As the US 281 Phase I Expansion Project (from Loop 1604 to Stone Oak Parkway/TPC Parkway) progresses and remains ahead of schedule despite logistical obstacles and weather delays, we're getting ready for another milestone taking place this weekend.
Come rush hour Monday morning, drivers will be driving on brand new asphalt for about 3/4-mile between Encino Rio and Evans Road. For those that drive US 281 in this area of town, you've seen this before -- what we call a traffic switch with drivers diverted to newly-constructed frontage roads so work crews can work on the expanded mainlanes in the middle of the highway.
Just like with the last traffic switch, this will be a gradual opening following rolling closures over the weekend beginning Friday at 9 p.m. with full opening by 5 a.m. Monday morning. There should not be an impact on traffic since we're keeping the same number of lanes. Please do remember that the speed limit does go down (from 60 mph to 45 mph) since it's going from mainlane to frontage road.
Just like with the last traffic switch, this will be a gradual opening following rolling closures over the weekend beginning Friday at 9 p.m. with full opening by 5 a.m. Monday morning. There should not be an impact on traffic since we're keeping the same number of lanes. Please do remember that the speed limit does go down (from 60 mph to 45 mph) since it's going from mainlane to frontage road.
Turnarounds and intersection reconstruction
Please do note that the northbound-to-southbound turnaround north of Encino Rio and the southbound-to-northbound turnaround between Encino Rio and Evans Road will remain closed. Drivers will need to take the next turnarounds.
After the traffic switch is in place, we will need to reconstruct the Encino Rio intersection between the newly built frontage roads (just like we did with Stone Oak/TPC after the switch there). This will take roughly one week to complete.
Please do note that the northbound-to-southbound turnaround north of Encino Rio and the southbound-to-northbound turnaround between Encino Rio and Evans Road will remain closed. Drivers will need to take the next turnarounds.
After the traffic switch is in place, we will need to reconstruct the Encino Rio intersection between the newly built frontage roads (just like we did with Stone Oak/TPC after the switch there). This will take roughly one week to complete.
During this time the westbound turn lanes from Encino Rio to US 281 southbound will be closed. Traffic will need to take the turnaround north of Evans Road. Project staff will monitor timing of the lights and will make changes as necessary to adjust for traffic flow.
Next Up: Evans Road Intersection
Intersection reconstructions can be tricky as the work area is tight and traffic is moved around multiple times so construction can be completed smoothly and more importantly, safely for drivers and work crews.
The US 281/Evans Road intersection will be next. We'll start this work as well this weekend. It will be necessary to temporarily shift traffic on the west side of the intersection and reduce the number of available lanes from three to two in the eastbound direction. This will be done in two phases:
Phase 1: Traffic gets diverted to the south side of the roadway in order for us to build lanes on the north side.
Phase 2: Traffic gets diverted to the north side of the roadway, to build the lanes on the south side of the roadway.
We're expecting this process to take at least one month, as always depending on scheduling issues and potential weather delays.
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