Wednesday, January 29

Eastward Bound: Next Project On I-10 Toward Houston Kicks Off Next Week


Highway construction projects hold a special place in our hearts and with Cupid’s favorite time of the year quickly approaching, we thought it only fitting to give one of our region’s most needy areas some TLC.

Starting in February, we'll be delivering a fresh bouquet of improvements to the busy I-10 corridor from Loop 1604 to Pfeil Road in Far East San Antonio.

Add that to the ongoing love that I-10 in this area of town has received recently. A seven-mile stretch of the highway has been undergoing a significant makeover since 2017, including expansion from four lanes to six lanes between I-410 and Loop 1604 and the conversion of frontage roads from two-way to one-way access between Foster Road and Graytown Road.

The new $90 million construction project -- set to officially kick off next week --  will extend the mainlane expansion improvements for nearly three additional miles to Graytown Road and will include some major changes to the bridges over Loop 1604 and the Graytown Road overpass (see picture below). The project will also extend the frontage road upgrade all the way to Pfeil Road.

Our contractor on this new project, Jordan Foster Construction, estimates it will take approximately three years to complete. The good news is that the work will result in some pretty remarkable upgrades in this area. 

Just like the current work between I-410 and Loop 1604, the new project will widen I-10 to three lanes in each direction from Loop 1604 to Graytown Road and will convert the frontage roads to one-way access from Graytown Road to Pfeil Road to improve safety and mobility in the area. 

To sweeten the bouquet even more, the new improvements will also minimize/eliminate vertical clearance issues for trucks and other large vehicles traveling on and under the I-10 mainlanes by raising and reconstructing the I-10 bridges over Loop 1604 and reconfiguring the current Graytown Road overpass (above) as an underpass.

The new underpass will be located west of the current overpass to align with the eastbound and westbound I-10 frontage road intersections with Graytown Road, creating a straight and seamless crossing of I-10. 

Just as a heads-up for those folks who use the existing Graytown overpass on a regular basis, the Graytown Road crossing at I-10 will be closed for the long term during demolition and reconstruction and drivers will be detoured to the underpass at Pfeil Road, located slightly farther east. 

This work is currently anticipated to start early on in the project, though a detailed schedule is still being developed. We’ll provide advanced notice on this blog site when the Graytown closure and detour is required.

Construction crews will start doing prep work in the work zone this week, which will require various overnight closures of one mainlane in each direction from Loop 1604 to Pfeil Road. These closures will take place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly starting tonight (Wednesday, January 29) through Friday (January 31).

Once work begins  next week, the new work zone speed limit will be 60 mph. As a friendly reminder, traffic fines double in work zones when workers are present and drivers should always be on the lookout for construction equipment and workers (the state "Move Over/Slow Down" law).

To ensure the safety of drivers and workers during the construction process, the project will be linked to the “Smart Work Zone” (SWZ) already in place along the I-10 East corridor.

Smart Work Zones use automated and real-time technology that keeps drivers informed of events as they pass through construction areas through notifications on the overhead electronic sign boards.. (Look for a separate blog post on SWZs in the near future).

The I-10 expansion and frontage road project from Loop 1604 to Pfeil Road is just one of several current and future projects along I-10 in Far East San Antonio/Bexar County, including the relocation of entrance/exit ramps along the frontage road, conversion of frontage roads from two-way to one-way access and the reconstruction and widening of the mainlanes from I-410 to Loop 1604.

Next up, pushing further east will be the last of these series of improvements on I-10 within the TxDOT San Antonio District, involving the reconstruction and widening of I-10 from Graytown to the Bexar/Guadalupe County line -- anticipated to start this summer. 

All of this work is part of our larger plan to expand and improve I-10 from San Antonio to Houston (the Houston District is handling its own series of improvements heading west toward the Bexar/Guadalupe County line).

Since we can’t distribute conversation hearts out to all commuters, we will continue to keep you informed of road closures and other construction activities along the I-10 corridor through messages on overhead sign boards, the corridor webpagesocial media and our closures blog. Lastly, folks can also join our email list to get alerts and updates directly to their inboxes.