SAN ANTONIO — The north-bound exit from Interstate 35 to Forum Parkway in the Live Oak-Selma area will close Tuesday night for six months while road builders contracted by the Texas Department of Transportation build a new braided-style ramp in its place.
This closure was previously announced for Sunday night. Road-building crews have pushed the closure back to allow extra time to lay out the work area and make sure they have enough space to work within.
A braided-style ramp runs traffic from one direction over traffic from another, separating competing streams of traffic. In this case, traffic to Forum Parkway will be bridged over traffic entering north-bound I-35 from Loop 1604. The design is intended to maintain safety on an increasingly utilized ramp system while addressing congestion.
“The end result will benefit drivers in the area and the businesses they are trying to reach,” said TxDOT spokesman Josh Donat. “When we’re finished we’ll have a safer, more reliable route for traffic heading in both directions – to Forum Parkway as well as to I-35. In the meantime, drivers should be aware of the ramp closure and look for alternate routes.”
Traffic headed to Forum Parkway may use the Olympia Parkway exit, cross over I-35 and approach Forum Parkway from the south as a detour. Another viable route involves exiting I-35 at Pat Booker and taking the turnaround under Loop 1604. More than a half-dozen entry points to The Forum line the west-bound frontage road of Loop 1604.
“We’ve worked closely with the property managers at The Forum,” Donat said. “We all feel the Pat Booker route is the preferred detour.”
Traffic accessing Forum Parkway from south-bound I-35 will not be affected. Traffic entering north-bound I-35 from Loop 1604 will not be affected, either.
The work is part of a year-long effort to address congestion and maintain the safety of one of the busiest highway corridors in the San Antonio metropolitan area. Crews are currently working on reconfigurations of exit and entrance ramps between Shertz Parkway and Farm to Market 1518. For more information on the project, visit www.txdot.gov and search keyword “I-35 Selma”.
For more information, contact TxDOT Public Information Officer Josh Donat at josh.donat@txdot.gov or (210) 615-5932.
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