Yes, the saga of Wurzbach Parkway continues.
Brief history
A collector and arterial route serving north-central San Antonio and crossing US 281 was drawn up in the early 1980s. This route was built piece-by-piece as money became available, with the final three segments starting construction back in 2011. The final segment, connecting West Avenue to Jones-Maltsberger, opened up September 2014.
With the final segment open and Wurzbach Parkway in full use, we kind of thought we'd be done talking about it here on the Go Ahead! blog. We were wrong. We've had more than a half-dozen posts on the Parkway since it opened, though admittedly many were about requests from stakeholders to raise the speed limits.
Now the speed limits are up, folks have been clamoring for help getting traffic through the Northwest Military and Lockhill-Selma intersections. Well, in true Wurzbach Parkway fashion, we're fixing this in pieces.
Public input
If you get frustrated being stuck at that signal at Northwest Military Highway during peak traffic hours, we need to hear from you.
Not so fast! Don't go emailing us just yet. Instead, we want to chat with you in person. Tonight.
We'll be at Oak Meadow Elementary School between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to discuss the plan we've got worked out to get traffic through the Northwest Military intersection and improve traffic flow up to Lockhill Selma.
The idea is pretty cool, and looks a lot like the intersection of Fredericksburg Road at Medical Drive. It also involves a fancy intersection called a SPUI, or single-point urban interchange. (You can read about these things here, then come ready to chat with us about them at the open house. An animation on how a SPUI works is found here.)
If you can't make it
We'll have the materials posted on our web site here later this week. It'll include the powerpoint we show at the meeting as well as any relevant schematics and a video animation of the intersection. You'll also find appropriate contact info there to let us know what you think.
Whether you're at the meeting or not, if you don't speak up we won't know what you're thinking and considerations you are thinking of may get missed! We are, after all, only human!
Tuesday, February 28
Monday, February 27
This week's construction-related closures
*Sorry for the delay - we were out of the office Friday and didn't have a chance to post this over the weekend.
- Tuesday-Friday, February 28-March 3. 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 do road work.
- Thursday-Friday, March 2-3. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Main lanes, both directions, between Boerne Stage Road and Ralph Fair Road. The right lane will close while crews move barrier.
- Wednesday-Thursday, March 1-2. 7:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between FM 1518 and Woodlake Parkway. Alternating lanes will close while crews install storm drains.
- Friday, March 3 at 7 p.m. until Monday, March 6 at 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between FM 1518 and Woodlake Parkway. The frontage road will close while crews install storm drain. Traffic will use Foster Road and FM 1518 to reach its destination.
- Wednesday-Thursday, March 1-2. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes at Walnut Avenue. All lanes will close while crews set barrier for road repair work. Traffic will exit Walnut Avenue, continue through the intersection and re-enter the highway. This closure is a re-schedule from the night of Sunday, February 26.
- Thursday, March 2 at 5 a.m. until Monday, March 20 at 10 p.m. Northbound main lanes at Walnut Avenue. The right lane will remain closed while crews repair the road. This closure includes the northbound on-ramp from Spur Street. Traffic will continue along the frontage road and use the next available ramp.
- Wednesday, March 1 until Friday, March 10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Nogalitos and U.S. Hwy 90. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the road.
- Current until April 30, 2017. Northbound exit to Culebra Road. The exit will close while crews widen the main lanes and frontage road. Traffic will exit Ingram Road, turn around and get to Culebra on the southbound frontage road.
- Monday-Friday, February 27-March 3. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews set concrete beams. Traffic will use Military Drive to move from Hwy 151 and I-410.
- Monday-Friday, February 27-March 3. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Hwy 151 and Military Drive. The right lanes will close while crews move barrier.
- Monday, February 27-Monday, March 6. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between U.S. Hwy 90 and Marbach Road. The left lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Current through February 28. Eastbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The left lane will close to allow for utility work.
- Current until Tuesday, February 28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes between the Medio Creek Bridge and I-410. The right lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Wednesday-Thursday, March 1-2. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Westbound main lanes at the Loop 1604 exit ramp. The right lane will close while crews do asphalt work. This closure includes the westbound exit to Loop 1604. Traffic will take the next exit and turn around to reach Loop 1604.
- Current through May 1. Eastbound exit ramp to I-35. The ramp has been reduced to a single lane while crews do bridge repair work.
- Current until August 31. Westbound exit ramp to Hunt Lane. The exit will close while crews work on retaining walls. Traffic will exit Ingram Road and follow the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Current until Friday, March 31. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes and frontage road between Ingram Road and I-410. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Main lane traffic will exit I-410 and join frontage road traffic to follow the posted detour.
- Monday-Friday, February 27-March 3. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between I-410 and Hunt Lane. The left lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Current until August 31. Austin Street between Martindale and Seidman. The road will be converted to one-way only, moving southbound, while crews do road work. Northbound traffic will use Guadalupe Street to reach its destination.
- Thursday-Friday, March 2-3. 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. Highway 46, both directions, at Cinco Lane. Alternating lanes will close while crews install guardrail. One-way traffic will be controlled by a flagger.
- Monday-Friday, February 27-March 3. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Potranco Road, both directions, between Clover Creek and Hwy 151. The left lane will close while crews install raised concrete medians.
Tuesday, February 21
Yup. We're resurfacing I-35 in New Braunfels.
It's a request we get frequently from folks in the New Braunfels area - a request to fix the road surface of I-35, particularly through the southern half of the city.
Starting February 26 we'll be doing just that. A $6.3 million project done by Angel Brothers Construction will resurface the road and repair the pavement base at locations identified by engineers as being in some serious need of help. The section of I-35 we'll be working on runs between Solms Road and FM 725 - a 4.3-mile stretch.
Work should wrap up late fall of this year.
So how does this impact you? Monday morning we'll have the northbound lanes trimmed down to two lanes at Walnut Avenue. We'll also have the on-ramp from Spur Street closed (traffic will continue through the Walnut intersection and use the next available ramp). That will last about three weeks before crews do the same thing on the southbound side.
The first work to do will be those structural repairs to the road - kind of like performing a root canal in dentistry. Once the structural repairs are all finished on this job we'll come back and give the road a final surface (like a crown). Drivers may see less-than-perfect (but totally safe) driving surfaces over the summer before we can get that final surface in.
Expect to see nightly closures as the project moves forward, with a handful of total closures of the main lanes - which will only last overnight. One of those total closures will come Sunday night, with the two right lanes closing at 9 p.m. and all lanes shutting down by 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.
Look for closure information on our weekly lane closures report right here at the Go Ahead! blog.
Starting February 26 we'll be doing just that. A $6.3 million project done by Angel Brothers Construction will resurface the road and repair the pavement base at locations identified by engineers as being in some serious need of help. The section of I-35 we'll be working on runs between Solms Road and FM 725 - a 4.3-mile stretch.
Work should wrap up late fall of this year.
So how does this impact you? Monday morning we'll have the northbound lanes trimmed down to two lanes at Walnut Avenue. We'll also have the on-ramp from Spur Street closed (traffic will continue through the Walnut intersection and use the next available ramp). That will last about three weeks before crews do the same thing on the southbound side.
The first work to do will be those structural repairs to the road - kind of like performing a root canal in dentistry. Once the structural repairs are all finished on this job we'll come back and give the road a final surface (like a crown). Drivers may see less-than-perfect (but totally safe) driving surfaces over the summer before we can get that final surface in.
Expect to see nightly closures as the project moves forward, with a handful of total closures of the main lanes - which will only last overnight. One of those total closures will come Sunday night, with the two right lanes closing at 9 p.m. and all lanes shutting down by 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.
Look for closure information on our weekly lane closures report right here at the Go Ahead! blog.
Friday, February 17
Next week's construction-related closures
I-10 – East San Antonio
All closures are pending weather.
- Current until Monday, February 20. 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Frontage road on the westbound between Foster Road and FM 1516. Alternating lanes will close as needed while crews work on underground drain structures. This frontage road is a two-way frontage road and traffic control officers will direct traffic during these closures.
- Friday, February 17 at 7 p.m. until Monday, February 20 at 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road at Woodlake Parkway. All lanes will close while crews build storm drain structures. Traffic will use Foster Road, FM 1516 and the two-way frontage road on the eastbound side to reach its destination.
- Sunday-Monday, February 26-27. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Northbound main lanes at Walnut Avenue. All lanes will close while crews set barrier for road repair work. Traffic will exit Walnut Avenue, continue through the intersection and re-enter the highway.
- Sunday-Monday, February 19-20. 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes between Eisenhauer and Rittiman roads. The two right lanes will close while crews set barrier. This closure includes the exit to Rittiman Road. Traffic will exit George Beach, turn around and reach Rittiman Road from the northbound direction.
- Current until April 30, 2017. Northbound exit to Culebra Road. The exit will close while crews widen the main lanes and frontage road. Traffic will exit Ingram Road, turn around and get to Culebra on the southbound frontage road.
- Current until Tuesday, February 28. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between US Hwy 90 and I-410. Alternating lanes will close while crews set barrier and do drainage work.
- Current until Tuesday, February 28. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Main lanes, both directions, between US Hwy 90 and I-410. The left lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Monday-Friday, February 20-24. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews set bridge support beams overhead. Traffic will use Military Drive to move between the frontage roads of Hwy 151 and I-410.
- Current through February 28. Eastbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The left lane will close to allow for utility work.
- Current until Tuesday, February 28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes between the Medio Creek Bridge and I-410. The right lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Current through May 1. Eastbound exit ramp to I-35. The ramp has been reduced to a single lane while crews do bridge repair work.
- Current until August 31. Westbound exit ramp to Hunt Lane. The exit will close while crews work on retaining walls. Traffic will exit Ingram Road and follow the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Current until Tuesday, February 28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes and frontage road between Ingram Road and I-410. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Main lane traffic will exit I-410 and join frontage road traffic to follow the posted detour.
- Saturday-Sunday, February 18-19. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound frontage road between Ingram Road and I-410. All lanes will close while crews pour concrete overhead. Traffic will turn right onto Cable Ranch Road, right onto Vista West Drive and right again onto the southbound frontage road if I-410 before turning around at Marbach to reach its destination.
- Saturday, February 18. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Southbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Valley Meadow. The left lane will close while crews install guardrail.
- Current until August 31. Austin Street between Martindale and Seidman. The road will be converted to one-way only, moving southbound, while crews do road work. Northbound traffic will use Guadalupe Street to reach its destination.
- Friday, February 17 at 9 p.m. until Monday, February 20 at 5 a.m. Scenic Loop Road, both directions, at I-10. All lanes will close while crews remove the old eastbound main lane bridge. Traffic will use the crossover at Balcones Creek to reach its destination.
- Monday-Friday, February 20-24. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Potranco Road, both directions, between Clover Creek and Hwy 151. The left lane will close while crews install a raised concrete median.
All closures are pending weather.
Wednesday, February 15
Scenic Loop Road to close this weekend
If you're in Boerne, or planning to be around Boerne, this weekend you'll want to know about this - pass word along to your friends.
Remember last weekend, where we shifted traffic over a bit on the I-10 main lanes over Scenic Loop Road? Like, a lot a bit, really. For those who aren't familiar, here's what we did:
Well, with traffic off the old eastbound main lanes we're ready to wreck that old bridge to build the new one in its place. These bridge demolition weekends always mean some fairly substantial closures.
The good news: this work shouldn't impact the main lanes of I-10 at all. We'll be tearing down the existing (old) bridge, which doesn't have traffic on it. The debris falls down onto the road underneath and is hauled off.
That leaves the impact right there on the intersection of Scenic Loop Road itself. We'll have SLR closed for the weekend, starting Friday night around 9. We'll have it reopened by Monday morning at 5. Traffic going under I-10 here will be diverted to the access road at Balcones Creek (toward San Antonio) or to Business 87 (South Main). Here's a quick look (those who live, work and play in the area will be quite familiar ... for others, we'll have signs posted):
Remember last weekend, where we shifted traffic over a bit on the I-10 main lanes over Scenic Loop Road? Like, a lot a bit, really. For those who aren't familiar, here's what we did:
The good news: this work shouldn't impact the main lanes of I-10 at all. We'll be tearing down the existing (old) bridge, which doesn't have traffic on it. The debris falls down onto the road underneath and is hauled off.
That leaves the impact right there on the intersection of Scenic Loop Road itself. We'll have SLR closed for the weekend, starting Friday night around 9. We'll have it reopened by Monday morning at 5. Traffic going under I-10 here will be diverted to the access road at Balcones Creek (toward San Antonio) or to Business 87 (South Main). Here's a quick look (those who live, work and play in the area will be quite familiar ... for others, we'll have signs posted):
Monday, February 13
Mail Bag: Bandera Rd intersection, UTSA Boulevard
Please make your formal presentation available on your blog regarding the displaced left turn at Bandera road. The video doesn't really explain what we can expect to happen. I'm particularly interested in what impact it will have on 1604. I saw traffic lights on the video and the last thing we need is lights on 1604!
- Mike
The video to which you referred was a representative video of the basic concept of what we're doing, and was linked in our previous post on this topic. Let's be clear, Mike, for you and for your neighbors: we are not adding a traffic signal to the main lanes of Loop 1604. We're spending (literally) hundreds of millions of dollars to build overpasses. Adding a signal at the heart of where traffic congestion on Lp 1604 is the worst would be, well, a qualifier as the worst idea ever. We know that, which is why we wouldn't ever do that.
What is not the worst idea ever is looking at intersections like Bandera Road and Loop 1604 for new traffic innovations. These intersections are prime candidates for intersection designs we're seeing pop up across the country, like the diverging diamond intersection (or DDI, already used by North Carolina, Washington, Missouri, Utah, Florida and Michigan, and now used in Texas up in Round Rock).
Right now, though, we're looking at a displaced left turn intersection, or a DLT. These come with a ton of minor variations, as the FHWA shows. The major difference between a DDI and a DLT is in the number of lanes being diverted and removed from the equation of the intersection. With the DDI all lanes of the primary road are being diverted. With the DLT, we're only moving the left-turn lanes around. To be clear, in this application we're talking about Bandera Road as it crosses through the Lp 1604 frontage road intersections. We are not messing with the Lp 1604 main lanes. Here's a look from that presentation:
By the way, we've got a DLT just like the one we're talking about for Bandera Road working up in San Marcos. To your request, Mike, here's the full presentation for you. Let us know if you have further questions!
How about an update on Spur 53 expansion?
- Zane
It's probably easiest to cut right to the point: we're on pace to wrap up this summer. That's summer 2017, for those who like when we get super specific. It's also right on par with the anticipated completion date we had when we started out, so that's good.
Our section goes from I-10 to Ximenes, so the city's segment may still be working after we're finished. For now on our end we've got some concrete work remaining, and the last major thing we'll be doing is a final asphalt surface. When you see that happening you'll know we're knocking on the door of that completion date.
I’m new to San Antonio (from California) and have a challenging time figuring out the roads here. As I drive to appointments it is very frustrating when approaching an intersection not being able to find a sign identifying the cross street name. In California, when approaching an intersection, especially where there is a traffic signal, there is usually a cross street name sign located in the middle island at least 500 feet prior to reaching the intersection. Secondly, I live in the Alamo Ranch area and concerned about the Alamo Ranch Parkway (ARP) off-ramp from Westbound 1604. There is not enough road to first merge into the frontage road travel lanes, then cross over the multiple lanes of traffic to make a very hard right turn onto ARP. When drivers are bombing up the frontage road from Culebra it is extremely dangerous to cross-over and make a safe right turn. Why is there not a dedicated fly-over from 1604 to ALR?
Sorry, frontage roads are dangerous and this is coming from someone who has safely driven in Los Angeles for many years.
- Joan
Hi, Joan. Welcome to Texas! You're among the 1,000 people who move to Texas every day ... a trend that's continued for more than half a decade. You seem to have brought up three separate issues, so let's dig in.
We have cross street signs posted at each major intersection. These are often on the signal mast arms or span wires. Keep in mind we only control state-maintained roads. City roads may be a little different, though generally they follow the same pattern we do. The way this is set out is dictated in part by our Texas Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which can be read in its entirety here.
We do have some advanced-warning signs of major cross-streets along our highway frontage roads, and at times along our arterials. This isn't done for every cross street, but is typically reserved for major intersections. We try to minimize the number of signs out there to manage the risk of information overload. We've found drivers start tuning out signs when there are too many.
As for the frontage roads ... they're a distinctly Texas thing, aren't they? They take some doing to get used to, but if you remember to merge onto them the way you do an expressway you'll be fine. Most folks are pretty good about yielding right-of-way (where appropriate) to the exiting traffic, or letting you find a good merge point when you've got your own auxiliary lane coming off the expressway.
That Alamo Ranch Parkway question is multi-faceted, though. Adding a direct connector, besides costing a ton of extra money we don't have (those things are like $75 million apiece right now!), would have complicated an already frustrating situation at the intersection of ARP and Westwood Loop. Exiting Loop 1604 to get there isn't all that rough, though. The frontage road speed limit is 45 miles per hour, and you've got nearly a half-mile between that ramp and the ARP turnoff, and that far-right lane of the frontage road is a turn-only lane onto ARP.
A note about Hwy 151, Alamo Ranch Pkwy and Westwood Loop. I know you are in the process of adding a light and have installed a barrier so there are no right turns from 151 to Westwood Loop, people are still making that right turn in front of the cars from 1604 lanes almost causing an accident. I saw two cars in a row do that. You need a sign on the light to state NO RIGHT TURN from the 151 lanes. People nowadays have no common sense or know traffic laws.
- Jackie
Thank you for working the issues at ARP & Westwood Lp. Now that the paddles are up, another more dangerous issue is occurring. Every third driver coming off 151 into AR is still turning despite the paddles, crossing in front of drivers in the straight lane. Dangerous collisions almost occur daily! Can you get a Sheriff to issue tickets? Something needs to be done! Thank you.
- Roger
Jackie and Roger, your neighbor Carolyn also wrote in with this issue. Several others have reached out via Twitter. Some have understood the real problem is the driver behavior - which is absolutely the worst reflection on our great city. Others have tried to remove the shared responsibility by blaming roadway designers for causing these terrible drivers to make poor choices and violate laws. Such an approach is absolutely flabbergasting, but we'll leave that issue alone.
The signals are being built by Bexar County Public Works. We understand the county's contractor will be putting up lane designation signs as they get that project finished. We've also been working with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office to improve enforcement. It's ridiculous the delineators haven't solved this issue, and flabbergasting to our staff the way drivers have treated this intersection. Hopefully, despite the selfishness and impatience of drivers like the ones you're seeing (folks like the those driving this white car photographed by Kimberley's passenger this weekend), signs and signals and enforcement will help curb this issue once and for all.
What are they doing on Potranco by Granite Cliff and Seascape? I see cones everywhere but no activity. They even closed off middle lane to merge. Help!
-Ani
You should be seeing regular activity, daily activity. If not we'll be yelling at someone something fierce! The short answer to this question: we're adding a center concrete median barrier. In short, we're doing on Potranco what we've already done on Culebra Road between Lp 1604 and Tezel Road.
Braun Road is currently closed between Tezel Road and Old Tezel Road. How long will the road be closed? When should construction finish?
-Bryan
Great questions. Frankly, we don't have an answer - Braun Road is a city road and we don't monitor the progress of development there. Call the folks with San Antonio TCI and they should be able to help you.
What is the bridge that is going up on I-10 and Buckskin Dr going to be for?
- Tereri
We're adding a new overpass! Here's some more information on the overall project, and a post about the project as it got started.
Can you please have someone observing for potholes caused by the big trucks and have them filled.
- Jennifer
We're committed to addressing pavement failures as soon as we're aware of them; we do not, however, employ folks to drive around looking for potholes. We simply don't think that would be a wise way to spend your tax money - we can find more productive things for our staff members to do. If you have specific locations for potholes, let us know and we'll have our folks go check them out immediately.
- Mike
The video to which you referred was a representative video of the basic concept of what we're doing, and was linked in our previous post on this topic. Let's be clear, Mike, for you and for your neighbors: we are not adding a traffic signal to the main lanes of Loop 1604. We're spending (literally) hundreds of millions of dollars to build overpasses. Adding a signal at the heart of where traffic congestion on Lp 1604 is the worst would be, well, a qualifier as the worst idea ever. We know that, which is why we wouldn't ever do that.
What is not the worst idea ever is looking at intersections like Bandera Road and Loop 1604 for new traffic innovations. These intersections are prime candidates for intersection designs we're seeing pop up across the country, like the diverging diamond intersection (or DDI, already used by North Carolina, Washington, Missouri, Utah, Florida and Michigan, and now used in Texas up in Round Rock).
Right now, though, we're looking at a displaced left turn intersection, or a DLT. These come with a ton of minor variations, as the FHWA shows. The major difference between a DDI and a DLT is in the number of lanes being diverted and removed from the equation of the intersection. With the DDI all lanes of the primary road are being diverted. With the DLT, we're only moving the left-turn lanes around. To be clear, in this application we're talking about Bandera Road as it crosses through the Lp 1604 frontage road intersections. We are not messing with the Lp 1604 main lanes. Here's a look from that presentation:
By the way, we've got a DLT just like the one we're talking about for Bandera Road working up in San Marcos. To your request, Mike, here's the full presentation for you. Let us know if you have further questions!
How about an update on Spur 53 expansion?
- Zane
It's probably easiest to cut right to the point: we're on pace to wrap up this summer. That's summer 2017, for those who like when we get super specific. It's also right on par with the anticipated completion date we had when we started out, so that's good.
Our section goes from I-10 to Ximenes, so the city's segment may still be working after we're finished. For now on our end we've got some concrete work remaining, and the last major thing we'll be doing is a final asphalt surface. When you see that happening you'll know we're knocking on the door of that completion date.
I’m new to San Antonio (from California) and have a challenging time figuring out the roads here. As I drive to appointments it is very frustrating when approaching an intersection not being able to find a sign identifying the cross street name. In California, when approaching an intersection, especially where there is a traffic signal, there is usually a cross street name sign located in the middle island at least 500 feet prior to reaching the intersection. Secondly, I live in the Alamo Ranch area and concerned about the Alamo Ranch Parkway (ARP) off-ramp from Westbound 1604. There is not enough road to first merge into the frontage road travel lanes, then cross over the multiple lanes of traffic to make a very hard right turn onto ARP. When drivers are bombing up the frontage road from Culebra it is extremely dangerous to cross-over and make a safe right turn. Why is there not a dedicated fly-over from 1604 to ALR?
Sorry, frontage roads are dangerous and this is coming from someone who has safely driven in Los Angeles for many years.
- Joan
Hi, Joan. Welcome to Texas! You're among the 1,000 people who move to Texas every day ... a trend that's continued for more than half a decade. You seem to have brought up three separate issues, so let's dig in.
We have cross street signs posted at each major intersection. These are often on the signal mast arms or span wires. Keep in mind we only control state-maintained roads. City roads may be a little different, though generally they follow the same pattern we do. The way this is set out is dictated in part by our Texas Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which can be read in its entirety here.
We do have some advanced-warning signs of major cross-streets along our highway frontage roads, and at times along our arterials. This isn't done for every cross street, but is typically reserved for major intersections. We try to minimize the number of signs out there to manage the risk of information overload. We've found drivers start tuning out signs when there are too many.
As for the frontage roads ... they're a distinctly Texas thing, aren't they? They take some doing to get used to, but if you remember to merge onto them the way you do an expressway you'll be fine. Most folks are pretty good about yielding right-of-way (where appropriate) to the exiting traffic, or letting you find a good merge point when you've got your own auxiliary lane coming off the expressway.
That Alamo Ranch Parkway question is multi-faceted, though. Adding a direct connector, besides costing a ton of extra money we don't have (those things are like $75 million apiece right now!), would have complicated an already frustrating situation at the intersection of ARP and Westwood Loop. Exiting Loop 1604 to get there isn't all that rough, though. The frontage road speed limit is 45 miles per hour, and you've got nearly a half-mile between that ramp and the ARP turnoff, and that far-right lane of the frontage road is a turn-only lane onto ARP.
A note about Hwy 151, Alamo Ranch Pkwy and Westwood Loop. I know you are in the process of adding a light and have installed a barrier so there are no right turns from 151 to Westwood Loop, people are still making that right turn in front of the cars from 1604 lanes almost causing an accident. I saw two cars in a row do that. You need a sign on the light to state NO RIGHT TURN from the 151 lanes. People nowadays have no common sense or know traffic laws.
- Jackie
Thank you for working the issues at ARP & Westwood Lp. Now that the paddles are up, another more dangerous issue is occurring. Every third driver coming off 151 into AR is still turning despite the paddles, crossing in front of drivers in the straight lane. Dangerous collisions almost occur daily! Can you get a Sheriff to issue tickets? Something needs to be done! Thank you.
- Roger
Jackie and Roger, your neighbor Carolyn also wrote in with this issue. Several others have reached out via Twitter. Some have understood the real problem is the driver behavior - which is absolutely the worst reflection on our great city. Others have tried to remove the shared responsibility by blaming roadway designers for causing these terrible drivers to make poor choices and violate laws. Such an approach is absolutely flabbergasting, but we'll leave that issue alone.
The signals are being built by Bexar County Public Works. We understand the county's contractor will be putting up lane designation signs as they get that project finished. We've also been working with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office to improve enforcement. It's ridiculous the delineators haven't solved this issue, and flabbergasting to our staff the way drivers have treated this intersection. Hopefully, despite the selfishness and impatience of drivers like the ones you're seeing (folks like the those driving this white car photographed by Kimberley's passenger this weekend), signs and signals and enforcement will help curb this issue once and for all.What are they doing on Potranco by Granite Cliff and Seascape? I see cones everywhere but no activity. They even closed off middle lane to merge. Help!
-Ani
You should be seeing regular activity, daily activity. If not we'll be yelling at someone something fierce! The short answer to this question: we're adding a center concrete median barrier. In short, we're doing on Potranco what we've already done on Culebra Road between Lp 1604 and Tezel Road.
Braun Road is currently closed between Tezel Road and Old Tezel Road. How long will the road be closed? When should construction finish?
-Bryan
Great questions. Frankly, we don't have an answer - Braun Road is a city road and we don't monitor the progress of development there. Call the folks with San Antonio TCI and they should be able to help you.
What is the bridge that is going up on I-10 and Buckskin Dr going to be for?
- Tereri
We're adding a new overpass! Here's some more information on the overall project, and a post about the project as it got started.
Can you please have someone observing for potholes caused by the big trucks and have them filled.
- Jennifer
We're committed to addressing pavement failures as soon as we're aware of them; we do not, however, employ folks to drive around looking for potholes. We simply don't think that would be a wise way to spend your tax money - we can find more productive things for our staff members to do. If you have specific locations for potholes, let us know and we'll have our folks go check them out immediately.
Friday, February 10
Next week's construction-related closures
I-10 – Boerne
- Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. until Monday, February 13 at 5 a.m. Eastbound exit ramp to Scenic Loop Road. The ramp will close while crews set barrier. Traffic will use exit 540 and continue along the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. until Monday, February 13 at 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes at Scenic Loop Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews shift traffic.
- Current until Monday, February 20. 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Frontage road on the westbound between Foster Road and FM 1516. Alternating lanes will close as needed while crews work on underground drain structures. This frontage road is a two-way frontage road and traffic control officers will direct traffic during these closures.
- Saturday, February 11. 1 a.m. until 7 p.m. Main lanes, both directions, between FM 1516 and Foster Road. The left lane will close while crews move barrier.
- Monday-Thursday, February 13-16. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound main lanes between FM 1516 and Foster Road. The left lane will close while crews move barrier.
- Friday, February 17 at 7 p.m. until Monday, February 20 at 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road at Woodlake Parkway. All lanes will close while crews build storm drain structures. Traffic will use Foster Road, FM 1516 and the two-way frontage road on the eastbound side to reach its destination.
- Sunday-Friday, February 12-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews widen the road and work on overhead highway signs.
- Sunday-Friday, February 12-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
- Sunday-Friday, February 12-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound exit ramp to westbound I-410. Alternating lanes will close while crews work on barrier.
- Sunday-Friday, February 12-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound exit ramp to southbound I-410. The ramp will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will exit George Beach, turn around and enter southbound I-410 from the northbound frontage road of I-35.
- Monday-Friday, February 13-17. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Northbound main lanes between George Beach and Rittiman roads. The left lane will close while crews work on drainage.
- Monday-Friday, February 13-17. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
- Monday-Friday, February 13-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Rittiman and Eisenhauer roads. The center and right lanes will close while electricians do overhead work. This closure includes the northbound entrance ramp from Eisenhauer Road. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
- Sunday-Friday, February 12-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound exit ramp to northbound I-35 and Randolph Boulevard. The right lane will close, including the ramp to Randolph Boulevard, while crews work on barrier. Traffic will exit Thousand Oaks and turn around to reach Randolph Boulevard and the city of Windcrest.
- Sunday-Friday, February 12-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound entrance ramp from Austin Highway. The ramp will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will follow the posted detour route.
- Current until April 30, 2017. Northbound exit to Culebra Road. The exit will close while crews widen the main lanes and frontage road. Traffic will exit Ingram Road, turn around and get to Culebra on the southbound frontage road.
- Current until Friday, February 17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound frontage road between Culebra Road and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews do bridge work. Traffic will enter the main lanes and re-exit the highway to reach its destination.
- Monday-Thursday, February 13-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Hwy 151 and Culebra Road. The right lane will close while crews move barrier.
- Monday-Friday, February 13-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews set concrete bridge beams overhead. Traffic will go east on the Hwy 151 frontage road to reach Military and return to I-410.
- Wednesday-Thursday, February 14-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes between Ingram Road and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews do overhead sign work. Traffic will exit Culebra Road and continue along the frontage road to the next available ramp.
- Monday, February 13 until Tuesday, February 28. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between US Hwy 90 and I-410. Alternating lanes will close while crews set barrier and do drainage work.
- Monday, February 13 until Tuesday, February 28. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Main lanes, both directions, between US Hwy 90 and I-410. The left lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Current through February 28. Eastbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The left lane will close to allow for utility work.
- Monday, February 13 until Tuesday, February 28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes between the Medio Creek Bridge and I-410. The right lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Current through May 1. Eastbound exit ramp to I-35. The ramp has been reduced to a single lane while crews do bridge repair work.
- Current until August 31. Westbound exit ramp to Hunt Lane. The exit will close while crews work on retaining walls. Traffic will exit Ingram Road and follow the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Current until Tuesday, February 28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes and frontage road between Ingram Road and I-410. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Main lane traffic will exit I-410 and join frontage road traffic to follow the posted detour.
- Friday-Saturday, February 10-11. 9 p.m. until 8 a.m. Eastbound frontage road between Ingram Road and I-410. All lanes will close while crews pour concrete overhead. Traffic will follow the posted detour.
- Tuesday-Wednesday, February 14-15. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Main lanes, both directions, between Loop 1604 and Westover Hills. The right lane will close while crews work on overhead sign columns.
- Saturday, February 11. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Southbound connector to eastbound Hwy 151. The connector will close while crews do finish work. Traffic will continue south to Wiseman Boulevard, turn around and enter Hwy 151 from the northbound side to reach its destination.
- Saturday, February 11. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Southbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Valley Meadow. The left lane will close while crews install guardrail.
- Current until August 31. Austin Street between Martindale and Seidman. The road will be converted to one-way only, moving southbound, while crews do road work. Northbound traffic will use Guadalupe Street to reach its destination.
- Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. until Monday, February 13 at 5 a.m. Scenic Loop Road, both directions, at I-10. All lanes will close while crews move traffic on the main lanes. Traffic will use the crossover at Balcones Creek to reach its destination.
- Sunday-Friday, February 12-17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Randolph Boulevard, both directions, at I-35. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane, controlled by traffic officers, while crews work on bridge rail overhead.
- Monday-Friday, February 13-17. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Northbound Austin Hwy between Fratt Road and Interchange Parkway. The left lane will close while crews do road work.
- Monday-Friday, February 13-17. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Potranco Road, both directions, between Clover Creek and Dugas Drive. The left lane will close while crews do concrete work.
- Current until Friday, February 17. 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 take the frontage road to the next intersection and turn around to reach its destination.
Tuesday, February 7
2017: A year in preview
Last month we talked about what 2016 meant to us. Well, 2017 is a pretty darned special year. For those who don't already know, it's a pretty big birthday for TxDOT - but more on that later.
Out with the old
This is the year we finally wrap up work on I-35 between Windcrest and SAMMC. This project, which adjusts a ton of ramps and adds an auxiliary lane in each direction, kicked off back in 2013, was initially set to wrap up near the end of 2016. A slew of issues, ranging from discrepancies in the plan sheets to resource allocation by the contractor to utility conflicts, have plagued the project throughout. Most of these issues have been addressed and, by year's end, we should have this project wrapped up. Once work is complete our auditors and project staff will comb through project schedules and our documents to determine how much of the delay is on our end (TxDOT) and how much is with the contractor (Lane Construction). After this review process (which happens with every project) appropriate liquidated damages will be assessed.
For those driving the area, though, the big news will be the relief from construction-zone traffic so long sought after. The first item that should open up is the new direct connector for southbound I-35 to southbound I-410. Traffic is already basically in its final configuration with the right-hand exit, but has been using the old connector bridge. With the new bridge in use we'll be able to take out the old one and construct the new northbound exit to Rittiman Road.
We should see the remaining exit and entrance ramps between Rittiman Road and Walzem reopen so all those ramp revisions are finished. That also means the auxiliary lane we've been working on should be ready for traffic, which should open up traffic flow quite a bit.
The final area of work is on the north end of the project with some ramp revisions at Randolph Boulevard.
Another long-awaited completion (this one impacted by heavy utility conflicts and resource issues) is the work along I-10 in the Leon Springs area. Texas Sterling Construction should wrap up work on the frontage roads between Dominion Drive and Boerne Stage Road by this summer, if we're able to keep our current schedule. The biggest work item remaining at this point is the new set of eastbound ramps between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive. We've also got some sidewalk work on the westbound side to wrap up. Once those ramps and sidewalks are in we'll see a final layer of asphalt laid project-wide and be done.
The first major project to wrap up, though, is the work on the intersection of Loop 1604 and Hwy 151. We're still working on the finishing touches, but for the purposes of this post we can affirm we'll be finished up in a matter of a few weeks.
We'll also wrap up work along US Hwy 90 between Loop 1604 and I-410 this summer. The main feature of this project is its conversion of the frontage roads to one-way, though we're also replacing the bridges over Medio Creek on the frontage roads and main lanes and adding auxiliary lanes to improve some traffic flow along the main lanes. Oh, and then there's the new west-to-east turnaround at Loop 1604.
Though we've still got frontage roads squeezed to a single lane in some areas, we're nearly in final configuration. As we work to wrap this job up expect to see a ton of work going on between Hunt Lane and I-410, particularly on the westbound side.
By the way, we've got some new barrels and barricades on US 90 near Loop 1604 - these are associated with the Loop 1604 project near there, which includes a direct connector from southbound Loop 1604 to eastbound US 90.
In with the new
One project starting in 2017 will overshadow all the others: the expansion of US 281 between Loop 1604 and Stone Oak Parkway.
(Please: Don't break the internet with your rejoicings, cursing or other exclamations as you read that sentence....)
That's right, we're finally getting after that whole 281 thing. We're adding overpasses at Redland Road, Encino Rio, Evans Road and Stone Oak/TPC Parkway. The main lanes will feature at least four lanes in each direction, with two of those lanes being carpool and transit lanes. We'll also keep the frontage road capacity right at about what US 281 has right now. The whole project will take about four years to build and will ceremoniously kick off at the end of March (you'll see equipment moving around in May). Webber Construction is currently our apparent low bidder for the project with a bid of $192.3 million. That bid will need to be accepted by the Texas Transportation Commission later this month before it's official.
Oh, yeah, and as part of this project we're building those four other direct connectors at 1604 and 281 - the ones that weren't built when the RMA had the interchange built a few years ago.
We've got a similar project slated for I-10 between Loop 1604 and Ralph Fair Road this year. That project adds two new lanes in each direction - one each being a carpool/transit lane - and will get going late summer this year. This project should last about three years.
The first major project to get going this year, though, has been at the intersection of US 90 and I-410. This project started in January and essentially repeats what we're doing at 151 and 410. That is, we're doing connectors for eastbound US 90 to northbound I-410 and for southbound I-410 to westbound US 90, and we're adding a lane in each direction to I-410 while rearranging some of the entrance and exit ramps to improve traffic flow. Williams Brothers Construction - the same contractor working at 151 and 410 as well as on Loop 1604 at Hwy 151 - is building this $120.8 million job and should have things wrapped up in 2019.
Aaaand ... we're officially "old"
Schoenen geburtstag fuer uns! (Random: did you know German immigrants accounted for San Antonio's initial growth surge in the 1850s and 1860s? True story - street signs were even in German, English and Spanish at the time as a result!)
The Texas Department of Transportation will celebrate this year 100 years of delivering a safe, reliable and integrated transportation system to move people and goods across this great state. There are a number of milestones we'll be celebrating as the year goes by, and we'll discuss where we've come from and where we're headed. There's been a lot of learning in our century of service, and we're excited to share our lessons learned with stories of yesteryear.
Out with the old
This is the year we finally wrap up work on I-35 between Windcrest and SAMMC. This project, which adjusts a ton of ramps and adds an auxiliary lane in each direction, kicked off back in 2013, was initially set to wrap up near the end of 2016. A slew of issues, ranging from discrepancies in the plan sheets to resource allocation by the contractor to utility conflicts, have plagued the project throughout. Most of these issues have been addressed and, by year's end, we should have this project wrapped up. Once work is complete our auditors and project staff will comb through project schedules and our documents to determine how much of the delay is on our end (TxDOT) and how much is with the contractor (Lane Construction). After this review process (which happens with every project) appropriate liquidated damages will be assessed.
For those driving the area, though, the big news will be the relief from construction-zone traffic so long sought after. The first item that should open up is the new direct connector for southbound I-35 to southbound I-410. Traffic is already basically in its final configuration with the right-hand exit, but has been using the old connector bridge. With the new bridge in use we'll be able to take out the old one and construct the new northbound exit to Rittiman Road.
We should see the remaining exit and entrance ramps between Rittiman Road and Walzem reopen so all those ramp revisions are finished. That also means the auxiliary lane we've been working on should be ready for traffic, which should open up traffic flow quite a bit.
The final area of work is on the north end of the project with some ramp revisions at Randolph Boulevard.
Another long-awaited completion (this one impacted by heavy utility conflicts and resource issues) is the work along I-10 in the Leon Springs area. Texas Sterling Construction should wrap up work on the frontage roads between Dominion Drive and Boerne Stage Road by this summer, if we're able to keep our current schedule. The biggest work item remaining at this point is the new set of eastbound ramps between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive. We've also got some sidewalk work on the westbound side to wrap up. Once those ramps and sidewalks are in we'll see a final layer of asphalt laid project-wide and be done.
The first major project to wrap up, though, is the work on the intersection of Loop 1604 and Hwy 151. We're still working on the finishing touches, but for the purposes of this post we can affirm we'll be finished up in a matter of a few weeks.
We'll also wrap up work along US Hwy 90 between Loop 1604 and I-410 this summer. The main feature of this project is its conversion of the frontage roads to one-way, though we're also replacing the bridges over Medio Creek on the frontage roads and main lanes and adding auxiliary lanes to improve some traffic flow along the main lanes. Oh, and then there's the new west-to-east turnaround at Loop 1604.
Though we've still got frontage roads squeezed to a single lane in some areas, we're nearly in final configuration. As we work to wrap this job up expect to see a ton of work going on between Hunt Lane and I-410, particularly on the westbound side.
By the way, we've got some new barrels and barricades on US 90 near Loop 1604 - these are associated with the Loop 1604 project near there, which includes a direct connector from southbound Loop 1604 to eastbound US 90.
In with the new
One project starting in 2017 will overshadow all the others: the expansion of US 281 between Loop 1604 and Stone Oak Parkway.
(Please: Don't break the internet with your rejoicings, cursing or other exclamations as you read that sentence....)
That's right, we're finally getting after that whole 281 thing. We're adding overpasses at Redland Road, Encino Rio, Evans Road and Stone Oak/TPC Parkway. The main lanes will feature at least four lanes in each direction, with two of those lanes being carpool and transit lanes. We'll also keep the frontage road capacity right at about what US 281 has right now. The whole project will take about four years to build and will ceremoniously kick off at the end of March (you'll see equipment moving around in May). Webber Construction is currently our apparent low bidder for the project with a bid of $192.3 million. That bid will need to be accepted by the Texas Transportation Commission later this month before it's official.
Oh, yeah, and as part of this project we're building those four other direct connectors at 1604 and 281 - the ones that weren't built when the RMA had the interchange built a few years ago.
We've got a similar project slated for I-10 between Loop 1604 and Ralph Fair Road this year. That project adds two new lanes in each direction - one each being a carpool/transit lane - and will get going late summer this year. This project should last about three years.
The first major project to get going this year, though, has been at the intersection of US 90 and I-410. This project started in January and essentially repeats what we're doing at 151 and 410. That is, we're doing connectors for eastbound US 90 to northbound I-410 and for southbound I-410 to westbound US 90, and we're adding a lane in each direction to I-410 while rearranging some of the entrance and exit ramps to improve traffic flow. Williams Brothers Construction - the same contractor working at 151 and 410 as well as on Loop 1604 at Hwy 151 - is building this $120.8 million job and should have things wrapped up in 2019.
Aaaand ... we're officially "old"
Schoenen geburtstag fuer uns! (Random: did you know German immigrants accounted for San Antonio's initial growth surge in the 1850s and 1860s? True story - street signs were even in German, English and Spanish at the time as a result!)
The Texas Department of Transportation will celebrate this year 100 years of delivering a safe, reliable and integrated transportation system to move people and goods across this great state. There are a number of milestones we'll be celebrating as the year goes by, and we'll discuss where we've come from and where we're headed. There's been a lot of learning in our century of service, and we're excited to share our lessons learned with stories of yesteryear.
Saturday, February 4
All that work on I-10 east of town....
So ... there's this project we started back in October that's on I-10 on the east end of town. We had intentions to produce a brief video about the project when it started, but that ended up a project on the back burner. Meanwhile, this project pushed on - and it's moving rather well.
It's about time we posted some info on this (something we'll do much more frequently moving forward).
The big picture
In a nutshell we're converting the frontage roads to one-way between Foster and Graytown roads. We're also adding a new overpass at Woodlake Parkway, upgrading all the intersections (with signals and everything) and reconfiguring the entrance and exit ramps. We've got more details here.
The $63.8 million project will wrap up mid-2019. Texas Sterling Construction is our contractor, and CEC makes up our project management and inspection team.
Since the start
With the exception of a few rainy cold days in January the south Texas winter has been kind and drivers will continue to see more construction activity along the project. Heck, we haven't even lost any time due to weather (a credit to the project team, as this is our slow time of the year for us). To date we've started work on drain structures and we've been working on some asphalt repairs - pretty minor stuff when you look at the grand scheme of what we're doing.Right now
The contractor’s focus for now is construction of temporary detours to shift main lane traffic (not much - just a small shift; most folks won't really notice a huge difference) later this month. We'll be sure to let folks know when that happens.
For now, expect to see work on the future westbound bridge for the new Woodlake Parkway overpass. Texas Sterling is also working on retaining walls at Foster Road for the turn-around at the bridge there.
Coming up
The most significant and noticeable construction will be the conversion of the two-way access roads to one-way frontage roads. Studies indicate a significant reduction in crashes when a two-way access road is converted to one-way frontage roads. We're still not at that stage of the project yet, but before we do get there we'll be sure to let folks know with plenty of notice.
Friday, February 3
Next week's construction-related closures
I-10 – Boerne
- Wednesday-Thursday, February 8-9. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound exit ramp to Scenic Loop Road. The ramp will close while crews set barrier. Traffic will use exit 540 and continue along the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Thursday-Friday, February 9-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound exit ramp to Scenic Loop Road. The ramp will close while crews set barrier. Traffic will use exit 540, turn around and continue along the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. until Monday, February 13 at 5 a.m. Eastbound exit ramp to Scenic Loop Road. The ramp will close while crews set barrier. Traffic will use exit 540 and continue along the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. until Monday, February 13 at 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes at Scenic Loop Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews shift traffic.
- Current until Monday, February 20. 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Frontage road on the westbound between Foster Road and FM 1516. Alternating lanes will close as needed while crews work on underground drain structures. This frontage road is a two-way frontage road and traffic control officers will direct traffic during these closures.
- Saturday, February 4. 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Eastbound main lanes between Foster Road and Martinez Creek. The left lane will close while crews move barrier.
- Monday-Tuesday, February 6-7. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes between Ackerman Road and Woodlake Parkway. The right lane will close while crews move barrier.
- Tuesday-Wednesday, February 7-8. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes at Alligator Creek. The two right lanes will close while crews move barrier.
- Wednesday-Thursday, February 8-9. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Main lanes, both directions, at York Creek. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
- Thursday-Friday, February 9-10. 8 p.m. untils 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes at York Creek. The two left lanes will close while crews move barrier.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews widen the road and work on overhead highway signs.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound exit ramp to westbound I-410. Alternating lanes will close while crews work on barrier.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound exit ramp to southbound I-410. The ramp will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will exit George Beach, turn around and enter southbound I-410 from the northbound frontage road of I-35.
- Monday-Friday, February 6-10. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Northbound main lanes between George Beach and Rittiman roads. The left lane will close while crews work on drainage.
- Monday-Friday, February 6-10. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Walzem and Rittiman roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
- Tuesday-Friday, February 6-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Rittiman and Eisenhauer roads. The center and right lanes will close while electricians do overhead work. This closure includes the northbound entrance ramp from Eisenhauer Road. Traffic will use the next available ramp.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Theo Malone Avenue and Nogalitos Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. This closure includes the ramp from eastbound U.S. Hwy 90 to northbound I-35. Traffic from U.S. 90 will continue east to the next intersection and turn around to reach northbound I-35.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound exit ramp to northbound I-35 and Randolph Boulevard. The right lane will close, including the ramp to Randolph Boulevard, while crews work on barrier. Traffic will exit Thousand Oaks and turn around to reach Randolph Boulevard and the city of Windcrest.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound entrance ramp from Austin Highway. The ramp will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will follow the posted detour route.
- Current until April 2017. Northbound exit to Culebra Road. The exit will close while crews widen the main lanes and frontage road. Traffic will exit Ingram Road, turn around and get to Culebra on the southbound frontage road.
- Monday-Tuesday, February 6-7. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews set bridge beams. Traffic will use the Hwy 151 frontage road and Military Drive to reach its destination.
- Monday, February 6 until Friday, February 17. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound frontage road between Culebra Road and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews do bridge work. Traffic will enter the main lanes and re-exit the highway to reach its destination.
- Tuesday-Wednesday, February 7-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes between Marbach Road and Military Drive. The right two lanes will close while crews set bridge beams.
- Tuesday-Wednesday, February 7-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes between Military Drive and Ingram Road. The right lane will close while crews set barrier.
- Wednesday-Friday, February 8-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Military Drive. All lanes will close while crews set beams. Traffic will use the Hwy 151 frontage road and Military Drive to reach its destination.
- Thursday-Friday, February 9-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes between Hwy 151 and Ingram Road. The right lane will close while crews move barrier.
- Current through February 28. Eastbound frontage road between Hunt Lane and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The left lane will close to allow for utility work.
- Current through May 1. Eastbound exit ramp to I-35. The ramp has been reduced to a single lane while crews do bridge repair work.
- Sunday-Wednesday, February 5-8. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Airport and Josephine. The two right lanes will close while crews work on guardrail. This includes ramps as needed. Traffic will follow posted detours.
- Monday-Tuesday, February 6-7. Westbound frontage road between Military Drive and I-410. All lanes will close while crews set bridge beams. Traffic will use Military Drive and I-410 to reach its destination.
- Monday-Tuesday, February 6-7. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between Potranco Road and Military Drive. The left lane will close as needed while crews work on light poles.
- Monday, February 6-Tuesday, February 28. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound main lanes and frontage road between Ingram Road and I-410. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Main lane traffic will exit I-410 and join frontage road traffic to follow the posted detour.
- Tuesday-Wednesday, February 7-8. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between Ingram Road and Hunt Lane. All lanes will close while crews restripe the road and move barrier. Traffic will exit Ingram Road and continue along the frontage road to use the next available ramp.
- Tuesday, February 7 at 9 p.m. until August 31. Westbound exit ramp to Hunt Lane. The exit will close while crews work on retaining walls. Traffic will exit Ingram Road and follow the frontage road to reach its destination.
- Friday, February 3 at 8 p.m. until Monday, February 6 at 5 a.m. Austin Street between Martindale and Seidmann. All lanes will close while crews set up the work area. Traffic will use Guadalupe Street to reach its destination.
- Monday, February 6 at 5 a.m. until August 31. Austin Street between Martindale and Seidman. The road will be converted to one-way only, moving southbound, while crews do road work. Northbound traffic will use Guadalupe Street to reach its destination.
- Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. until Monday, February 13 at 5 a.m. Scenic Loop Road, both directions, at I-10. All lanes will close while crews move traffic on the main lanes. Traffic will use the crossover at Balcones Creek to reach its destination.
- Sunday-Friday, February 5-10. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Randolph Boulevard, both directions, at I-35. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane, controlled by traffic officers, while crews work on bridge rail overhead.
- Monday-Friday, February 6-10. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Northbound Austin Hwy between Fratt Road and Interchange Parkway. The left lane will close while crews do road work.
- Friday-Saturday, February 3-4. 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Reid Ranch Road, both directions, between Potranco Road and Caldwell Ranch. All lanes will close while crews working on Potranco Road install gas lines. Traffic will use Ranch Canyon to reach its destination.
- Monday-Friday, February 6-10. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Potranco Road, both directions, between Clover Creek and Dugas Drive. The left lane will close while crews do concrete work.
- Monday, February 6 until Friday, February 17. 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 take the frontage road to the next intersection and turn around to reach its destination.
Wednesday, February 1
Driving in fog....
Hey, y'all. TxDOT Public Information Officer Josh Donat here. I wanted to offer a personal message in today's post.
This morning a large number of vehicles were involved in collisions along northbound I-37 between Hwy 181 and I-410. Most of these collisions were attributed to dense fog - something we don't deal with too often in this part of Texas.
Well, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, just a bit northeast of Seattle. Fog was a near-daily part of the morning commute out there. Heck, some days the fog got to be downright beautiful, when you'd get elevated above the fog line in the morning. The beauty of a foggy PacNW aside, it made for a challenge during our commutes. Sometimes those challenges could prove deadly - claiming the life of a schoolmate of mine when I was in middle school.
Because of these challenges we were taught thoroughly how to best drive through fog - particularly when we had those mornings visibility was limited to a few hundred feet at best. Because I care about the drivers here in San Antonio (and the great state of Texas as a whole), I wanted to take a moment to share with you the things I learned way back when I was in drivers' education classes as a teen:
This morning a large number of vehicles were involved in collisions along northbound I-37 between Hwy 181 and I-410. Most of these collisions were attributed to dense fog - something we don't deal with too often in this part of Texas.
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| Yeah, I actually grew up seeing stuff like this on the daily. Photo pulled from Steve Cole's blog. |
Because of these challenges we were taught thoroughly how to best drive through fog - particularly when we had those mornings visibility was limited to a few hundred feet at best. Because I care about the drivers here in San Antonio (and the great state of Texas as a whole), I wanted to take a moment to share with you the things I learned way back when I was in drivers' education classes as a teen:
- Reduce your speed. Visibility is kind of important when you're driving. At TxDOT we're taught to "aim high in steering", meaning we try to look out ahead of where we're going. When visibility is limited by fog we can't see or identify hazards out ahead like we can during broad daylight. We're lucky in south Texas - in many places our normal visibility is measured in miles and we can identify road hazards well in advance. During dense fog, though, that advantage disappears. Literally. So should our high travel speeds. Don't drive faster than you can see - reduce your speed during foggy conditions.
- Turn on your dang headlights - which engage your taillights as well. This should be a rule when you're driving 100 percent of the time, but is particularly important during fog, rain, dusk or dawn. This helps others see you, and can help you see others. Keep the low-beams on. Don't flip on your high beams. Ever. It's science; the water particles that make up fog reflect and refract the light. Your high beams are typically aimed higher up, straight into the fog. The fog scatters that light all over the place, further limiting your visibility. You'll actually have a better field of vision with low beams than you will with high beams. Also, by turning on your lights you'll have your rear lights on - which means those behind you can actually see you before you use your brakes. This simple act of running with your lights on will protect you and prevent senseless rear-end collisions simply by letting others know you're there.
- Use the pavement markings as a guide. Growing up we called the white line on the edge of the road - the right side of your car - the "fog line". I've never heard it referred to as such in Texas (not even by our engineers), but that's what we called it. Why? Because when it was super foggy out, we'd slow down (see No. 1 above) and hug that white line. Why the white line and not the yellow? Because the yellow line puts you dangerously close to oncoming traffic, of course (by the way, this is the mistake my classmate's teenage brother made when I was a kid, and it got his VW Beetle run completely over by a large Ford Bronco). Use that white line - it's there for a reason. Obviously, on smaller roads without that white line (some county roads or city roads don't have them) this won't work; all TxDOT roads do have that white line, though. So use it!
- Never, ever, ever just stop in the middle of the road. Slow down, yes. If you feel so inclined, flip on those hazard lights, even. But do not ever just stop in the middle of the road. If you feel like it's unsafe to continue driving, pull over onto the side of the road (or, better yet, take the next opportunity to find a parking lot!) and wait the fog out. I've done this in fog before. I've done it in snowy conditions while going to school in Idaho. I've done it for heavy rains in Virginia and in West Virginia (that Smoky Mountain Rain thing is no joke!). Every time I've gotten as far away from the travel lanes as possible before stopping. I feel like this shouldn't be something we have to remind people of ... but some people apparently don't realize the danger of stopping in the middle of a highway. Just don't do it. Ever.
That's it. Driving in these adverse conditions - when necessary - can be safely done if you follow these basic rules. Of course, if you feel like it's unsafe don't hesitate to just stay home. The good news here is the sun comes up and burns that fog away really fast. For me, growing up in the foothills of the mighty Cascade Mountains, that fog could sit where it was until almost noon. That's not the case here. If it's super foggy out, your best bet is to just wait it out and head in to wherever you're going a few minutes later.
If that's not an option, though, follow these tips. They'll get you through.