Wednesday, June 17

Projects around San Antonio

Apologies in advance for not doing one post for each of these projects, but we have brief - brief - updates for a number of projects. Here ... we ... go....

Fred-Med
The grade separation project at the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Medical Drive is at the point we're now only days from being finished with the project. We are working with some of our civic leaders to schedule a ceremony to open it up.

Weather has impacted us over the last six weeks, for sure. We've discovered an off-site water leak (now addressed) that will require crews to repair some sidewalk on Medical Drive. We've had some difficulty getting the new signal arms installed properly. Through it all, we're finally ready to have this opened up.

Between now and then, however, expect overnight closures through the area while crews lay asphalt. Daytime work is mostly on aesthetic portions of the project at this point. Either way, the work is at a feverish  pace right now as crews try to wrap things up.

Once we open the new through lanes of Medical Drive, expect to see work continue for the next few weeks while finishing touches are completed.

Wurzbach Parkway
It's been suggested this project progress has slowed to a crawl ...  the truth is the heaviest work is being done at night (requiring closures like last night and tonight on U.S. 281) while crews are doing what they can during the day.

Crews are trying to finish the turnarounds at Nakoma and have them operational in July. Meanwhile, work on the new northbound exit to Bitters continues to progress, as does work on the new northbound entrance ramp from Nakoma (under the exit to Bitters).

Williams Brothers Construction is the contractor out there, and they've also got work on Loop 1604 and will soon have work elsewhere in the city. Much of the work upcoming will likely require the attention of crews now on Wurzbach. Look for those crews to finish what's left on Wurzbach up this summer to be ready for work in other locations.

The short-short story: We're on pace to have the parkway finished by the end of summer. That said, the contract allows until the end of the year.

Loop 1604 Northwest
A picture is worth 1,000 words, and a video is worth more than that. Above is a look at what's happening along Loop 16o4, including a detailed response to JDH's question from this week's Mailbag post.


UTSA Boulevard
We got a notice to proceed letter, and will be able to start construction - for realsies this time - on the UTSA Boulevard project. Utility conflicts kept us from starting work in April, when we had wanted to start. Now those conflicts are reported as moved, and work will begin June 22. The first phase of work is on the eastbound side of the road, but expect to see construction on both sides of the road for the first little while.

This project will last two full years.