So I've been out-of-town, and this happens....

All lanes of east-bound Interstate 10 between DeZavala and Huebner roads are scheduled to close this weekend.

I'll give you a moment to digest that.

Once again: All lanes of east-bound I-10 are scheduled to close for a stretch east of DeZavala Road and west of Huebner Road while crews place concrete barrier and stripe the roadway to prepare for major work lasting through the summer.

The highway will re-open in time for Monday morning traffic, though road crews are optimistic they will have the highway reopened sooner. Weather will have a major impact on this work, as the work requires bare, dry road surfaces to complete.

Traffic will use the Fredericksburg Road exit, exit number 559, and re-enter the highway before reaching Huebner Road during the weekend closure. The north-bound connector joining Fredericksburg Road with the west-bound I-10 frontage road will also be closed. Traffic using Fredericksburg Road to reach west-bound I-10 should go through Huebner Road to do so.

 

When the total closure is complete, a new traffic configuration will be in place to allow bridge crews to repair the overpass structure over the Fredericksburg Road connector. Only two lanes will remain on the east-bound I-10 main lanes, with a third lane being pushed onto the frontage road at Exit 560A (Huebner Road). That third lane will re-enter the highway before reaching Huebner Road.

 

This configuration will remain in place through the summer and is part of a construction milestone expected to last 70 days. For a look at what we're doing on a map, see my post from two weeks ago on the milestone on I-10.

 

Here's where things get (seemingly) more complex: Exit 560B – a frontage road exit offering access to businesses such as USAA along the east-bound frontage road between Huebner and Wurzbach Road – will not be accessible during the summer, either. Drivers headed to USAA and other locations along the frontage road will need to use the Huebner Road exit and follow the detour route. They will be able to use the exit ramp when they use the entrance ramp before reaching Huebner Road.

 

When putting words on paper, this traffic switch sounds like a mess. After two or three runs, most folks will get a good feel for what’s happening. My advice is to leave an extra ten or fifteen minutes early for those first few days while we feel each other out.

 

The north-bound Fredericksburg Road connector will remain closed through the summer while crews work overhead on the bridge structure.