Next week's construction-related closures

Apologies for no post last week. Closures for this week were pretty light, and we weren't in the office the last two days of the week to make the post anyway. That said, here are the planned closures for this upcoming week.
If you're going to be traveling along Lp 1604 near Hwy 151 this weekend, you'll want to have seen this....

I-10 – Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Friday, May 2-6. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Main lanes, both directions, between I-410 and I-35. The right lane will close while crews work on guardrail.

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Current thru May 2016. Exit ramps, both directions, to Eisenhauer Road. The ramps will close while crews build a new exit ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around to reach Eisenhauer Road.
• Current thru May 2016. Northbound entrance ramp from Eisenhauer Road. The ramp will close while crews build a new entrance ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
• Saturday, April 30. 3 a.m. until 8 a.m. Northbound main lanes between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz Engleman. All lanes will close while crews do overhead sign work. Traffic will exit Splashtown Drive and use the next available ramp.
• Sunday, May 1. 12:01 a.m. until 10 a.m. Main lanes, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews work on overhead highway signs.
• Sunday-Friday, May 1-6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Friday, May 1-6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
• Sunday-Friday, May 1-6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Binz-Engleman and AT&T Center Parkway. Alternating lanes, two at a time, will close while crews work on overhead highway signs.
• Sunday-Friday, May 1-6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Binz-Engleman and AT&T Center Parkway. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Monday-Friday, May 2-6. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Southbound entrance ramp from Walzem. The ramp will close while crews do utility work.
• Monday-Friday, May 2-6. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between Binz-Engleman and AT&T Center Parkway. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

• Wednesday-Friday, May 4-6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound ramp to northbound I-35. The right lane will close while crews do road work. This closure includes the exit to Randolph Boulevard. Traffic headed for Randolph Boulevard or the city of Windcrest will exit Thousand Oaks, turn around and reach their destination from the southbound frontage road.

I-410 – Southeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Thursday, May 1-5. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Medina Base Road and I-35. The right lane will close while crews do asphalt work.
• Tuesday-Friday, May 3-6. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Northbound main lanes between I-35 and Medina Base Road. The right lane will close while crews work on guardrail.

U.S. Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

• Current until May 2016. Westbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and East Kriewald. The frontage road will close while crews reconstruct the Medio Creek Bridge.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Friday, April 29 at 10 p.m. until Monday, May 2 at 5 a.m. Main lanes, both directions, at Hwy 151. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Southbound traffic will exit Hwy 151, continue along the frontage road and re-enter the highway. Northbound traffic will exit Hwy 151, turn around at Wiseman and return to Loop 1604 from westbound Hwy 151.
• Friday-Saturday, April 29-30. 10 p.m. until noon. Northbound main lanes between Hwy 151 and Culebra Road. All lanes will close while crews do asphalt work. Traffic will be routed through the Culebra intersection from Hwy 151 to continue onto northbound Loop 1604.
• Saturday, April 30. 12:01 a.m. until 7 a.m. Northbound entrance ramp from Braun Road. The ramp will close while crews do asphalt work. Traffic will be routed through Bandera Road to reach the northbound main lanes of Loop 1604.
• Current through Wednesday, May 4. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. South-to-north turnaround at Braun Road. The turnaround will close while crews do concrete work.
• Current through Thursday, May 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, at Hwy 151. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Southbound traffic will exit Hwy 151, continue along the frontage road and re-enter the highway. Northbound traffic will exit Hwy 151, turn around at Wiseman and return to Loop 1604 from westbound Hwy 151.
• Current through Friday, May 6. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Northbound frontage road between Amelia Pass and Braun Road. The right lane will close while crews work on driveways.
• Current through Sunday, May 8. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Northbound frontage road starting at Braun Road for about 500 feet. The right lane will close while crews work on driveways.
• Current through Sunday, May 8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound frontage road starting at Braun Road for about 500 feet. The right lane will close while crews work on driveways.
• Saturday-Sunday, April 30-May 1. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes at Culebra Road. The right lane will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Monday, May 1-2. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound exit ramp to Braun Road. The ramp will close while crews paint the concrete. Traffic will exit Shaenfield Road and turn around to reach Braun Road.
• Sunday-Monday, May 1-2. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound entrance ramp from Bandera Road. The ramp will close while crews paint the bridge. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
• Monday-Tuesday, May 2-3. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes between Braun and Shaenfield roads. The left lane will close while crews paint the bridges.
• Tuesday-Wednesday, May 3-4. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound entrance ramp from Braun Road. The ramp will close while crews paint the New Guilbeau overpass. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
• Wednesday-Thursday, May 4-5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound exit ramp to Shaenfield Road. The ramp will close while crews paint the concrete. Traffic will exit Culebra and turn around to reach Shaenfield.
• Thursday-Friday, May 5-6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound entrance ramp from New Guilbeau Road. The ramp will close while crews paint the Shaenfield overpass. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
• Friday-Saturday, May 6-7. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound exit ramp to Culebra Road. The ramp will close while crews paint concrete. Traffic will exit Shaenfield and follow the frontage road to Culebra.

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, July 1 at 5 p.m. East-to-West turnaround at I-410. The turnaround will close while crews work on bridge support structures overhead.
• Current until December 2016. Westbound exit ramp to Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed.
• Current until December 2016. Eastbound entrance ramp from Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed.
• Sunday-Thursday, May 1-5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between I-410 and Potranco Road. The right lane will close while crews do road work.

Other roads – Northeast San Antonio

• Monday-Friday, May 2-6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Randolph Boulevard, both directions, between Crestway and I-35. Traffic will be limited to a single lane while crews do roadwork. Off-duty police will assist two-way traffic on this one lane.

All closures are pending weather.

Loop 1604 Northwest: the SBML are open!

Yes, we opened up the southbound main lanes of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads this weekend. A little before 7 p.m. Saturday, to be precise.
A few fine points that should be highlighted:

• The southbound entrance ramp from Bandera will open early this week. Crews just weren't quite ready to have that opened up yet, and we figured opening the whole thing up without that ramp was better than holding off opening until the ramp was ready.
• The frontage roads are NOT striped to their final configuration. This is especially important near the entrance ramp from Shaenfield, near Culebra. This will be adjusted in the near future.

Crews are now focusing on getting the northbound lanes opened up. That should happen here in mid-May. This is still quite a bit ahead of the mid-summer 2016 prediction made when work began back in 2014. The northbound lanes will open up with a media event - the time and date for that will be announced as we draw closer.

Williams Brothers Construction is also working on the southbound direct connector to eastbound Hwy 151. That is on pace to open mid-summer - well ahead of the late 2016 prediction made at the start of 2015. The overpass connecting Hwy 151 to Alamo Ranch Parkway will be ready later this fall.

Mail Bag: Questions on city and county projects, work on northwest side

What are the plans and ETA of the Potranco Road expansion and connecting of Hwy 211?
- Noel (via Twitter)
Great question, Noel. The Potranco Road expansion between Lp 1604 and Hwy 211 is being done as a pass-through project and is overseen (actually, pretty much completely managed) by Bexar County Public Works. According to their project page the project just got going and will wrap up the end of 2018.
As for details on the project as it continues ... those questions should go to Bexar County. When the project is finished, TxDOT will maintain responsibility for upkeep.

Can you give us an update on the Tezel/Grissom construction?
- Jeremy (via Twitter)
If you're asking about the work Tezel Road, that's a city project and they have updates posted on their Web site. If you're asking about the work on Culebra Road ... well, that's ours.
On the Culebra project our crews are laying the final surface of asphalt. We're all done with the curbs and medians (and have been since around Christmas), and as long as we get some dry weather we could be done in as little as three weeks of solid work.

Yesterday on Blanco & Midnight Drive there was a long progression of traffic cones (3' high ones) that seems to stretch for miles north (didn't confirm but it was definitely more than a mile. I don't see any scheduled construction on your blog. Can you shed any light on this?
- Shawn (via Blog)
We got a few calls on this one, and we're still scrambling to find a clear answer. We checked with Bexar County, who maintains this segment of Blanco Road, and they don't have work at that location. That leaves possible suspects as utilities companies like CPS Energy and SAWS.
One thing we do know is the project isn't a TxDOT project - last year the state handed over control of Blanco Road north of Wilderness Oak to Bexar County Public Works.

Are there any plans for (FM 471 or FM 1560) or a signal on FM 471 at Stillwater Ranch?
- Pete (via Twitter)
The short answer: YES.
Longer answer ... well, we're working with the county on several options. For FM 471, we have plans that are more impending. That work will be done as a pass-through project (just as Potranco Road is being done) and Bexar County will manage that work. That expansion is a $16.8 million project set to start later this year and wrap up (most likely) early 2018. It'll expand FM 471 to match what's there by Taft High School and extend from FM 1560 almost to Talley Road. More info is here.
As for FM 1560, we're working on an expansion project to run from Galm to FM 471. A firm timeline isn't ready yet, but it'll expand FM 1560 to two lanes with a center left-turn lane. We also know there's a need for expansion between Galm/Shaenfield and Bandera Road, so we're looking at that. The biggest challenge for that will be right-of-way acquisition (which hasn't yet begun).

Once the new overhead connector between 1604 and 151 eastbound is complete, will cars using it be able to exit at Wiseman or will the first available exit be beyond that point?
- Bob (via blog)
In short, you'll use the next exit (Westover Hills) and turn around to get to Wiseman from Alamo Ranch Parkway. Because pictures are worth a thousand words, here's a look (it helps to click on the image and make it bigger):

So excited about the highway opening! Wondering if you know anything at all about what the process looks like for getting the addresses changed to 1604 now that it's complete. Thanks!
- Jamye (via blog)
We actually don't know the process - it's odd. We made several calls to the folks in our department and the overwhelming consensus was to work through your local Postmaster General. There is an interesting blog post on the topic, though.

Have surveys been done to figure out why the (morning) rush hour traffic eastbound I-10 from Fair Oaks Ranch Parkway to around Camp Bullis, and the (evening) rush hour traffic on the westbound side anywhere from UTSA Blvd to La Cantera through Camp Bullis is as terrible as it is? ...What is being done to alleviate that traffic?
- Gerard (via blog)
If you're asking if we've been conducting traffic studies along that corridor, the answer is yes. To put a not-too-fine point on the issue, the real cause here is a rapid increase in development and population along the I-10 corridor.
We've got an active project converting frontage roads between Dominion Drive and Boerne Stage Road, which includes some ramp rearrangements that will help traffic flow once the project is done later this summer.
But that's probably not going to fix everything you're talking about - which involves pinch points at Loop 1604 and at Camp Bullis. One fix that's coming for that is an expansion of I-10 between La Cantera Parkway and Ralph Fair Road. That's coming next year, if all goes well. As for improving the interchange at Loop 1604 ... well, we're working on that one.

Rain impacts - water overtopping and pushed-back project milestones

Several immediate questions come every time heavy rains hit the San Antonio area. The first is always about which roadways are closed. The second is about how construction projects may be impacted.

Water over the road

First of all, any time you see water over the roadway you should stop, turn around and find another route. If you're on a highway where two-way traffic is not possible you should stop, turn on your hazard lights and notify emergency personnel. When police or fire department units arrive, follow their directions to get to an alternate route.

This morning the biggest closure in San Antonio was at the interchange of I-410 and I-35 near Windcrest. Trash clogged the drain inlets where eastbound I-410 runs to I-35 and water didn't have anywhere to go. Our crews were on site all morning and, after about 3 hours of hard work, were able to get the drains safely unclogged so we could open the highway back up and running.

Let's be clear about the cause here: random trash, including wrappers and plastic bottles, tossed out of vehicles on the roadway. No matter what our crews do to combat an issue like this, the ultimate responsibility for trash littering the highway has to come from the drivers who allowed this debris to hit our roads. It's not like there are superheroes running around to clean up behind everyone everywhere....

Who is it that's messing up Texas? Well, one in four Texans admit to tossing trash out their window on the roadway. Seriously - ONE in FOUR! Most of that trash is small stuff we think inconsequential, like gum wrappers or cigarette butts. Those accumulate, though, and create a major problem. Somehow the messages from back in the 1990s didn't quite get through to some folks.

Bottom line, y'all: Don't Mess with Texas!

Note: not all roads are TxDOT roads

Just to be clear, the only roads we actively report on fall within TxDOT jurisdiction. This means all state highways (16, 46, 151), all FM roads (1560, 1518), all interstate highways (I-10, I-35, I-37, I-410) and all U.S. Highways (87, 90, 281). For statewide reports, visit www.drivetexas.org - which, by the way, is optimized for use with your handheld device. Just don't use it while driving.

Other roads fall under city or county jurisdiction, depending on the location. For reports on city roads, follow the city's Twitter feed. For county road reports, follow the county.

Construction delays

The notable delay this week is the projected opening of new southbound main lanes of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads. This was slated to happen last night - in time for the morning commute today. The only task really remaining is to lay the final course of asphalt. That requires dry weather, though, and we'll not have a firm date for the opening until we get a day or two sans rain.

On the bright side, sunny days are nigh and this project is still running well ahead of schedule. Let's not forget initial projections showed these lanes wouldn't be open until mid-summer. Having them open at all before school gets out is a huge win for everyone.

Truth is every project we have is impacted. A small closure on the northbound frontage road of I-410 between Hwy 151 and West Military, for instance, has been moved from tonight to tomorrow night because of the weather. Overnight asphalt operations on Culebra have slowed. Any dirt work on the I-35 projects are pushed until the dirt dries out (usually 2-3 days). Pushing a bulldozer through wet, soft dirt can be a bad idea, so we try to wait for dry weather and work smarter on these jobs.

Next week's construction-related closures

With Fiesta going strong next week, closures will be limited. These are the closures you can expect - weather permitting - next week:

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Current thru May 2016. Exit ramps, both directions, to Eisenhauer Road. The ramps will close while crews build a new exit ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around to reach Eisenhauer Road. 
• Current thru May 2016. Northbound entrance ramp from Eisenhauer Road. The ramp will close while crews build a new entrance ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp. 
• Saturday, April 16. 1 a.m. until 3 p.m. Northbound frontage road between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work. 
• Sunday-Friday, April 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound frontage road between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work. 
• Sunday-Friday, April 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage roads, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work. 
• Monday-Friday, April 18-22. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work. 
• Monday-Friday, April 18-22. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Turnarounds, both directions, at Rittiman Road. The turnarounds will close as needed while crews do concrete work. 

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, April 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound ramp to northbound I-35. The right lane will close while crews do road work. This closure includes the exit to Randolph Boulevard. Traffic headed for Randolph Boulevard or the city of Windcrest will exit Thousand Oaks, turn around and reach their destination from the southbound frontage road. 

I-410 - Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Tuesday, April 18-19. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and West Military Rd. The right lane will close while crews pour concrete.

U.S. Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

• Current until May 2016. Westbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and East Kriewald. The frontage road will close while crews reconstruct the Medio Creek Bridge. 

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Current through Sunday, April 17. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road between Bandera and Braun roads. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Current through Sunday, April 17. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. South-to-north turnaround at Shaenfield. The turnaround will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Current through Sunday, April 24. Continuous closure. Northbound frontage road between Culebra and Shaenfield roads. The left lane will close while crews construct concrete barrier. 
• Current through Saturday, April 30. Continuous closure. Northbound frontage road between Braun and Bandera Roads. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. 

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, July 1 at 5 p.m. East-to-West turnaround at I-410. The turnaround will close while crews work on bridge support structures overhead. 
• Current until December 2016. Westbound exit ramp to Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed. 
• Current until December 2016. Eastbound entrance ramp from Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed. 

Other roads – Northeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, April 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Randolph Boulevard, both directions, between Crestway and I-35. Traffic will be limited to a single lane while crews do roadwork. Off-duty police will assist two-way traffic on this one lane. 

Other roads – East San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, April 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35. All lanes will close while crews do concrete work. Traffic will turn onto the northbound frontage road of I-35 and turn around at Walzem to reach its destination. 
• Sunday-Friday, April 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound Rittiman Road at I-35. All lanes will close while crews do concrete work. Traffic will turn onto the northbound frontage road of I-35 and turn around at Walzem to reach its destination. 

All closures are pending weather.

What is National Work Zone Awareness Week?

It seems like literally everything has an awareness week. Or at least a day.

OK, maybe not literally. More like virtually. Either way, there are a lot of awareness days, weeks and months.

This week, for instance, has been National Workzone Awareness Week. If you happen to see any of us around TxDOT, you'll find us wearing (probably) a little orange ribbon on our lapel. Because these causes all seem to use a colored ribbon, and because some even share the same color, you might ask us what the orange ribbon is all about.

Well, we're glad you asked.

Orange was picked by the Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and American Traffic Safety Services Association because of the use of orange in road work zones. Those three got together back in the 1990s (was that really THAT long ago?) to raise awareness of the need to be more careful when driving through work zones.

After all, those work zones are our office - and our folks would love to get home at the end of each work day. They have families waiting for them, as most folks do. We hear it about police officers all the time, but for everyone who leaves home to go to work the number-one job is to return home every evening (or at the end of each shift).

But the whole reason we take part in this National Work Zone Awareness Week isn't just because we want to get home. It's because we want you to get home. After all our top priority is safety, and the well-being and safety and quality of life for the traveling public are of the utmost concern to the Texas Department of Transportation.

So here are a few facts to consider:

• As many as 2,500 work zones can be active on Texas' 80,000 miles of highways at a given moment
• Work zone fines can double and reach as much as $2,000; also, work zone violations cannot be waived by pleading "no contest" and taking a drivers' safety course
• State-wide we saw a 13 percent increase in work-zone crashes over 2014
• Last year nearly 140 people were killed in work-zone crashes
• 81 percent of work zone fatalities are the motorists themselves; not workers

That last statistic bears repeating: 81 percent of work zone fatalities are the motorists themselves. Typically these motorists are speeding and distracted.

So much for state-wide stats. What about here, at home? Well, last year we had 2,492 work-zone collisions. 62 people were seriously hurt, and 11 lost their lives. Each of the 11 killed were motorists.

Here's the point: Being safe in a work zone isn't only about our safety (though that's certainly a huge part of it); it's about your safety as well. Work zones are constantly changing because our crews are working hard to improve your highway system. Some projects bring changes on a regular basis (which is why this blog exists - to provide you that information).

While we do everything we can to maintain the safety, ultimately everyone has a role to play in keeping our work zones safe. We're asking everyone to be rid of distraction - which means to put the dang phone away and just drive - and slow down a bit when headed into a work zone. The life you save, after all, just might be your own.

Hwy 151 at I-410: that darned southbound frontage road

We've been underway only six months on two new direct connectors at Hwy 151 and I-410 and Williams Brothers Construction has accomplished so much it's nearly impossible to really keep up with what's happening. At their current blistering pace, they've got a few more changes coming shortly.

Re-opening a ramp

The eastbound Hwy 151 on-ramp from Ingram and Potranco roads will be reopened by the end of next week, weather permitting. This should relieve some of the pressure on the intersection of the Hwy 151 and I-410 frontage roads, particularly in the mornings.

The ramp was closed a few months ago - initially planned to be closed for about a year - to allow WB to work on support structures for the new connector from eastbound Hwy 151 to northbound I-410. Crews are scheduled to construct the final abutment (a concrete shelf supporting bridge beams). That should eliminate the overhead work - for now - and make the ramp safe to reopen.

The ramp will close on a very temporary, short-term basis as needed to set bridge support beams and pour concrete later on, but that work will not likely happen for a few months.

Closing some driveways

We've got a lot of work as WB expands the southbound frontage road of I-410, particularly between Military Drive and Hwy 151. Traffic has been pinched to two lanes while crews have been working nearly around-the-clock to do dirt and concrete work, as well as to build a bridge expansion over Slick Creek. 

Next up is some work requiring closures of some pretty major driveways. We won't get into these until after Fiesta, but expect to see these closures begin April 25. There are two separate areas of closure involved here.

The first area is attached to Westover Hills Marketplace. We'll start with the driveway near Johnny Carinos and Chilis (Driveay One), with that driveway closing the morning of April 25.

A look at Driveway One, which will shut down for about two weeks beginning April 25.

We'll need about two weeks to finish work across that driveway, then move down the line to the driveway near Cracker Barrel and Buffalo Wild Wings (Driveway Two). Once that driveway work is done, we'll move to the driveway near Starbucks (Driveway Three).

Driveways Two (center of picture) and Three (left of screen) will close in succession as work across the previous driveway is complete. Only one driveway will close at a time, and each driveway should be finished within two weeks.

Again, each driveway will be closed about two weeks. As soon as work on one driveway is finished and reopened, WB will move to the next. Business access will continue through other driveways connecting the frontage road to this shopping center.

We need to do the same thing near Wal-Mart and at the driveway to IBC Bank and Quality Inn. These driveways will be closed during the same timeframe for similar time durations. Business access to the Wal-Mart shopping center will continue from West Military; traffic will reach IBC Bank and Quality Inn via Richland Hills.

These driveway closures should be wrapped up - again, if weather cooperates - by the end of May.

Fiesta

As most of our projects in the metro area, we won't have any major closures during Fiesta on this project so we're out of the way while everyone is celebrating. The one exception will be Monday, April 18 - a night without much we'd impact Fiesta-wise (though some cool daytime events are worth checking out).
That night expect to see a closure of at least a single lane on the northbound frontage road of I-410 between Hwy 151 and West Military. Details will be in our weekly lane closures report this weekend, but the work to be accomplished involves pouring concrete on the bridge expansion at Slick Creek. Work will be begin about 10 p.m. Monday and wrap up by 5:30 Tuesday morning.

Tour of Lp 1604 - with big update!

If the weather works out in our favor, we'll have the southbound main lanes of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads open for our Monday morning commute. Even if we do get the predicted storms we should have those lanes in play by mid-week.

That's the big news on the Loop 1604 expansion between Bandera and Culebra roads. Oh, and the northbound lanes are set to be ready for traffic 2-3 weeks behind the southbound lanes. And the new direct connector from southbound Loop 1604 to eastbound Hwy 151 could be in use for our commutes by mid-summer.

All this was discussed during a live virtual tour earlier today. If you happened to miss it, you can check out the tour here for yourself. Forewarning: the tour lasted about 50 minutes ... but if you're watching on demand you'll be able to scroll through to the areas most meaningful to you.

Mail Bag

Will the new eastbound on-ramp to I-10 at Ralph Fair Rd be improved to provide an acceleration lane? Due to the angle of the ramp entry visibility still seems limited. We need an acceleration lane since we are entering a 75-plus MPH freeway from a very slow or stopped speed. This is still a very dangerous entry ramp and with the Wal-Mart opening soon it will become even more of an issue.
- Vicky

Vicky, you've got a few items to address here. First, the ramp and its configuration you're now seeing is the final product. That said, a few very careful clarifications should be made.
First, I-10 is not a "75-plus MPH freeway" at that location. In fact, right now the speed limit is 60 MPH because of construction. Once construction is done, the speed limit will return to the normal posted limit of 70 MPH. If traffic is frequently exceeding 75 miles per hour as you're saying, please contact appropriate law enforcement agencies and insist on more frequent speed enforcement.

Second, you shouldn't be accelerating from a stop or a slow speed. Entrance ramps are designed to be, themselves, an acceleration lane. Visibility for the attentive driver begins long before they reach the merge point of the ramp. In fact, at least one online expert in safe driving suggests if you're slow or stopped at the end of the ramp, trying to then merge into traffic, you're probably doing it wrong. (To be clear, Vicky, we're not saying you are doing it wrong, but the "you" here is plural....)

Some brief pointers for drivers merging onto the highway:

1. Get up to speed quickly, This is what the whole ramp is actually designed for. By time you reach the end of the ramp, you should be traveling at highway speeds.
2. Look for merge gaps early. In this particular location, you can begin looking for gaps before you actually get onto the ramp - your visibility starts when you're turning onto the frontage road from Ralph Fair Road.
3. Create gaps ahead and behind you. Basically, don't follow so close to the person in front of you and let them merge as well. If you do it right, you'll do what's called a "zipper merge".
4. Merge quickly. This one is from the experts: "Once you’ve located the gap, move into it quickly. It should take approximately 4 seconds to move from the merge lane into your new lane. Also, if you notice that a car has slowed down to let you in, you need to begin moving into that gap within 2-3 seconds. If you wait too long, that car is going to think that you do not want to merge into the space and potentially close the gap."
5. Finally, coming to a stop in the ramp is not a good idea. While so many figure they can simply stop at the end of the ramp and wait for a gap in traffic, this simply isn’t safe. It takes the average car approximately 10-12 seconds to accelerate from zero to 65 MPH. A car on the highway will drive about one-fifth of a mile in that time. By stopping, you'd now need a gap in traffic at least that long - or a gap that starts almost all the way at the Ralph Fair Road overpass.

All that said, as the area continues to grow and develop surely an acceleration lane (actually, an auxiliary lane) will be considered. As far as the Wal-Mart development ... well, the entrance ramp is well ahead of the Wal-Mart, so that should be a non-factor completely. Hope that helps.

I noticed (last week) they closed the turning lanes at the intersection or Babcock and UTSA Boulevard, and I'm just curious if there's any sort of timeline as to when those will be back to normal or whether it will continue until the project is complete.
Second - and I'm sure you get a TON of questions of about this - but concerning the 1604 expansion from Bandera to Culebra, as well as the interchange at 151 and 1604, is there any chance of an update video of sorts? I believe it's been a while since the last one you've posted, and seeing so much progress in the time that's past, I think it would be really neat to see something in the near future.
- Felix
Great questions, Felix. Easy question first - we've got a live video tour planned for tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon, 1 p.m. That will be done via Periscope on our Twitter account. We'll also work to have an edited version posted on YouTube shortly thereafter.

As for UTSA Boulevard, there's actually two active projects. The TxDOT project runs from I-10 to Ximenes Avenue. The city has their own project - they're matching what we're doing - and that runs to the Babcock intersection you were talking about. For questions about that intersection and their project, reach out to San Antonio's Transportation and Capital Improvements folks.

For those unfamiliar with what's happening at UTSA Boulevard, we're expanding it to two lanes in each direction with a center left-turn lane. We're also adding some pedestrian facilities to improve the safety of students walking, jogging or riding their bikes along this corridor. Work began a bit over a year ago and has a bit more than a year left before the final product will be in place.

During the construction on I-10 out to Fair Oaks, why isn't I-10 being made three lanes each way.

- Robert The short answer, Robert, is money. While the need to expand is present - which is why we've got a plan to add two lanes in each direction between Camp Bullis and Ralph Fair Road - the more immediate need was to improve the operations of our feeder roads.
We do what we can with the money available. With more than $5 billion in needs across San Antonio alone, we're doing what we can as we can do it. I think we're running somewhere around $500 million in new construction contracts annually, though this year may be a banner year in getting projects let. A lot of that is thanks to the legislature's end of diversions from the highway fund and voters approving Proposition 7 in November.

Among those additional projects we see coming up is the expansion, which will include non-tolled transit lanes similar to what we'll see in the expansion of U.S. 281 between Loop 1604 and Stone Oak Parkway.

Details on that plan can be discussed at length with the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

On inbound Shaenfield Road (eastbound) at 1604, the two right lanes are marked on the road as going straight through the intersection with only the far right lane having the option to turn right or go straight. However, each morning when I drive through the intersection, I see vehicles making it a double right turn. Prior to the underpass being completed, it was a double right turn, with both lanes turning right onto the superstreet. Is it possible to place signs on the roadside and on the light signals indicating which lane may turn and which goes straight through the light? I believe there should be double right turn lanes as traffic backs up significantly in the right hand lane, resulting in drivers illegally turning right from the 2nd to right lane or trying to jump the line and move over at the last moment, and there doesn’t seem to be significant traffic going straight through the intersection.
- Marcia In about two weeks, that whole situation is going to dramatically change. That said, the request for lane assignment signage has been submitted more than once. We'll check to see what the status is, because we need to get that taken care of soon.

Your suggestion of a dual-right turn lane option is an interesting and outside-the-box option, but isn't used well at intersections like this. The layout makes such a situation just impractical and (potentially) hazardous. While the traffic operation may lend itself to such a scenario now, that will change in about two weeks.

It's completely cliche and tough to say on our end, but patience is the key - in two weeks, once main lane traffic is live on the southbound side and most of that cross-traffic on the frontage road is gone, you'll find that right-turn lane flows a lot smoother and has a virtual zero queue.

What is the estimated completion date for the project on I-10 between Dominion Drive and Ralph Fair Road as of the start of April?

-BillRight now we're shooting for the first part of fall to have this project all wrapped up. Most of the traffic should be in its final configuration all the way around, though, by late summer.

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 - Kendall County

• Monday-Tuesday, April 11-12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes at Scenic Loop Road. The right lane will close while crews re-stripe the roadway.

I-10 – Downtown

• Friday-Saturday, April 8-9. 7 p.m. until 8 a.m. Eastbound main lanes between North Frio and South Laredo. The two left lanes will close while crews do asphalt work. This closure includes the exit to Houston Street from southbound I-35. Traffic will use Cesar Chavez to reach its destination. 

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Current thru May 2016. Exit ramps, both directions, to Eisenhauer Road. The ramps will close while crews build a new exit ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around to reach Eisenhauer Road. 
• Current thru May 2016. Northbound entrance ramp from Eisenhauer Road. The ramp will close while crews build a new entrance ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp. 
• Saturday, April 9. 2 a.m. until 4 p.m. Northbound frontage road between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Saturday, April 9. 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Southbound main lanes between Binz Engleman and AT&T Center Parkway. Alternating lanes, two at a time, will close while crews work on overhead highway sign support structures. 
• Saturday, April 9 at 2 a.m. until Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m. Northbound main lanes between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Sunday-Friday, April 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews move traffic barrier. 
• Monday-Thursday, April 11-14. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work. 
• Monday-Thursday, April 11-14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do roadwork. 
• Monday-Thursday, April 11-14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do roadwork. 

I-35 – Downtown San Antonio

• Tuesday-Wednesday, April 12-13. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes at the intersection with U.S. Hwy 281 and I-37. The right lane will close while crews install crash cushions and road signs. This closure includes the ramp to southbound U.S. Hwy 281 and the on-ramp from New Braunfels Avenue. Detour routes will be marked. 

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

• Monday-Friday, April 11-15. Eastbound connector to northbound I-35. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. This closure includes the ramp to Randolph Boulevard. Traffic will exit Thousand Oaks and turn around, approaching Randolph Boulevard from the southbound frontage road of I-35. 

I-410 – East San Antonio

• Monday-Thursday, April 11-14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound connector to northbound I-35. The left lane will close while crews do concrete work. 

U.S. Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

• Current until May 2016. Westbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and East Kriewald. The frontage road will close while crews reconstruct the Medio Creek Bridge. 

U.S. Hwy 281 – North San Antonio

• Sunday, April 10. 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Southbound frontage road at Loop 1604. The right lane will close while crews survey the roadway. 
• Sunday-Monday, April 10-11. 6 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Main lanes, both directions, between Loop 1604 and Stone Oak Parkway. The right lane will close while crews survey the roadway. 

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Saturday, April 9. 8 a.m. until noon. Southbound main lanes between the entrance ramp from Shaenfield Road and Culebra Road. The right lane will close while crews work on TransGuide traffic camera equipment. 
• Current through Sunday, April 10. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road at Helotes Creek. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Current through Thursday, April 14. Continuous closure. Southbound frontage road between Helotes Creek to Shaenfield Road. The left lane will close while crews construct concrete barrier. 
• Current through Thursday, April 14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, at Hwy 151. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will exit Hwy 151, follow the frontage road and re-enter the highway. Northbound traffic will actually use Hwy 151 and turn around at Wiseman to continue along northbound Lp 1604. 
• Current through Sunday, April 17. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road between Bandera and Braun roads. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Current through Sunday, April 17. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. South-to-north turnaround at Shaenfield. The turnaround will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Current through Sunday, April 24. Continuous closure. Northbound frontage road between Braun and Bandera Roads. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. 
• Current through Sunday, April 24. Continuous closure. Northbound frontage road between Culebra and Shaenfield roads. The left lane will close while crews construct concrete barrier. 
• Wednesday-Sunday, April 13-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, at Hwy 151. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will exit Hwy 151 and follow the frontage road to return to Loop 1604. Northbound traffic will turn around on Hwy 151 at Wiseman to continue along Loop 1604. 

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, July 1 at 5 p.m. East-to-West turnaround at I-410. The turnaround will close while crews work on bridge support structures overhead. 
• Current until December 2016. Westbound exit ramp to Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed. 
• Current until December 2016. Eastbound entrance ramp from Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed. 
• Wednesday-Thursday, April 13-14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between I-410 and Military Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews restripe the roadway. 

Other roads – Comal County

• Monday, April 11. 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Eastbound Hwy 46 between Old Boerne Road and U.S. Hwy 281. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. 

Other roads - Boerne

• Sunday-Monday, April 17-18. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Scenic Loop, both directions, at I-10. All lanes will close while crews do storm drain work. Traffic will follow posted detours.

Other roads – North San Antonio

• Monday-Thursday, April 11-14. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Broadway, both directions, between Austin Highway and Harrigan Court. The left lane will close while crews do concrete work. 

Other roads – Northwest San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, April 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Culebra Road, both directions, between Lost Lane and Loop 1604. Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. 

All closures are pending weather.

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 – East San Antonio

• Monday-Tuesday, April 4-5. 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Eastbound main lanes between Foster Road and FM 1516. The right lane will close while crews do roadway repair work.

I-10 – Northwest San Antonio

• Friday, April 1, 9 p.m. until Monday, April 4, 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes between DeZavala and Huebner roads. The right lane will close while crews do full-depth road repair.
• Friday, April 1, 9 p.m. until Monday, April 4, 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between Huebner and DeZavala roads. The right lane will close while crews do electrical work.
• Friday, April 1, 9 p.m. until Monday, April 4, 5 a.m. Eastbound entrance ramp from DeZavala Road. The ramp will close while crews do full-depth road repair. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
• Friday, April 1, 9 p.m. until Monday, April 4, 5 a.m. Eastbound exit ramp to USAA (Exit 560B). The ramp will close while crews do full-depth road repair. Traffic will exit Huebner Rd and turn around.
• Sunday-Wednesday, April 3-6. 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. The left lane will close while crews set barrier.
• Wednesday-Friday, April 6-8. 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes between Fair Oaks Parkway and Ralph Fair Road. The left lane will close while crews set barrier.

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Current thru May 2016. Exit ramps, both directions, to Eisenhauer Road. The ramps will close while crews build a new exit ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around to reach Eisenhauer Road.
• Current thru May 2016. Northbound entrance ramp from Eisenhauer Road. The ramp will close while crews build a new entrance ramp. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
• Saturday, April 2. 3 a.m. until 5 p.m. Main lanes, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Saturday, April 2. 3 a.m. until 5 p.m. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Saturday, April 2. 9 a.m. until noon. Southbound main lanes between Eisenhauer and George Beach. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
• Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3. 3 a.m. until 1 p.m. daily. Northbound exit to Randolph Boulevard. The ramp will close while crews do bridge work. Traffic will exit Thousand Oaks, turn around and use the southbound frontage road to reach its destination.
• Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3. 3 a.m. until 1 p.m. daily. Northbound exit ramp to westbound I-410. The ramp will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will exit Walzem Road and use the northbound I-35 frontage roads to reach westbound I-410.
• Sunday, April 3. 12:01 a.m. until noon. Main lanes, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday, April 3. 12:01 a.m. until noon. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Friday, April 3-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Friday, April 3-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Friday, April 3-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Monday-Friday, April 4-8. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the roadway.
• Monday, April 4 at 9 a.m. until Monday, April 18 at 3 p.m. Continuous Closure. Southbound frontage road between Eisenhauer and Rittiman roads. The left lane will close while crews build a storm drain across the road.
• Monday, April 4 until Friday, April 20. Continuous closure. Southbound frontage road between Walzem and Eisenhauer. The left lane will close while crews build a storm drain across the road.

I-37 – South San Antonio

• Saturday, April 2. 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Southbound main lanes between Military Drive and I-410. The right lane will close while crews repair the road surface. This closure includes the entrance from Military Drive and the exit to I-410. Traffic from Military will take WW White to reach I-410, turn around at Pecan Valley and reach I-37. Traffic to I-410 will exit U.S. 181, turn around and approach on northbound I-37.

I-410 – East San Antonio

• Saturday, April 2. 3 a.m. until 9 a.m. Northbound connector to northbound I-35. All lanes will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will exit Space Center, follow the access road through Rittiman Road and enter northbound I-35.

I-410 – Northwest San Antonio

• Current through Thursday, April 7. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound frontage road between West Military Drive and Hwy 151. The right lane will close while trucks unload equipment.
• Monday-Tuesday, April 4-5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound frontage road between Culebra Road and Hwy 151. The right lane will close while crews pour concrete.
• Monday-Tuesday, April 4-5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Culebra Road. All lanes will close briefly as needed to install light fixtures. Traffic will be controlled by off-duty police officers.
• Wednesday-Friday, April 6-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and West Military Drive. The right lane will close while crews set bridge support beams.

U.S. Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

• Current until May 2016. Westbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and East Kriewald. The frontage road will close while crews reconstruct the Medio Creek Bridge.

U.S. Hwy 281 – North San Antonio

• Sunday-Monday, April 3-4. 6 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Southbound main lanes between Mountain Lodge and Stone Oak Parkway. The right lane will close while crews do survey work.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Current through Sunday, April 10. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road between Bandera and Braun roads. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work.
• Current through Sunday, April 10. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road at Helotes Creek. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work.
• Current through Thursday, April 14. Continuous closure. Southbound frontage road between Helotes Creek to Shaenfield Road. The left lane will close while crews construct concrete barrier.
• Current through Thursday, April 14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, at Hwy 151. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will exit Hwy 151, follow the frontage road and re-enter the highway. Northbound traffic will actually use Hwy 151 and turn around at Wiseman to continue along northbound Lp 1604.
• Current through Thursday, April 21. Continuous closure. Northbound frontage road between Braun and Bandera Roads. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work.
• Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3. 3 a.m. until noon daily. Southbound main lanes at Bandera and Culebra roads. The main lanes will close while crews do full-depth asphalt reconstruction. Traffic will exit Bandera Road and follow the frontage road through Culebra Road to reach its destination.
• Sunday-Sunday, April 4-10. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. South-to-north turnaround at Shaenfield. The turnaround will close while crews do concrete work.

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, July 1 at 5 p.m. East-to-West turnaround at I-410. The turnaround will close while crews work on bridge support structures overhead.
• Current until December 2016. Westbound exit ramp to Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed.
• Current until December 2016. Eastbound entrance ramp from Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed.
• Sunday-Thursday, April 3-7. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between I-410 and Hunt Lane. The right lane will close while crews set barrier.
• Sunday-Thursday, April 3-7. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound frontage road between I-410 and Hunt Lane. The left lane will close while crews set barrier.
• Tuesday, April 5. 12:01 a.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound frontage road between Ingram Road and I-410. All lanes will close briefly as needed while crews install light fixtures. Traffic will be controlled by off-duty police officers.
• Wednesday-Friday, April 6-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between West Military and I-410. The frontage road will be down to a single lane while delivery trucks wait to set beams on the I-410 northbound frontage road.

Other roads – East San Antonio

• Monday-Friday, April 4-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Randolph Boulevard, both directions, between Crestway and I-35. Both lanes will close while crews work on retaining walls. Traffic will be moved through the work area by off-duty police officers.

Other roads – Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Friday, April 4-8. 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Culebra Road, both directions, between Timberhill and Loop 1604. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the road.

All closures are pending weather.