The work will add at least one lane in each direction to I-10 between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road, meaning I-10 will have at least four lanes in each direction between Loop 1604 and downtown San Antonio. A few exit and entrance ramps - mostly on the westbound side - have been adjusted and the bridge over DeZavala Road is being widened, raised and lengthened.
The work over DeZavala Road has traffic on the main lanes squeezed and shifted to allow for a safe work area for the widening of the bridge at that location, and has the westbound exit to UTSA Boulevard closed. The turnarounds at DeZavala Road have been closed more than six months to accommodate the work. These closures can be lifted and traffic be restored by April if Webber is able to keep up their pace and weather complies. That will leave the east-to-west turnaround at UTSA Boulevard as the last major work item remaining to be finished before we can resurface the road and stripe in all the new lanes. Since the bridge beams there have already been set, this also means once we have traffic restored over DeZavala our major closures for this project should be finished.
Through the rest of this month, Webber's concentration is on the westbound main lanes at DeZavala - that includes laying asphalt in the area. By the end of the month Webber should start laying asphalt at the turnarounds at DeZavala as a step toward getting those opened early. Project staff hopes opening the turnarounds early will help relieve much of the traffic pressure along the corridor and provide an incremental phase of relief for people.
As for the rest of the job, Webber's crews will be working on retaining walls while their subcontractors work on laying asphalt, finishing electrical components and putting up highway signs. This work will mostly take place during the daytime, with a few overnight closures - alternating lanes as needed, at the most - to allow for accelerated work. Work on the DeZavala bridge will maintain its around-the-clock pace.
The push for daytime and weekend work is largely due to the low temperatures we've experienced in recent weeks. Cold temperatures have slowed asphalt work and anything associated with it. The warmer temperatures, slight as the difference may be, during the day allows crews to do the necessary work. Our goal - and that of our contractor - is to get this project complete and delivered to area drivers as quickly as possible, and we are confident a push for more work during the day and during weekends will help expedite that process.