I-10 Huebner:
We are officially back to being underway. Mostly, crews will continue cleaning up the job site and preparing the work areas. Think of it as when you take over a desk used by someone else for a while - you like to clean and rearrange things. Well, that's what they're doing. We should see actual excavation by the end of the week - mostly around UTSA Boulevard. I'll have more details next week.
I-35 Selma:
Overnight work at FM 3009 has meant total closures Monday night and Tuesday night. Storms prevented work last night and, I suspect, will prevent work tonight. Bridge crews are hard at work building the turnaround structures at FM 3009. South-bound lanes were impacted Sunday and Monday nights. The north-bound lanes will still be shut down ... but probably not this week. More on that tomorrow.Keep in mind, with these closures, we'll start closing lanes down at 9 p.m. to set up the work area. At 11 p.m. we'll have everything shut down and traffic will be routed onto the frontage road through the intersection at FM 3009. This will cause major delays. We'll have everything picked up again by 5:30 a.m. the next morning.
U.S. 281 Comal:
Several calls to TxDOT and to Comal County have requested a look at what the final product will be up in Spring Branch. Right now we're working with Comal County Commissioner Jan Kennady to arrange an informal open house to let folks have a look. More efficient that way, we figure. More on that when details are known.
Main Street Boerne:
The U.S. Highway 87 project in Boerne continues to plug along. Really, not a lot of new stuff to update anyone on ... the bridge work is moving along as crews work on the support structures for the extra bridge while signal-building crews are working hard at upgrading the downtown intersections one crosswalk at a time.
Vance Jackson bridge:
After some closures on Loop 1604 through the weekend that only minimally impacted traffic, crews are cruising through the process of building support structures for the overpass that will connect Vance Jackson to The Rim shopping center. Nothing major to update anyone on beyond that.
Wurzbach Parkway:
This seems to be the project I get asked about the most. Right now only one of the three segments are actively being built - the middle segment, between West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger. Most of that activity is concentrated on three specific tasks: build the bridge structures east of U.S. Highway 281; construct the overpass and build the highway subgrade around West Avenue; construct drain features along U.S. Highway 281 between Nakoma and Bitters.A couple of brief items, to answer questions people have asked recently.... First, we have instructed the contractor to clean up the areas along U.S. 281 between Nakoma and Bitters, which has been reportedly getting a little messy with a variety of debris being left in the area (not all construction-related).
Second, here's a look at the current planned schedule of construction/completion:
Blanco Rd to West Ave: Resume April 2013, completion expected mid-summer 2013
West Ave to Jones-Maltsberger: Construction ongoing, completion scheduled early 2015
Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore: Resume April 2013, completion expected mid-2014
FM 306:
While we're still waiting on the go-ahead from Union Pacific Rail Road to work on the crossing near Hunter Road, our contractor is working on clearing the right-of-way and moving utilities in the area. Folks should be aware there is some work near I-35 that's being done by AT&T as well. While that work is related to the FM 306 expansion, it's being overseen by the utility company and not TxDOT.
Kerr County work:
Work has started on state Highway 39 in Ingram, but is mainly out of the traveling lanes as bridge crews prepare to expand the Johnson Creek Bridge near Tom Moore High School.
Meanwhile, efforts to expand Francisco Lemmons Street in Kerrville are entering a new phase, requiring paving crews to resurface the roadway on Lemmons Street between Main Street and Thompson Drive. We'll do our best to keep at least a lane open in each direction, but folks should be aware of shifting lanes from a day-to-day basis.
On the horizon:
A contractor for the grade seperation project (translation: underpass) at the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Medical Drive in San Antonio's Medical Center area should be selected by the end of the month. Bids were accepted earlier today, and a contractor will be announced once contracts have been agreed upon and signed. Construction should start early summer.
We will receive bids on a project to address clearance issues on I-10 at S. New Braunfels Ave and Gevers and Walters streets, and we expect that project to begin this summer.