Traffic on Starcrest Lane moved one step closer to its final
configuration Tuesday when Texas Sterling Construction moved traffic through the new intersection of Wurzbach Parkway and Starcrest Lane. The switch will bring a ripple effect of traffic switches in the vicinity impacting park-goers, daily commuters and those working along the industrial northeast end of the San Antonio Airport.
Starcrest Lane now officially dead-ends into Wurzbach Parkway near the Texas Disposal Systems trash dump site. Eastbound traffic is now running under the parkway overpass, then along the eastbound access road before crossing over Mud Creek on the bridge built more than a year ago. Westbound traffic runs over the Mud Creek bridge before using the access road to seamlessly merge into the old path of Starcrest at the trash dump.
The switch will require crews to close Buckhorn Drive - the south entrance to McAllister Park - in order to construct the road base and final pavement surface of the full parkway immediately at that intersection. Temporary driveways have already been built to satisfy traffic for the week, but next week (Monday through Friday) access to the park will be limited to the access points along Jones-Maltsberger. When crews are done, longer driveways will be in place, lined with barrels. This work will make more difficult the left-turns into or out of the park people have been trying to make for more than a year.
Left turns along Starcrest have been prohibited nearly two full years.
The closure of the Buckhorn Drive intersection will not impact hikers or bikers on the Salado Creek Greenway. Those using the shared-use path should use caution in the area and stay out of the active work area. The trail will continue crossing at the temporary crosswalk until the westbound bridge over Mud Creek is completed in early 2014.
The
traffic switch also opens up Northeast Entrance Road, affording service to those working at the northeast end of the San Antonio Airport. With Northeast Entrance Road open, crews plan to close East Bitters Monday at the county brush site. The closure on East Bitters is permanent; the road will dead-end into a culdesac at the parkway. Texas Sterling will begin building the parkway up at the crossing of East Bitters, connecting the final piece of the parkway still totally lacking any kind of structure.
Finally, the switch will allow crews to demolish the old and dilapidated lanes of Starcrest. Some of the road will be rebuilt, but a large portion will be forever obliterated and returned to greenspace. For more on the progress of Wurzbach Parkway, click here.
