Alamo Ranch Parkway and southbound Loop 1604 frontage road onto eastbound Hwy 151.
Those involved with the planning process determined more traffic would be coming from southbound Loop 1604 to westbound Alamo Ranch Parkway, meaning that particular traffic movement will be the primary traffic generator. The result is that will be a possible traffic movement; moving along the southbound Loop 1604 frontage road from Culebra Road onto eastbound Hwy 151 will not.
At any rate, here's the aerial overview (you'll likely need to click on it and zoom in a bit to see what's happening):

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10

• Saturday, June 6. 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Eastbound main lanes between I-37 and New Braunfels Ave (east San Antonio). Two right lanes will close while crews work on overhead highway signs.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 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 for road work.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews repave the roadway and work on overhead highway signs.
• Monday-Friday, June 8-12. 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 for road work.
• Monday-Friday, June 8-12. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Eastbound frontage road between Cincinnati and Culebra roads (downtown). The left lane will close while crews do bridge repairs overhead.

I-35

• Friday-Monday, June 5-8. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. continuous. Northbound connector to westbound I-410 (Windcrest). Alternating lanes will close while crews do work on the Randolph Boulevard bridge.
• Sunday, June 7. 3 a.m. until 5 p.m. Northbound main lanes between George Beach and Rittiman Road (east San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews switch traffic onto the new connector from northbound I-410.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and George Beach (east San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and George Beach (east San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close for road work.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Northbound connector to westbound I-410 (Windcrest). The right lane will close while crews do bridge work.
• Monday-Friday, June 8-12. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Northbound connector to westbound I-410 (Windcrest). The right lane will close while crews work on the guardrail.
• Monday-Friday, June 8-12. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road at Fratt Road (east San Antonio). The left lane will close while crews do concrete work.
• Monday-Friday, June 8-12. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and George Beach (east San Antonio). Alternating lanes will close for road work.

I-410

• Friday-Monday, June 5-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. continuous. Eastbound connector to northbound I-35 (Windcrest). The right lane will close for road work.
• Sunday, June 7. 3 a.m. until 5 p.m. Northbound connector to northbound I-35 (east San Antonio). All lanes will close while crews move traffic onto the new northbound connector to northbound I-35. Traffic will exit Space Center, move through Rittiman Road, and enter the interstate. When this closure is finished, the northbound entrance ramp from Binz-Engelman will also open.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound connector to northbound I-35 (Windcrest). The right lane will close while crews do road work.

U.S. Hwy 281

• Monday-Saturday, June 8-13. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes at Nakoma Drive (north-central San Antonio). Two left lanes will close while crews work on the center concrete median.

State Hwy 151

• Monday-Saturday, June 8-13. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Main lanes, both directions, between Weisman and Callahan roads (northwest San Antonio). The left lane will close while crews construct the cable median barrier.

Other roads

• Friday-Monday, June 5-8. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. continuous. Randolph Boulevard, both directions, at I-35 (Windcrest). All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic in either direction will turn right onto the access roads and use the next available turnaround to reach its destination.
• Sunday-Sunday, June 7-14. 7 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 do roadwork.
• Sunday-Sunday, June 7-14. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Medical Drive, both directions, between Ewing Halsell and Fairhaven Street (Medical Center). Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35 (east San Antonio). All lanes will close while crews move barrier and do bridge work. Traffic will use the I-35 frontage road to the next intersection and turn around to reach its destination.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35 (east San Antonio). The left lane will close while crews move barrier and do bridge work.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound Rittiman Road at I-35 (east San Antonio). All lanes will close while crews move barrier and do bridge work. Traffic will use the I-35 frontage road to the next intersection and turn around to reach its destination.
• Sunday-Friday, June 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound Rittiman Road at I-35 (east San Antonio). The left lane will close while crews move barrier and do bridge work.
• Monday-Wednesday, June 8-10. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Hwy 46, both directions, between City Park Road and Ammann Road (Boerne). Alternating lanes will close while crews do concrete work.
• Monday-Thursday, June 8-11. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Hwy 46, both directions, between City Park Road and Ammann Road (Boerne). Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the roadway base.
• Monday, June 8-Sunday, July 12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Braun Road, both directions, at Loop 1604. All lanes will close while crews hang bridge deck panels. Eastbound traffic will travel south on Loop 1604 and turn around after Shaenfield Road to reach northbound Loop 1604. Westbound traffic will travel north on Loop 1604 and turn around at Bandera Road to reach southbound Loop 1604.
• Thursday, June 11. 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. FM 306, both directions, between I-35 and Hunter Road (New Braunfels). Alternating lanes will close while crews shift traffic on the UPRR overpass near Hunter Road and on the UPRR overpass near Goodwin Lane. Traffic will still be just one lane in each direction on these overpasses when work is finished.

All closures are pending weather.

I-10 Huebner update

It's no secret at this point we had some issues Monday morning with our work on I-10, which gummed up westbound traffic through the 8 o'clock hour.

The work being done is what we call a mill-and-overlay; we mill up 2-3 inches of asphalt and replace it with a good and new surface. With that layer of asphalt stripped out, a paving machine lays a new layer of asphalt in its place. The end result is a a smooth, finished surface of asphalt that is clean (and, in a situation like we're in on I-10, bonds well with the final layer to be laid soon after).

This diagram shows how a basic asphalt milling operation works. Without a new layer of asphalt, the milled surface left behind can be rough and contain pebbles that kick up and hit windshields - which is why the paving contractors on I-10 don't want to leave a milled surface exposed on the main lanes of the highway.

Overnight (Sunday into Monday), the asphalt supply plant broke down and wasn't able to produce asphalt to send to the project. When that first plant broke, project bosses moved to get material from a second plant. That plant broke down as well, leaving road crews without asphalt coming onto the job.

An asphalt batch plant similar to the one above, located off-site at an asphalt supplier's yard, broke down early Monday morning and halted production and delivery of asphalt to crews working on I-10. This photo and description of an asphalt batch plant courtesy Atlas Industries.

Ordinarily, we would stop milling and wait for whatever material we can get so we don't end up with a bigger area of unfinished roadway. That was, at least, the suggestion made by TxDOT folks on the project that night. The contractor doing the asphalt (Angel Brothers Construction) opted to continue milling because they said they weren't sure the supply of asphalt was indeed set to dry up. Communication gaps existed through the night, and Angel Brothers was unable to make contact with suppliers to know the issue was as serious as it was.

The result, then, was that we had paving crews on the roadway until nearly 9 a.m. and traffic on westbound I-10 backed up from DeZavala Road to the I-410 interchange in the Crossroads area. This is unacceptable, and we're doing what we can to ensure this doesn't happen again.

We have since reiterated contingency plans with our contractors - both Angel Brothers Construction and the contractor acting as lead on this project, Webber Construction - and let them know that, in the event of a plant break in the future, we will not permit further milling after a predetermined time in the night (around 1:30 a.m.). This is in line with the contingency plan discussed with both Webber and Angel Brothers when similar issues arose early May, but is now moved beyond being merely a request made to the contractor.

What's more, our inspectors will be helping the contractor maintain direct phone communication with the asphalt plant in the future. This will ensure that all parties are familiar with all aspects of the production line, allowing appropriate decisions to be discussed as work is being done.

A second issue - related to the first - has also been raised. Overnight closures are apparently causing delays for traffic (after midnight, mind you) of more than an hour and a half. Part of this is because crews have all but one lane closed on the westbound side for paving overnight - that will continue. For safety and production reasons, that needs to stay the way it has been. If you're driving through I-10 between Huebner and Loop 1604, expect lane closures - as many as three lanes closed - nightly through the rest of the month (no Friday or Saturday nights).

However, we should not have consecutive ramps - two consecutive exits or two consecutive entrances - with the work we're doing. Reports from some driving through the area are that we are closing consecutive ramps. That issue has been addressed and should come to a halt.

Now for the good stuff (translation ... time to let you know what we have left before we're done with this project):

We are only a few weeks from having this project finished. Once we have the current road surface in place we'll get to lay the final surface of asphalt (what's being laid right now is a base layer). After the final surface is down, we'll paint lane markers.

We still have some small concrete items left to do, but all of our structures are built. We do have some cleaning across the project to take care of, which is being done on a daily basis.

We also have a small area of roadway that needs repaired and replaced from nearly the base on up (about 20 inches deep). When we have a schedule for that work, we'll broadcast that schedule as loudly as we can. The good news is that work can be done in a few short days (that may mean weekend closures over the course of a future weekend in order to get it done quickly).

Overall, Webber Construction is targeting the end of this summer to have the project finished.

Mail Bag: Probandt, graffiti, daytime closures and more

Last week was a short week, and we've been working to catch up with other work from the rains of late May. Apologies for the delay on the Mail Bag post! Here are your questions, answered:

When I regularly used to drive on the Wurzbach Parkway segment between Blanco and West Ave, the private nook designated for SARA always suffers from repeated tagging and graffiti - and, for a brief period, this extended to the noise wall near Blanco. More often than not, I noticed the graffiti was gone on my way home. I'm curious: whose responsibility is it to clean up, and how do they work that into their schedules? Are there any plans to discourage people from tagging these areas?
- Donald

Great questions, Donald. First, we always discourage tagging. Graffiti is a frustrating and expensive form of vandalism, and we do what we can to wipe it out. A lot of the cleanup is done through volunteer programs, and we partner with the city to do that. We also take care of some of that by our own maintenance forces, which means you're paying someone to clean up the mess someone senselessly left behind out of ego.

Does that sound like some harsh talk? Well, we've got more, but we'll keep this family friendly.

As an abatement effort, though, most of our concrete structures are painted with anti-graffiti coating, which makes easier cleaning of the spray paint left behind. Our signs cannot be painted or scrubbed though, as the process can harm the sign's reflectivity. Instead, we have to replace the sign altogether. Again, that's done by our maintenance guys on a rotating schedule as we can get to it (potholes and safety items are done with higher priority).

There's something you can do to help, though. If you see graffiti anywhere in/around San Antonio, there's an app to report it - on Android and on Apple. You'll be surprised (pleasantly) at how effective using that app will be to prevent, eliminate and erase graffiti from your neck of the woods.

Currently when you take the westbound Ralph Fair Road exit and continue up to RFR, the one-way frontage road squeezes down to one lane for all of about 200 feet. The only thing I can see in this closed lane is the temporary barrier used for road closures. The construction access point is before the squeeze point, and there is no construction happening on that side. Can you explain this closure to us and why it can't be opened to reduce the backup on the RFR exit ramp?

Dan, you're not the only one that's asked about this. The fix is coming - soon. The reason that's been left closed, honestly, is because it's not yet been finished for traffic. That, and until the bridge is opened up in full, we can't open up that frontage road any more than it is.

Frankly, what you have now is no different than the pre-existing condition (except the elimination of oncoming traffic coming from Ralph Fair Road). You shouldn't be seeing any more backup now than you would have seen two years ago. But we're trying hard to change that - we want to decrease significantly the congestion you are seeing!

At any rate, the bottom line is we'll be finished with that project (weather permitting!) later this month. We're talking a matter of a few short weeks to have everything in place and a final product delivered to you. By the way, that means we're on pace to be as much as a month ahead of schedule (thank you Sundt Construction)!

Another good detour for the Probandt ramp closure is to head south on Probandt to Theo, then west on Theo to I-35, then get on I-35 (NB for most folks; SB for those who wanted to go SB I-35 anyway.)
- Brian

Great suggestion, Brian. The reason we don't suggest that route ourselves is, by department policy, we try very hard to recommend only routes that involve state-maintained roads. Probandt and Theo are both owned, operated and maintained by the city of San Antonio. We try to avoid a route that would put undue wear and tear on a city facility.

All that said, the route is extremely viable, and folks can use it as much as they like!

Could you please tell me what the ETA is for completing the north-to-south turnaround at the intersection of I-35 and Rittiman?
- Zach

It was really hard for us to get a definitive answer on this one! The turnaround is closed to provide work space on the expansion of the Rittiman Road overpass bridge. That work has been impacted by materials availability and weather the last few weeks, but it's moving forward well enough.

At any rate, the short answer is "end of summer". We'll have those turnarounds reopened (hopefully) by the end of the summer. We may need to do periodic closures afterward, but you can look forward to having the turnarounds back to use before school starts back up.

Why do you only hang bridge beams during the day?
- Brian

Last weekend we had a full closure of Braun Road while crews hung beams over the road as part of the construction of an overpass for Loop 1604. A few months ago we shut down I-10 during the weekend to set bridge support beams. We did the same thing in September last year. We also had U.S. 281 shut down over a weekend in April to hang beams. We got I-35 a year ago.

While there are a few exceptions (the DeZavala closure being one), you'll notice these bridge beam closures are typically done during the day. There's a reason for that, and that's what you're really looking for.

First of all, the closure is absolutely necessary. That's not really something folks will question. When we're setting beams, we can't have anything or anyone beneath the beam. That'd just be asking for bad things.

But why daytime? The answer is in the availability of the beams themselves. Over sized loads are often restricted to traveling during certain hours, and our beams are typically unable to move at night - they've got to do so during the day. In some instances, these beams are coming from some distance across the state. Closures begin about 45 minutes prior to the beams arriving on site, allowing crews time to adequately set up the closure and the work area (sometimes we'll set the closure earlier so we can have the cranes in place before the trucks arrive).

In all cases, we minimize the time of the closure. We always ask: When is the latest time we can close the road without delaying the work needed?

So, if we can only transport beams during the day, why not just stage the beams in the evening and set beams overnight? We actually do when we can. That's what happened when we shut down DeZavala Road last year, and when we closed U.S. 281 to hang Wurzbach Parkway overpass over a year ago. Well, that closure lasted through a weekend, but we started off on a Friday night.

The trouble with this is space. We've got to have the room to stage the beams. There's also an issue of cost - those trucks are sitting, costing money as they sit when they sit. Their drivers don't sit for free, either. Some projects simply don't allow the space for us to stage beams. When we did the overnight work on U.S. 281 at Wurzbach, we closed a single lane of northbound 281 in the afternoon to stage the trucks. When we did the work on DeZavala, we used the frontage road of I-10 as a staging area and closed a lane there as well. We don't always have that space, so we can't pre-stage those beams. Remember: we can't haul during the dark, so we must stage on-site.

Finally (and most important), there's a safety issue. Any work - ANY work - is done more safely during the daytime than it is at night. When and if we can ever err, we always do so on the side of safety.

So that's why we hang beams during the day - availability of materials, cost, space constraints and safety.

Loop 1604 expansion back at full speed

The only project in Bexar County to lay asphalt last week was the Loop 1604 project between Bandera and Culebra roads.

Why? Because Williams Brothers has their own asphalt supply, and they were able to salvage material from the wet weather. This helped them continue work on the frontage roads between Braun Road and Shaenfield - frontage roads that were set to be finished and in use this week.

Well, that was the old plan. The antediluvian plan.

Now WB is targeting the last week of June to have the frontage roads open and traffic running on them full-time. Remember: when this happens, speed limits will be cut to 45 miles per hour and you'll have traffic turning onto and off of the highway at a number of locations. Maintaining that posted speed limit of 45 MPH and being rid of distractions will be critical to maintain safety for everyone.

In order to get there, we've got a number of work activities on deck.

Shaenfield

The work on Shaenfield was slowed significantly - but not stopped altogether - by the weather. Project supervisors have indicated they'll finish running the southbound frontage road across Shaenfield by the end of this week, opening up the road to two lanes each direction again.

Bowen's Crossing

Work across Bowen's Crossing will begin in earnest this week. Crews are building the northbound frontage road across the side street. That work will be done in halves, turning Bowen's Crossing into a one-way road at Loop 1604. The direction that's closed off will use New Guilbeau as a detour. In all, Bowen's Crossing should be crossed in about a week.

Northbound frontage road

If you drive through the project area, you'll notice a lot of activity on the northbound frontage road (or what will be the northbound frontage road). While dirt crews are installing storm drain culverts along the road (between the frontage road and main lanes), road crews are working on tying in driveways - like the ones at the Cavenders car lot - into the frontage road. Concrete crews are working on the curbs and sidewalks, and are nearing completion with that work.

This week road crews are building a temporary detour ramp near Cavenders, which will get northbound traffic from Culebra onto Loop 1604 next week when crews start work on the new exit ramp. This will begin Saturday, June 7. This won't impact the northbound main lane traffic coming from, say, Hwy 151 or Wiseman. The right through lane along that stretch near Shaenfield will be blocked to through use and converted into an acceleration lane for traffic coming from Culebra. If you're coming from Culebra Road, though, you won't have an entrance ramp immediately at Culebra (in front of the emergency care building). Instead you'll follow the frontage road, pass the Cavender dealership and enter the Loop 1604 main lanes.

With this detour going on and the current (old) on-ramp closed, WB will construct what will be the northbound exit ramp to Shaenfield. This ramp will be used to move traffic onto the frontage road when we move into our next phase of work (last week of June).

Southbound frontage road

While work continues at Shaenfield, road builders are working on the second lane of the frontage road (what used to be Leslie Road) between Helotes Creek and Culebra. With that work, expect to see the southbound entrance ramp prior to Culebra built in the next two or three weeks. The foundation base of the road is nearly built, asphalt crews should start moving in shortly.

On June 22 WB will close Tausch Drive - the road serving as an entry to the Wildhorse subdivision onto the frontage road - and all Wildhorse traffic will be detoured to Shaenfield or Braun Road. This will allow road builders to complete the frontage road at that location in a quick shot. The closure of Tausch should last less than a week.

Braun Road

Last weekend bridge builders hung bridge support beams to form the Braun Road overpass. This required closing the road at Loop 1604 through the weekend, which seemed to go fairly smoothly.

With the beams in place, bridge crews are now ready to set bridge deck panels and work on the actual bridge deck structure. This means the same closure will be implemented nightly for the next two weeks, between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. If you're a nighttime driver here, remember the detour is to use turnarounds at Bandera Road and just south of Shaenfield. FM 1560 is also a viable route to connect Culebra and Bandera roads, if your destination is along there.

Highway 151

If you have your passenger look (don't look while you're driving - focus on the road!) along northbound Loop 1604 at the new Hwy 151 crossing, you'll notice bridge support columns being built feverishly. That, and dirt work to prepare for the bridge abutments is moving forward. Work began to build the overpass that will guide Hwy 151 over Loop 1604 just a few months ago and already progress is visible.

On the southbound side, crews are working (again) on the drill shafts for the bridge support columns. Expect to see continued activity on that southbound side (particularly the frontage road) in upcoming weeks. Those driving in the area should be aware of the private commercial development that also shows activity near Alamo Ranch Parkway and the frontage road - know that's not our crews. If you see bright yellow-green vests with a black "WB" printed squarely on the back, that is our folks.

Some have asked whether traffic from Culebra will have direct access to the new connector ramp getting southbound Loop 1604 onto eastbound Hwy 151. The answer, in a word, is no. Planners determined the priority movement is getting traffic from southbound Loop 1604 to Alamo Ranch Parkway. More traffic is anticipated for that movement than is expected for the Culebra-to-151 group. For those along Culebra, Hwy 151 will be easily accessed from Alamo Ranch Parkway when we're all done.

Why did we have to limit ourselves to one traffic movement? The competing (engineers like to call it "conflicting") weave that's generated by traffic from Culebra and traffic from Loop 1604 fighting for the same space of roadway is too great and could create a scenario that's less than desirable. By limiting that movement to just one and eliminating that conflict, safety is enhanced.

Finish date

We are on pace to finish the project - Loop 1604 and Hwy 151 - by the end of 2016.