Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 – Boerne

• Monday-Tuesday, August 1-2. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Frontage roads, both directions, at Scenic Loop Road. The left lane will close while crews place concrete beams for bridge expansion on I-10.

I-10 – Fair Oaks Ranch

• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt and move barrier.

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound exit to southbound I-410. The ramp will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will exit George Beach, turn around and approach southbound I-410 from northbound I-35.
• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Broadway and I-410. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the road.
• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound exit to westbound I-410. The ramp will close while crews do road work. Traffic will exit Walzem Road and continue along the northbound frontage road of I-35 to reach the entrance to westbound I-410.
• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do bridge work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do finish work on the road.
• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Monday-Friday, August 1-5. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Monday-Friday, August 1-5. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Frontage roads, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound exit ramp to Randolph Boulevard. The ramp will close while crews do road work. Traffic will follow the posted detour.

I-410 – Southwest San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily (weekdays only). Northbound frontage road between Pearsall Road and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The right lane will close while CPS Energy crews work on overhead power lines.

I-410 – West San Antonio

• Sunday-Monday, July 31-August 1. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Main lanes, both directions, between Culebra Road and Hwy 151. The left lane will close while crews work on light poles.

US Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

• Monday, August 1. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Main lanes, both directions, between Callaghan and Castroville roads. The right lane will close while crews install signs.
• Monday, August 1-Friday, August 12. 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Eastbound main lanes between Loop 1604 and Hunt Lane. Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the roadway.

US Hwy 281 – Downtown San Antonio

• Sunday-Thursday, July 31-August 4. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between I-410 and St. Mary’s. The right two lanes will close while crews work on guardrail.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Friday-Saturday, July 29-30. 9 p.m. until 5 p.m. Southbound exit ramp to Alamo Ranch Parkway and Hwy 151. The ramp will close while crews finish the new direct connector to Hwy 151. The ramp will reopen when the connector is ready for use. Traffic will exit Culebra Road to reach Alamo Ranch Parkway. Traffic to Hwy 151 will continue to Wiseman and turn around, approaching Hwy 151 from northbound Loop 1604.

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• 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.

Other roads – Kendall County

• Sunday-Friday, July 31-August 5. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. River Road, both directions, between Main Street and Esser Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the roadway. Off-duty police will control one-way traffic.
• Monday-Tuesday, August 1-2. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Scenic Loop Road, both directions, at I-10. Traffic will be controlled by off-duty police officers while crews work on the signal poles.
• Sunday-Friday, August 7-12. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. River Road, both directions, between Main Street and Esser Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the roadway. Off-duty police will control one-way traffic.

Other roads – Southwest Bexar County

• Current through Friday, August 12. 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily (weekdays only). Southbound Somerset Road between I-410 and Rockport Road. The right lane will close while crews reshape ditches. Flaggers will be on site to stop traffic as needed.

Other roads – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, weekdays only. Potranco Road, both directions, between FM 3487 and West Military Drive. The right lane will close while crews with the city of San Antonio do concrete work.

All closures are pending weather.

New direct connector nearly ready

Thursday update: Williams Brothers has scheduled for the new direct connector to be opened Saturday afternoon (July 30).

This week's small storm may push this back a day or two, but Williams Brothers Construction is just about set to open the new southbound Loop 1604 connector to eastbound Hwy 151.
That's right. The new direct connector - the primary feature of the work at the intersection of Loop 1604 and Hwy 151 - is nearly ready to open (photos to come soon...). It could, in fact, be ready for use as early as Monday's morning commute.
That is, if weather allows.

What's left
Several small items remain to be finished up before the connector can open, but Williams Brothers crews are working around-the-clock to get this open. These are the same crews that managed to open the main lanes of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra up at least six weeks early.
Still, for the curious, here's a list of notable items remaining:

• Overhead highway sign support columns, particularly near the approach to the ramp along southbound Loop 1604
• Installation of all appropriate highway signs
• Completion of concrete barrier along the north face of the connector (requiring overnight closures of Loop 1604 announced earlier)
• Asphalt tie-ins at both ends of the connector
• Moving and removing barrier

Some of this work will require some closures that may disrupt weekend travels. If you're planning to be around Culebra or Hwy 151 this weekend, please plan on some delays.

How it'll impact you

For those using southbound Loop 1604 to reach eastbound Hwy 151, this will be a total game-changer. Your exit ramp will still be at about the same spot - the ramp will accommodate folks heading for either Hwy 151 or Alamo Ranch Parkway, as it does today - but you won't be stacked up on the frontage road or stuck waiting on a traffic signal.

That said, it is a single-lane ramp and folks will be driving it at reduced speeds. Don't expect to make the transition from Loop 1604 to Hwy 151 at a constant 60 miles per hour here. It should be a fluid flow, though.

For everyone else, your commute will be much different. Let us explain.

With the new connector in play Williams Brothers will be able to shut down the traffic signal at 1604 and 151. Expect to see concrete barriers set up to prevent its use altogether. This is permanent.

Traffic from Culebra or Alamo Ranch will need to head south on Loop 1604 to Wiseman, turn around, then get to Hwy 151 from northbound 1604. This adds a little more than two miles to your drive.

You won't be competing with traffic from southbound Loop 1604, though. And this isn't a permanent arrangement. As soon as the new overpass is open Alamo Ranch Parkway will be connected to Hwy 151. More on that in a moment.

By the way, if you're one who heads south on Loop 1604 through Hwy 151 you won't have any traffic signals until you reach Wiseman. 

The overpass

The final visible feature of this project will be completed by the end of this year. Williams Brothers Construction has until early the first quarter of 2017 to finish the project. They're likely to finish a little early, though, allowing their resources to move to other projects (like the 151-410 connectors they're building for us).

Expect the biggest flurry of activity for the upcoming few months to be right there on Alamo Ranch Parkway itself. With the existing lanes of the parkway moved to allow for the new overpass approach, you should see crews working hard to build walls and the man-made hill that leads into the overpass.

New exit to Ralph Fair Road

Holy smokes, that snuck up on us!

If you drive westbound I-10 and exit Ralph Fair Road, hopefully you've seen the digital message boards posted the last two weeks.

Some of us don't do that daily, though, and the change that happened Thursday night just snuck right up on us. So let's get to a few brief questions we're sure you've got (because we certainly would).

What's the change

Those yet to drive it don't know, but we opened a new westbound exit ramp to Ralph Fair Road Thursday night. The ramp is a few hundred feet east of the old ramp, and doesn't allow for the right turns. That means you can't exit Ralph Fair and double back to reach Aue Road or the Fairview shopping center.

Is this permanent?

The new ramp is only temporary. We'll say that again: THIS IS NOT PERMANENT. The ramp we opened allows Texas Sterling Construction to reconstruct the old ramp per the plans. This one is just temporary (is that clear by now?). It should only be in play until September (though we're hoping to have everyone back onto the permanent ramp by mid-August).

What about that right turn?

Here's the rub: the right-turn movement coming off that ramp isn't coming back.

We'll give you a moment to yell at us here, throw stuff at the screen, etc.

...

...

OK.

We're looking into some options, but the plans call for a normal one-way exit ramp here. That's a bit tricky for folks, because that road between Boerne Stage Road and the Fairview shopping center will be two-way when we're all said and done. But you won't be able to get there by taking that exit ramp, if you're coming from San Antonio.

You'll have to go through Leon Springs instead.

If taking that right turn off the ramp and hitting Aue Road was your shortcut, we're sorry. That's not there for you anymore (but you can go up to Old Fred Road and double back to Aue...).

What the heck?

To be completely honest, this was a detail we missed in our communications efforts. We were under the assumption that right turn off the Ralph Fair exit ramp would be preserved. 

There's no excuses here, just an apology - we dropped the communications ball here. This is the design and the plan put forth in the public meetings leading up to this project, and this is a detail we missed.

We're sorry.

Good news?

On the bright side of things, that new westbound entrance ramp from Dominion Drive should be opened and in use by the end of next week. That means folks headed west coming through Dominion Drive won't need to go through Leon Springs anymore - which should take a little traffic pressure off the Leon Springs area. It also means those folks who get stuck on the frontage roads trying to circumvent traffic on the main lanes will have a way around Leon Springs as well, making that area just a little nicer to drive. 

When will this project FINALLY be done?

That's a difficult question to answer. Truthfully, we think there's a good chance to get finished with this project well before Halloween. That's if we can get Texas Sterling Construction to dedicate resources to the project, of course. We have some minor work (mostly curb work and sidewalks) to get the frontage roads across the entire project, with the exception of the eastbound frontage road between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive, opened up in about two weeks. That's assuming we'll see the resources given to the project to have that done.
We just saw traffic across the Leon Creek bridge near Rudy's switched over to the new structure; Texas Sterling Construction will begin working on the opposite side of the bridge early next week.
Truthfully, work on that bridge should take just a couple of months.
Again, we're aiming at having this work done and out of the way by Halloween.

This week's construction-related closures

I-10 – Boerne

• Sunday-Monday, July 24-25. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Exit and entrance ramps, both directions, at Hwy 46. Alternating ramps will close, one at a time, while crews resurface the road. Traffic will follow the posted detour.

I-10 – Fair Oaks Ranch

• Saturday, July 23. 6:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Eastbound main lanes between Fair Oaks Parkway and Ralph Fair Road. The right lane will close while crews lay asphalt at the exit ramp. This closure includes the exit ramp to Ralph Fair Road. Traffic will exit Fair Oaks Parkway and continue along the frontage road to Ralph Fair Road.
• Sunday-Monday, July 24-25. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. The right lane will close while crews move barrier and lay asphalt.
• Monday-Friday, July 25-29. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. The left lane will close while crews move barrier and lay asphalt.

I-10 – Northwest San Antonio

• Tuesday-Thursday, July 26-28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. daily. Eastbound main lanes between UTSA Boulevard and Fredericksburg Road. The three left lanes will close while crews work on the TransGuide system.
• Thursday-Friday, July 28-29. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between DeZavala Road and UTSA Boulevard. The three left lanes will close while crews work on the TransGuide system.

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Broadway and I-410. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the road.
• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound exit to westbound I-410. The ramp will close while crews do road work. Traffic will exit Walzem Road and continue along the northbound frontage road of I-35 to reach the entrance to westbound I-410.
• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 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 finishing road work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do finish work on the road.
• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Monday-Friday, July 25-29. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Monday-Friday, July 25-29. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Frontage roads, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound exit ramp to Randolph Boulevard. The ramp will close while crews do road work. Traffic will follow the posted detour.

I-410 – Southwest San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily (weekdays only). Northbound frontage road between Pearsall Road and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The right lane will close while CPS Energy crews work on overhead power lines.

I-410 – West San Antonio

• Monday-Wednesday, July 25-27. 9 p.m. until 5 am. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Military Drive and Hwy 151. The left lane will close while crews remove light poles.

US Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

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

US Hwy 281 – Downtown San Antonio

• Monday-Thursday, July 25-28. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between I-35 and Hildebrand Avenue. The right lane will close while crews repair the road.
• Monday-Thursday, July 25-28. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between I-410 and St. Mary’s. Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the road and work on guardrail. This closure includes the entrance ramp from Basse Road. Traffic will go to Jones-Maltsberger to reach the southbound lanes of US 281.
• Wednesday-Thursday, July 27-28. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Northbound main lanes between I-35 and Hildebrand. The right lane will close while crews repair the road. This closure includes the northbound exit to St. Mary’s. Traffic will exit Hildebrand, turn around and exit Mulberry from southbound US 281.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Current through Wednesday, July 27. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road between Braun and Culebra roads. The right lane will close at various locations to form and pour concrete for inlets.
• Monday-Saturday, July 25-30. 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, follow the frontage road and re-enter the highway. Northbound traffic will exit Hwy 151, turn around at Wiseman Boulevard and re-enter Loop 1604 from westbound Hwy 151.

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• 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.
• Tuesday-Thursday, July 26-28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between I-410 and Ingram Road. The left lanes will close while crews set bridge beams overhead.

Other roads – Comal County

• Sunday-Monday, July 24-25. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Hwy 46, both directions, between Old Boerne Road and US 281. One lane will close in each direction while crews resurface the road.
• Tuesday, July 26. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Hwy 46, both directions, between Old Boerne Road and US 281. Alternating lanes will close while electricians work on traffic signals.

Other roads – Kendall County

• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Hwy 46, both directions, between Main Street and Esser Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the roadway. Off-duty police will control one-way traffic.

Other roads – east San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 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, controlled by off-duty police, while crews do road work.

Other roads – South Bexar County

• Monday-Friday, July 25-29. 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Northbound Palo Alto Road between South Zarzamora and I-410. The right lane will close while crews reshape ditches. Flaggers will be on site to stop traffic as needed.

Other roads – Southwest Bexar County

• Current through Friday, August 12. 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily (weekdays only). Southbound Somerset Road between I-410 and Rockport Road. The right lane will close while crews reshape ditches. Flaggers will be on site to stop traffic as needed.

Other roads – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, weekdays only. Potranco Road, both directions, between FM 3487 and West Military Drive. The right lane will close while crews with the city of San Antonio do concrete work.
• Saturday-Sunday, July 23-24. 4 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Westbound Military Drive between Five Palms and US Hwy 90. The center and right lanes will close while crews resurface the road.
• Monday-Tuesday, July 25-26. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound Military Drive at I-410. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto the northbound frontage road of I-410 and turn around at Culebra to reach its destination.

Other roads – Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Tuesday, July 25-26. 10 a.m. 7 a.m. continuous. Eastbound Alamo Ranch Parkway at Loop 1604. All lanes will close while crews install a drain structure. Traffic will use Westwood Loop and Culebra Road to reach Loop 1604 or Hwy 151.

All closures are pending weather.

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 – Boerne

• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Exit and entrance ramps, both directions, at Hwy 46. Alternating ramps will close, one at a time, while crews resurface the road. Traffic will follow the posted detour.

I-10 – Leon Springs

• Thursday-Friday, July 21-22. 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between Boerne Stage Road and Ralph Fair Road. The right lane will clsoe while crews move barrier. This closure includes the exit to Ralph Fair Road. Traffic will exit Boerne Stage Road and continue through Leon Springs to reach Ralph Fair Road.

I-10 – Fair Oaks Ranch

• Saturday, July 16. 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Exit and entrance ramps, both directions, between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. Alternating ramps will close, one at a time, while crews lay asphalt. Traffic will use the next available ramp and turn around.
• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. The right lane will close while crews move barrier and lay asphalt.
• Saturday, July 23. 6:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Eastbound main lanes between Fair Oaks Parkway and Ralph Fair Road. The right lane will close while crews lay asphalt at the exit ramp. This closure includes the exit ramp to Ralph Fair Road. Traffic will exit Fair Oaks Parkway and continue along the frontage road to Ralph Fair Road.

I-10 – Northwest San Antonio

• Tuesday-Thursday, July 19-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes between UTSA Boulevard and Fredericksburg Road. The three left lanes will close while crews do work on the TransGuide system.
• Thursday-Friday, July 21-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between DeZavala Road and UTSA Boulevard. The three left lanes will close while crews do work on the TransGuide system.

I-35 – New Braunfels

• Wednesday-Friday, July 20-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes at York Creek Road. Alternating lanes, two at a time, will close while crews repair the road.

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between I-410 and Broadway. The left lane will close while crews repair asphalt.
• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound exit to westbound I-410. The ramp will close while crews do road work. Traffic will exit Walzem Road and continue along the northbound frontage road of I-35 to reach the entrance to westbound I-410.
• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 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 finishing road work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do finish work on the road.
• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Monday-Friday, July 18-22. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Monday-Friday, July 18-22. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Frontage roads, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Friday, July 22 at 9 p.m. until Monday, July 25 at 5 a.m. Northbound connector to southbound I-410. The connector ramp will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will exit Splashtown Drive, continue right onto the I-410 access road, turn left at Seguin Road then follow the I-410 access road to the next available ramp.
• Friday, July 22 at 10 p.m. until Monday, July 25 at 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. All lanes will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will exit Splashtown Drive and use the next available on-ramp.

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound exit ramp to Randolph Boulevard. The ramp will close while crews do road work. Traffic will follow the posted detour.

I-410 – Southwest San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily (weekdays only). Northbound frontage road between Pearsall Road and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The right lane will close while CPS Energy crews work on overhead power lines.

I-410 – Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Tuesday, July 18-19. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound frontage road between Culebra and Ingram roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews install a drain structure.
• Monday-Tuesday, July 18-19. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes between Culebra Road and Hwy 151. The two right lanes will close while crews do bridge work. This closure includes the exit to Hwy 151. Traffic will use the next available exit ramp and turn around to reach its destination.
• Tuesday-Wednesday, July 19-20. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes between Hwy 151 and Culebra Road. The two right lanes will close while crews do bridge work. This closure includes the entrance from Hwy 151. Traffic will use the next available entrance ramp to reach its destination.

US Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

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

US Hwy 281 – Downtown San Antonio

• Sunday-Thursday, July 17-21. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between I-35 and Hildebrand Avenue. The right lane will close while crews work on guardrail.
• Wednesday-Thursday, July 20-21. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Southbound main lanes between I-410 and Hildebrand. Alternating lanes will close, three lanes at a time, while crews repair the road.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Current through Friday, July 22. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road at Helotes Creek. Alternating lanes will close while crews pour concrete.
• Monday, July 18. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Southbound exit ramp to Braun Road. The ramp will close while crews do finish work. Traffic will exit Shaenfield Road and turn around to reach Braun Road.
• Wednesday-Wednesday, July 20-27. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road between Braun and Culebra roads. The right lane will close at various locations to form and pour concrete for inlets.

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• 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.
• Monday-Wednesday, July 18-20. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between I-410 and Ingram Road. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.
• Wednesday-Thursday, July 20-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between I-410 and Ingram Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work.
• Thursday-Friday, July 21-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between I-410 and Ingram Road. The left lane will close whiel crews do overhead bridge work.

Other roads – Kendall County

• Sunday-Friday, July 17-22. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Hwy 46, both directions, between Main Street and Spencer Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the roadway.
• Sunday-Friday, July 24-29. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Hwy 46, both directions, between Main Street and Esser Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the roadway. Off-duty police will control one-way traffic.

Other roads – east San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 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, controlled by off-duty police, while crews do road work.

Other roads – Southwest Bexar County

• Monday-Friday, July 18-22. 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound Somerset Road between I-410 and Rockport Road. The right lane will close while crews reshape ditches. Flaggers will be on site to stop traffic as needed.

Other roads – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, weekdays only. Potranco Road, both directions, between FM 3487 and West Military Drive. The right lane will close while crews with the city of San Antonio do concrete work.

Other roads – Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Wednesday, July 18-20. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Military Drive, both directions, at I-410. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will follow the posted detour routes.

All closures are pending weather.

Mail Bag: Loop 1604 speed limits, US 281 Spring Branch, Ralph Fair Road

There's some confusion with the service road speed limits between Bandera and Braun for the Loop 1604 area. During construction, the speed limit was 45, then some 40 mph signs showed up, but were quickly covered with trash bags. Now the 45 mph construction signs are gone and the 40 mph signs are back. On one side there's several permanent signs present within a few yards of each other going from 40 to 45 and back to 40 mph. Two questions on this: Why did it go to a lower speed limit post-construction? Seems backward. And why on earth are there so many permanent speed limit changes going from Braun to Bandera in such a tight space? Sadly, no one is obeying any of them and will run anyone down that is trying to keep the speed limit which is really confusing with all the changes there.

- Rick

Thanks, Rick, for your note. The first issue is the discrepancy between speed limits along the frontage road. Here's what I got, to that issue, via email from our project engineer Wednesday:

The conflicting speed limit signs should have been fixed already. I was told yesterday that they were done. There should be no 45’s only 40’s.

On to the question about the drop in speed limit along here. The answer is fairly simple: when we had the speed limits posted at 45 mph, these frontage roads were essentially serving as the main lanes of Loop 1604 (because they were the only lanes). Now, with the main lanes open and in use (posted at 60 mph, by the way), the frontage road limits are being set at 40.

It seems slow right now, we get it. Just hang tight for a bit and a lot of development is coming in the near future. Just off the top of our heads (based on huge signs at locations) there's a large storage facility, a convenience store, a large community church and a strip mall coming in the near future. That development doesn't even account for the already existing locations that have bolstered frontage or added signs (we're looking at you, gymnastics center).

Truth is, folks in the area should be ready for a boom in commercial development and the resultant increase in traffic along these frontage roads. When that happens, the 40 mph speed limit will make more sense.

US 281 at the Spring Branch post office is a bottle neck. I am sure it also has the effect of keeping the speed limits from being raised to match the roadway that has been built. How can this highway improvement have been built without making arrangements for the USPS and the bottle neck it has caused?
- Glen
Well ... thanks for drudging up the past! Kidding.
This is an issue we discussed quite a bit back in 2014. For a few posts of note, check here or here. We were asked last year about the issue, and we don't have a lot of movement to report.

As of this spring the USPS told us they were expecting to be at their new location and vacating our property by summer 2017. That is, so long as the new proposed location at the corner of Blazing Meadow Road and US 281 is under construction thus summer.

A while back, I remember reading a detailed projection of the work between Ralph Fair Rd and Fair Oaks Pkwy. I noticed work has begun along that corridor. I may have missed it, but I was wondering what the latest updates are.
- AJ
Work has, indeed, begun! We've been underway since March now. We did see a pretty decent delay due to weather in April and May, and we lost about a month of good work.
This weekend you'll experience a slew of closures between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. We're not going to sugar coat this: it's going to be difficult to drive through. We need to extend some asphalt across the four ramps through here so we're ready to switch traffic next week. This means we'll close alternating ramps Saturday (July 16) throughout the day. We'll only have one ramp closed at a time, but we expect to see some significant impact from each closure.
Work is set to begin about 6 a.m. Saturday. We're hoping to have things finished by sundown Saturday.
Again, we'll have all four ramps closed, one at a time, for a few hours at a time. We will have off-duty police officers managing traffic at the intersections of I-10 and Ralph Fair Road and at Fair Oaks Parkway, as appropriate.
Next weekend we'll be working to shift traffic on the westbound main lanes over about 15-20 feet in order to make room to build the new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road. To prepare for that work we'll have a continuation of the overnight closures we've had here for the last week or two.
We'll get to the eastbound main lanes 2-3 weeks after we get the westbound lanes situated.

What is going on Ralph Fair Road north of I-10? There have been daily lane closures with no announcements causing major delays for local traffic. Seems like they are doing some surveying and pushing around some dirt but why couldn't they just set the barriers instead of backing the whole area up? How long will these continue to happen?
- Danko
You're not the only one to ask. We posted on this just last week - let us know if you have any further questions after checking it out!

I know this has been asked before but when will all the construction be completed at Boerne Stage Rd and Ralph Fair? It just seems to be so close to being completed but dragging out. Will it be done before school starts?
- Christina
What's going on with the service road lanes on both sides between Ralph Fair Road and Boerne Stage Road? It seems the construction site has been abandoned as no progress has been made in what appears to be months. Also, this project seems to be WAY past a scheduled completion date. Wasn't this started in 2013?
- Gerard
Gerard, we'll start with your initial questions. You're mixing two separate projects:
The first involved the expansion of the Ralph Fair Road bridge, including some upgrades to the intersection and conversion of the frontage roads between Ralph Fair and Boerne Stage to one-way roads. That did indeed start a number of years back, and Sundt Construction finished that project up a year ago.
The second project, being built by Texas Sterling Company, started March 2015. You can see the numbers all right here - the project ID is 0072.07.059. To be very blunt, yes - we should have been wrapping up about now. Unfortunately, this whole project has been wonky in terms of scheduling, due in large part to utility conflicts and weather.
Since those issues have resolved, we've been working with Texas Sterling to return appropriate resources to the project. They're out there working every day - just today we had crews working on the new westbound entrance ramp from Dominion Drive, set to open in August, and on the bridge over Leon Creek near Rudy's (set to reopen in October).
Our current projected completion date is the end of this year - which is, indeed, later than our earlier projection of September.

Mail Bag: Marbach extensions, that ramp from Ralph Fair Road, development of I-35 and of Lp 1604

When Marbach will be extended west of Loop 1604? Please provide schematic. Thank you.
- Edwin

Edwin, you've asked a pretty easy question! The answer is "we don't know". Marbach is a city or a county facility and is not maintained nor developed by TxDOT. For the area you're looking, we recommend reaching out to the good folks at Bexar County.

To be perfectly honest, new roads aren't really built by the county or the city. In a situation like this, that development would be done by the private developers building up the Marbach area. Just take a look at Alamo Ranch Parkway and its extension for a current example, or look at the way Wiseman was built much before that.
So, if you're wondering when Marbach will be extended ... well, get in touch with the private developers continually building that area out.

I know there have been some questions regarding the east bound on ramp at Ralph Fair Road. I'm curious why the on ramp isn't like the one shown in the TxDOT design manual. Figure 3-29 shows 1,050 ft (450 ft and 600 ft) and I think you're much shorter. How come? Isn't this what's making it dangerous?

- Joe
Well that's about as loaded a question as could be asked, isn't it? And, in fairness, this question was asked quite a while ago - we wanted to be sure to have a good scientific answer for you.
For starters, we're not much shorter than the guidelines in the TxDOT design manual. If you take a look at the notes our engineers made just for this post, you'll note the actual distances are 397 feet from the end of gore to the end of hash lines, and another 563 feet from end of hash lines to the end of taper.

For those keeping track at home, that's a total of 970 feet - less than 8 percent off the suggested dimensions in the design manual. When considering constraints here with drain structures and bridges (this ramp is sandwiched between Nochols and Leon creeks), that's pretty darned awesome.
Bottom line: we stand by our initial response to this issue with confidence.

Just read your mailbag post. Great stuff! I'm just curious if you had any info on the 151/1604 project. I seem to recall that there was some mention of the direct connector being projected to be operational sometime in June. Obviously I'm sure the weather has delayed that, but any word on an ETA?
- Felix
Construction seems to have stopped on the elevated connector from SB 1604 to EB 151. At one point, it was scheduled to open in June 2016. What's the updated schedule to open that connector?
- Trevor 

At the new construction 151-1604 interchange, I see the southbound 1604 exit to 151 flyover looking like it's progressing well. However, it looks as if the new eastbound (from Alamo Ranch Parkway) to 151 connection will run right into the structural member holding up the aforementioned flyover ramp. Was this a mistake in construction, or will the entire east-bound left lane get scrapped and/or relocated?
- Glenn
Felix and Trevor are right, we did boast a tentative opening of the end of June (thanks, Felix, for the kind words!). That was before we got hammered with the rains in April and May, though. Weather shifted the contractor priority to wrapping up work along Loop 1604. That work's deadline was mid-June, and going beyond the deadline carried financial disincentives. Work goes where the money is, and that meant crews being pulled to finish up those main lanes and frontage roads.

Right now the projected opening of the direct connector is in August, though we don't have an exact date. We should note overall completion isn't due until early 2017 - and the contractor isn't really obligated to open this incrementally (though doing so will certainly help them progress their work).
As for the eastbound connector, Glenn ... take a look at this:

If you look closely you'll see hard lines or squares across the direct connector (curved red road). You'll note one of those hard lines lands right up against where the abutment for the Hwy 151 overpass at Lp 1604 sets (blue and read meet, top-center of picture).
These hard lines are the column caps and abutments for the bridge structure. The one you're seeing will be just to the right of what you're seeing. Heck, we've even got the bridge spans in place now so you can see it when you drive through.
Just so we're clear, the overpass over Lp 1604 that merges Hwy 151 with Alamo Ranch Parkway is set to open to traffic by the end of this year.

Many salutations! I am called Damon Mason. I have been driven along the McDermott Freeway and am very impressed with how that highway has been revised to have five lanes in both directions between downtown San Antonio and Loop 410. One question that bugs me is why I-35 has not been revised in the same five-lanes coming-and-going manner that has been done with the McDermott Freeway. Why has that not been done, AAMPO?
- Damon
Why can I-35 not be revised so that freight truck traffic and private auto traffic are using separate levels? Most of the vehicular collisions are caused by private motorists behaving recklessly around freight trucks which have a mass of 80K pounds (or even heavier!); one solution is for freight trucks to have a level of the highway where there are no hydraulic-decelerated vehicles allowed and for private automobiles to have a level of the highway where there are no air-decelerated vehicles allowed. Why has that not been put into practice?
- Damon
Damon (he wrote us twice), this really is a question for the Alamo Area MPO. While we have a seat at that table, we're just one of several. That, and we're not the controlling agency of the MPO - the MPO is independent.
The need on I-35 is clear, and we've got several options being considered. Ultimately it'll be up to the MPO to determine when we'll move on I-35 and how that work will be funded.

What it's going to happen with 1604 between Bandera Road and I-10? With the construction between Culebra and Bandera finishing, traffic here has gotten even worse with increased traffic and accessibility. Are improvements for this stretch stuck in environmental study or funding limbo?
- Andrew

In a word, Andrew, yes.

The real need here is an upgrade - a significant upgrade - to the intersection of I-10 and Loop 1604. While the expansion of Loop 1604 has helped traffic on the far northwest side, it's also rushed traffic into the already existing logjam leading up to I-10 (and, frankly, all the way to US 281). The whole problem requires three major solves.

First, we need an additional lane of traffic for each direction of Loop 1604 between I-10 and US 281 at a minimum (and between Bandera Road and I-35 at a practical level). We know that. Infortunately, we don't have finances to construct that additional lane (though the MPO has been developing ideas for it, as you can see on page 9 here). 

Next, we need a significantly upgraded intersection at I-10. We're solving the problem at US 281 already; the cloverleaf at I-10 is outmoded by far at this point. This is another situation that's in need of significant funding to address. A typical interchange like we need at that location can easily top $500 million. Unfortunately, we're not the kind of agency that just carries that kind of cash on us. We're looking for ideas to get that price tag down - and one way is to build the full interchange in phases. We've already got one phase identified for development next year, at a price tag of about $110 million.

Finally, we need to do some "operational improvements", or adjust the way the ramps are set up and reverse ramps where possible. This means reversing some of the ramps to fit the Super X configuration you see on expressways across the city. This could be something we do as a stop-gap to improve (though, admittedly, only slightly) issues between now and a larger fix. This is all stuff to go through the MPO, though - and it's all being considered. Seriously, just check out the list of projects the MPO has on its wish list. Quite frankly, we just need money to do this.

We'll have more later this week....

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 – Boerne

• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Exit and entrance ramps, both directions, at Hwy 46. Alternating ramps will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will follow the posted detour.

I-10 – Fair Oaks Ranch

• Wednesday-Friday, July 13-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. The right lane will close while crews move barrier.

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Friday, July 8 at 10 p.m. until Monday, July 11 at 5 a.m. Northbound frontage road between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews repair asphalt.
• Friday, July 8 at 10 p.m. until Monday, July 11 at 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The right lane will close while crews repair asphalt.
• Friday, July 8 at 10 p.m. until Monday, July 11 at 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. All lanes will close while crews repave the roadway. Traffic will exit George Beach and re-enter the highway at the next available ramp.
• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 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 finishing road work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do finish work on the road.
• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
• Monday-Friday, July 11-15. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.
• Monday-Friday, July 11-15. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Frontage roads, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.

I-35 – Downtown San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Broadway and I-410. The left lane will close while crews repair the road.

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

• Friday, July 8 at 10 p.m. until Monday, July 11 at 5 a.m. Northbound connector to southbound I-35. The connector will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will continue north on I-410, turn left at Binz-Engleman Road and then turn left onto the southbound frontage road of I-35.

I-410 – Southwest San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily (weekdays only). Northbound frontage road between Pearsall Road and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The right lane will close while CPS Energy crews work on overhead power lines.
• Tuesday, July 12. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Main lanes, both directions, at Somerset Road. The right lane will close while crews pour concrete.
• Friday, July 15. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Main lanes, both directions, at Somerset Road. The right lane will close while crews pour concrete.

US Hwy 90 – West San Antonio

• Current through Friday, July 15. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Eastbound frontage road between I-410 and Springvale. The right lane will close while city crews do asphalt work.
• Current through July 2016. Westbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and East Kriewald. The frontage road will close while crews reconstruct the Medio Creek Bridge.
• Monday-Tuesday, July 11-12. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Eastbound main lanes between Medio Creek and I-410. The right lane will close while crews set barrier.

US Hwy 281 – Downtown San Antonio

• Sunday-Thursday, July 10-14. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between I-35 and Hildebrand Avenue. The right lane will close while crews work on guardrail.
• Monday-Friday, July 11-15. 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Northbound main lanes between I-35 and Hildebrand Avenue. The right lane will close while crews work on guardrail.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Saturday, July 9 at 7 a.m. until Sunday, July 10 at 7 p.m. turnarounds, both directions, at Braun, New Guilbeau and Shaenfield roads. The turnarounds will close, as needed, while crews do overhead finish work. Traffic will use normal intersection operations to turn around.
• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage roads, both directions, at Culebra Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews repave the intersection. This includes the south-to-north turnaround.
• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage roads, both directions, between Bandera and Culebra roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews stripe the roadway.

Hwy 151 – West San Antonio

• 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, July 10. 1 a.m. until 7 p.m. Main lanes, both directions, at Wiseman Road. All lanes will close for short durations while utilities crews bore under the roadway.

Other roads – Kendall County

• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Hwy 46, both directions, between Main Street and Thunder Valley Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the roadway.

Other roads – West San Antonio

• Current until Friday, August 12. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, weekdays only. Potranco Road, both directions, between FM 3487 and West Military Drive. The right lane will close while crews with the city of San Antonio do concrete work.
• Sunday-Friday, July 10-15. 7 p.m. until 4 a.m. nightly. Westbound W. Military Drive between Five Palms Drive and US Hwy 90. Alternating lanes will close while crews repair pavement.

All closures are pending weather.