Highway Improvements Continue: I-410/I-10 East Interchange Project Set to Begin in Far East San Antonio

 

When Americans launch the last of their fireworks this 4^th of July, the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) San Antonio District will launch a $100 million effort to improve one of the city’s most important interchanges.

Beginning the week of July 5, TxDOT will start a 38-month project to improve a portion of the I-410/I-10 East interchange in east San Antonio. Williams Brothers Construction Company, Inc. will construct the project and Raba Kistner, Inc. will help TxDOT manage it. The work focuses primarily on the way drivers access eastbound I-10 and southbound I-410. The new design includes a new direct connector from northbound I-410 near East Houston Street to eastbound I-10 near Ackerman Road and a new southbound I-410 connector from westbound I-10 near Ackerman to southbound I-410 near East Houston Street.

In addition to improvements that will make travel through the interchange more efficient, the contractor will also rebuild the southbound overpass at Houston Street as part of the I-10 to southbound I-410 connector. Frontage road improvements, retaining walls, high-mast and center lane lighting, drainage improvements, and new asphalt pavement on sections of northbound I-410 from I-10 northward are also included in the work.

I-10 construction on San Antonio’s east side isn’t anything new. Since 2016, drivers and businesses have become more than familiar with road work. Through a series of reconstruction projects, TxDOT has been working to increase capacity to meet the growing traffic demand by upgrading the highway to current safety and design standards and address deteriorating pavement conditions. Those projects include:

·         I-10 East from Foster Road to Graytown Road – Includes various safety and mobility improvements. The project began in 2016 and was completed in fall 2020.

·         I-10 East from I-410 to Loop 1604 - Reconstruction along an approximately 6.7-mile section of I-10, including additional travel lanes and improved exit and entrance ramps. Work began in fall 2018 and is expected to be complete this summer.

·         I-10 East from Loop 1604 to Pfeil Road – Reconstruction along an approximately 2.8-mile section of the highway, including added travel lanes, bridge reconstruction, and frontage road improvements. The project began in early 2020 and is expected to be complete in 2024.

·         I-10 from Graytown Road to the Bexar County line – Reconstruction of approximately 5 miles of highway, including added travel lanes and frontage road and ramp improvements. The project began in late 2020 and is expected to be complete in 2024.

The upcoming I-410/I-10 East interchange project is the first in a series of planned improvements for the entire I-410/I-10 East interchange system in the coming years. It is a critical step towards providing safer and better ways of traveling San Antonio for the 83,000 drivers who use the interchange each day.

Drivers and businesses can expect periodic traffic shifts, lane closures, and detours through the course of the project. For updates, check out the Go Ahead! Blog. Updates are also available on TxDOT San Antonio’s Facebook page at  @TxDOTSanAntonioTx and @TxDOTSanAntonio on Twitter.

Full Closure of SH 151 This Weekend In West San Antonio

 

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is scheduled to perform major closures in west San Antonio on SH 151 this weekend. The closures are expected to greatly impact traffic flow and drivers are encouraged to avoid the area. Details on the specific closures are listed below.

What:                          Full closure of SH 151 mainlanes from just west of I-410 to just east of I-410
Full closure of SH 151 eastbound to westbound turnaround

When:                         Friday, October 16 at 9 p.m. to Monday, October 19 at 5 a.m.

Scheduled Work:      Continued construction of flyover ramps and installation of steel beams

During the closure of SH 151, drivers traveling westbound will be detoured to the frontage roads at the I-410 exit, travel through the intersection and re-enter the mainlanes before Ingram Road. Drivers traveling eastbound on SH 151 will be detoured to the frontage roads at Cable Ranch Road, travel through I-410 intersection and re-enter the mainlanes before W. Military Dr. The eastbound SH 151 flyover ramp to northbound I-410 will remain open to traffic during the weekend closure.

This weekend’s closures will allow crews to install steel beams for flyover ramps at the SH 151 and I-410 interchange as part of scheduled work in phase one of the I-410 Southwest project.  This project involves several improvements to improve mobility and enhance safety along a 14.9 mile stretch of I-410 from SH 16 to Ingram Rd.  

Phase one of the I-410 Southwest project has a total estimated cost of $100 million. Construction began in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed by Summer 2022. Williams Brother’s Construction is the contractor on the project.

The situation on southbound I-410

We've had more than a few calls about southbound I-410 as it crosses over WW White on the east end of town, where we've got traffic squeezed to a single lane. The area is tough to explain, so we'll just have to show you:

The single-lane situation has been in place since September 26 - or about a week and a half. We tweeted about the closure when it started but hadn't had a chance to get a detailed update on what happened or what our timeline is.
In an effort to avoid burying the lede here, we'll have it reopened to full capacity around the start of December.
The details?
Last week we discovered damage to the concrete bridge rail barrier, which poses a safety hazard. Take a look:

With the damage, traffic engineers put up the closure. Over the last week-plus, we've had several call to express concern over the lack of workers present during the closure. Because we don't yet have a contractor on board to do the repairs, we wouldn't have workers on-site - but the safety hazard still exists, so the closure is indeed necessary. Here's the timeline:

Monday, Sept. 26
The damage was discovered and law enforcement, cooperating with our maintenance folks, set up the initial closure. Our maintenance guys had the long-term closure in place before the afternoon, and we started looking for reports of a crash that would have caused the damage.
That's right, the damage came from a crash. And, apparently, the crash wasn't reported as having caused the damage. So we got busy tracking that down (so we can find an insurance company to bill for the damage) and got our bridge folks notified for the need of an inspection.

Tuesday, Sept 27-Tuesday, Oct 4
Bridge engineers checked the extent of the damage and got the data processed for designs to be drawn for the repair. Typically, we need to tear out more than the initially damaged portion of the bridge. The steel reinforcement that's inside the concrete gets bent and, in order to maintain structural integrity, we often need to replace the whole steel cages in there as well as the small portion that's been damaged.

Wednesday-Thursday, October 5-6
Reaching out to contractors to let them know of the repair project coming up so they can prepare bids.

Friday, October 7
We'll "let" the emergency repair contract to get bids and select a contractor to do the repairs. We use the low-bid system, accepting the lowest bonded bidder for our contracts. We'll select the contractor and have the contract signed by the close of business.

Monday, October 10
We'll hold our pre-construction meeting with the contractor and all working entities on the project to go over the work process and make sure everyone is familiar with key personnel.

Tuesday, October 11
The contractor will begin the repairs on this bridge. They'll be given about a month and a half to complete, and we're targeting the start of December as a "finish-by" date. Until the repairs are all done, the closure will remain. If this is part of your daily commute, you may wish to look for some alternate routes.

New stop signs to be installed: when you call us, it really does matter

A couple of weeks ago a truck driver called us to share an observation of the traffic situation at the corner of I-410 and WW White on the city's southeast side.
Well, after the conversation we visited with our operations guys and found out we've heard similar comments in the past, and we're planning to make a change.

Again, our timeline here is measured in months - mostly because we need to get the signs gathered and contract the restriping of the intersection. But it is coming!

Mail Bag: Last words (for now) on Lp 1604, work on I-410, turn lane on BSR

I've been wondering about the frontage road work at I-10 and Hwy 46 in Boerne. It started several months ago, but then just stopped. What happened and is it still going to move forward?
- Corey
Great question, Corey. this project constructs a westbound frontage road between about Crosspoint and West Bandera Rd (Hwy 46). Work began more than a year ago and was initially projected to take no more than eight months to wrap up. Well, Zimmerman Construction wasn't getting work done on schedule nor to the standard of quality we require, so we issued a notice of default before Christmas, removing Zimmerman from the project. Since then we've been working to negotiate a takeover agreement. Zimmerman will likely remain involved, though the personnel - particularly the project superintendent and management team - will be very different. We expect to resume work this summer.
In the meantime, we're continually charging liquidated damages against the contract for the late delivery. As of the end of April, those damages have totaled over $100,000.
The last time something like this happened was on the I-10 project between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road, when Ballenger Construction declared bankruptcy. That default left projects on Loop 1604 and Wurzbach Parkway similarly in the lurch. All of those projects are now complete.

I am seeing construction barrels and signs on I-410 (on the south side) between I-37 and I-35, but I am unable to find information on the website as to what will be happening. Can you point me in the right direction for information?
- Robert
The only place we'll have significant information is on our project tracker web application. The project number is 0521-05-139.
It's a pretty simple and low-key project, which is why you won't find a lot of fanfare on our web site about it. Key details on the project:

• $6.7 million construction cost
• Angel Brothers Construction
• Started late 2014
• Project replaces guardrail, repairs concrete erosion measures and resurfaces the highway
• Work runs between about Medina Base Road and I-37

Work has gone a bit slow on this project due to its dependence on good weather. Right now we're about halfway through the work but have taken up almost all the time allowed. We're working with our contractor to get a project delivery this summer.

When do we get a right-turn signal from Boerne Stage Road eastbound onto the I-10 frontage road in front of HEB? The fact that the right turn is only a yield is what's backing up traffic on Boerne Stage so far in the mornings.
- Timothy
Signal timing and phasing - including a "right-only" signal as you've suggested - is done through the city of San Antonio. We don't have plans for a right-only signal at all. What we do have plans for is a right-turn lane:

This is the final striping plan for the intersection of Boerne Stage Rd and the eastbound frontage road of I-10.

Before we can get there, though, we'll need to build the new lane. Also notice the final layout of two active lanes on the eastbound frontage road running east from the BSR intersection - and that's in addition to the merge lane from the west-to-east turnaround. Right now we don't have the two through lanes:

The orange area is the construction zone today.

Right now we've got one active lane and we've got a makeshift merge lane for the turnaround traffic. We've still got to reconstruct the frontage road, one  half at a time, and that work will take us through the summer to complete. Once we're all done, though, you'll have that turn lane and a smoother traffic flow.
As for the right-only signal ... well, that's an issue to discuss with folks from the city. Hope that helps!

Do we have a projection for when the frontage roads between Bandera and Braun (southbound and northbound Loop 1604) will be completed? Northbound is a disaster in the mornings right now and it causes people to cut through our neighborhood at freeway speeds at times - no joke. Braun is backed up solid clear back to Wildhorse during rush hour each morning. Keep up the great work!
- Rick
We're a month from finishing up. Hopefully the opening of the main lanes eased up the stress you've witnessed in your subdivision. And thanks for the kudos!

How many lanes on the access will Leslie Road have going southbound from Shaenfield to Culebra? Will the northbound section between Culebra and Shaenfield have more than two lanes on the access road?
- Sandra
This is a moment where a picture is worth a thousand words (which would describe how it varies between two and three lanes):

Click to enlarge ... arrows represent lanes. Two arrows is two lanes, three arrows is three lanes.

I am sure you have noticed there are several "personal exit ramps" (worn into the median between the main lanes of 1604 and frontage road, particularly around the 1604 and Bandera area where drivers decide to cross the median). Is anything being done to prevent this behavior as it is very dangerous and I have witnessed several near-collisions caused by this during rush hours. Would this be considered reckless driving and what would the fines be if a driver is caught doing this? Thanks for keeping us all well informed about TxDOT projects in the San Antonio Area.
- Zane
We've seen this. We're confident SAPD and the BCSO has seen it as well. As pointed out before, this is an illegal move per sections 545.063 and 545.064. The actual fine schedule isn't really our domain, but if folks are caught it'd be pretty significant. It's up to law enforcement to discover and cite these folks.

Just a few of the culprits forming their own on-ramps along Lp 1604 near Bandera Road over the weekend.

On our end, we're working on ways to stop this - but short of us putting concrete barriers or guardrail everywhere, stopping this sort of behavior is really up to your cohorts sharing your commute. That, or understand if we catch you doing it and can safely snap a pic, you may just end up on the blog here.

How can you open 1604 without a Shaenfield exit on the north bound lanes??!! All that did was create more congestion at the Culebra light thus not solving any congestion issues!!!
- Yvonne
We had the exit to Shaenfield wide open and working for every morning and evening commute since we opened the new northbound express lanes. This has been consistent. Not sure when you drove through, Yvonne, but the exit ramp has been active the whole time - it exists where it's always existed. That said, we've still got an overhead highway sign to place at this location - so it's understandable if you missed it the first few days. Those signs are being placed as quickly as we can!

Great job on the 1604 express lanes. I really enjoy reading the updates and whoever is writing them needs to stay in that job forever - always informative and always entertaining. As for the naysayers, people can always find something to complain about. If you handed out 100 dollar bills to everyone, some people would complain that theirs wasn't in perfect condition or find some other reason to be disgruntled. Getting the 1604 express lanes open was like handing out thousand dollar bills to everyone who had to sit through gobs of traffic on the frontage road over the past year while the expressway was being built. Forget the naysayers and keep up the good work!
- Bob
Thanks for the kind words, Bob - they're very appreciated by all involved at every level of the project!

Projects coming up

We have a lot of projects that are nearing completion - I-10 Huebner, both remaining segments of Wurzbach Parkway, Fred-Med and I-10 Ralph Fair Road should all be finished in the next six months or thereabouts - bringing significant relief to drivers along some of our key corridors.

But that doesn't mean we relax any time soon. Over the next year, we will see a string of projects begin that will address congestion and improve safety along corridors of significant growth now and in the future. Some of these projects have been programmed into the regional budget in advance; four projects are moving forward by virtue of voter-approved Prop 1.

Here's a quick run-down of what's coming up:

UTSA Boulevard

This is part of an $800 million proposal announced more than a year ago - once UTSA Boulevard is developed, it will be turned over to the city of San Antonio. For now, however, the segment between I-10 and Edward Ximines Drive - also known as Spur 53 - is a state-maintained road.

The $9 million project will expand the road to five lanes (two lanes each way plus a center left-turn lane), add a multi-use path better connecting the area to the Leon Creek Greenway, and adds shoulder room that will accommodate bikes. Work will begin once utilities have been properly moved; the latest estimates suggest actual work on the project could begin in 6-8 weeks.

Once work begins the project will last about a year and a half - expect a completed project late 2016.

Loop 1604 at Hwy 151

This project is moving forward as an option to the design-build expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads. Williams Brothers Construction is the contractor, and they expect to begin turning dirt in March. Overall completion is slated for the end of 2016.

This project has received more than its share of attention over the last few years; the current iteration - a $45 million effort to connect drivers on Loop 1604 directly to Hwy 151 - includes a direct connector ramp from southbound Loop 1604 to eastbound Hwy 151 and a few operational improvements. The main lanes of Hwy 151 will be brought over Loop 1604 to meet with Alamo Ranch Parkway, allowing traffic headed from westbound Hwy 151 to the Alamo Ranch area to do so without going through the Culebra Road intersection. 

Loop 1604, Culebra to Potranco

Part of the same $800 million package involving UTSA Boulevard, this will expand Loop 1604 to a four-lane expressway with continuous frontage roads to Potranco Road on the far west side of San Antonio.

The project will essentially continue what's already being done between Bandera and Culebra roads, adding non-tolled lanes with overpasses at a few locations. This project is still in the design phases, though it is slated to be finished and ready for bidders early summer. We could have contractors on board as early as July, which means construction will begin in the fall.

This project will take more than two years to complete and has a similar timeline to the expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads. That project started early 2014 and is set to wrap up late 2016.


FM 1101

This is a little north of most San Antonians' wheelhouse ... but it's a road that goes through three separate school zones in New Braunfels. This project focuses on the stretch between Hwy 46 and FM 306 on the northeast side of town.

The $7.6 million project is also waiting on utilities to be moved so it can begin, which will also happen this spring. Work will take somewhere around a year and a half once it starts. The finished product will hold the same single lane in each direction as currently exists, but it will add a center left-turn lane. Also included in the project are sidewalks and bike lanes - critical features to help school-goers travel safely along the growing corridor.

I-10 at Old Fred Road

Moving forward, this project will be dubbed (on this blog, at least) the "Old Fred Road" project. The $29.4 million project comes from the recent Proposition 1 vote and will construct a new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road northwest of San Antonio. The finished project will see the main lanes of I-10 over a new crossover that connects Old Fredericksburg Road with the westbound side of the highway.

Additionally, the frontage roads between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway will be converted to one-way. A public meeting is scheduled to allow folks in the area a face-to-face opportunity with engineers designing the project. That meeting will be Thursday, February 19 from 5 until 7 p.m. at the Spring Creek United Methodist Church.

We are scheduled to seek a contractor this summer; actual construction is likely to begin toward the end of the year.

Highway 151 at I-410

Of the four Prop 1 projects announced for our area this year, this project seems to be the least understood. The official description called for expanding I-410 by a lane in each direction, and this project will do that - at least between Hwy 151 and West Military Drive.

The project, which carries a price tag of about $75 million, will also add direct connector ramps from eastbound Hwy 151 to northbound I-410 and from southbound I-410 to westbound Hwy 151. These are strategically selected ramps, focusing on the heaviest traffic flows at this intersection.

Why just two ramps, though? Why not all eight? Highway interchanges are expensive, often reaching north of $250 million. That's right ... a quarter of a billion dollars. Folks at home may recall Prop 1 gave the entire state an added $1.7 billion ... and $250 million would be nearly double the San Antonio District's share of that money.

The quick way to explain what's happening is that we're building what we can afford. Folks at home can commiserate a bit - how often do we buy the slightly used Honda rather than splurge on the BMW off the lot? How often do we settle for that 32-inch TV when we really want the 78-incher curved-screen, ultra high-definition TV?

The two ramps we're building aren't anything to scoff at, to be sure - these will get that northwest corridor moving in ways it only dreams of today. But we are, ultimately, building what we can afford right now. It's road building on a budget.

The project will be let for bidding later this year; we expect actual work to begin, at the earliest, the end of 2015.


U.S. Highway 90

The stretch of U.S. Highway 90 between I-410 and Loop 1604 on the far west side of San Antonio just might be the last remaining stretch of expressway in San Antonio proper featuring a two-way frontage road, and we want to change that.


Thanks to Prop 1, we are moving forward with a plan that will convert the frontage roads to one-way - a safety measure that's been shown to reduce the fatal and injury crashes by as much as 57 percent on the frontage roads themselves and an astounding 85 percent at intersections - along the entire stretch. This two-for-one project (we're combining two projects into one, essentially) will also develop some improvements to the intersection at U.S. 90 and Loop 1604. Both projects round out the four listed as proposed for Prop. 1 funding.

The $26 million project is set to let for bidding in May, which means we should be underway late this fall. Overall project duration will be a year and a half.

U.S. 281 North Improvements

The expansion of U.S. 281 to an expressway north of Loop 1604 (and on to the Comal County line) has been in the works for about 20 years at this point, and has hit its fair share of rocks on the road to development.

Last year (that is, January 2014) TxDOT joined with Bexar County, the city of San Antonio and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority to announce a package of $800 million in projects over the next several years. Those projects include the UTSA expansion mentioned above, and it includes managed-lanes projects on I-10, U.S. 281 and a non-tolled expansion of Loop 1604.

The ARMA is taking the lead on this project and is managing communication for its development. The environmental impact study has recently wrapped up, and the ARMA is nearing readiness to move this project to construction phases. More information, including a project schematic, may be found on the ARMA Web page.

A quick round-up of the weekend, week ahead

First thing's first:

U.S. 281/Wurzbach Parkway

Thank you to everyone who patiently assisted with this weekend's work on U.S. Highway 281 at Wurzbach Parkway. The closure was, no doubt, an inconvenience for many. Traffic volumes through the detour area were much lower than they could have been.

That, we believe, is the direct result of folks spreading the word and planning ahead. To all of you who helped in that, thank you.

A big thanks as well to the folks with Williams Brothers Construction and to our own construction personnel on the project. We'll have more to say after visiting with the contractor tomorrow, but by all accounts the work was done much faster than anticipated. Special recognition to folks like Mike Rogerio, Justin Wiatrek and Lloyd Mair - the TxDOT personnel who oversaw the work this weekend. Theirs is an often thankless job, and they spend several long hours away from their families working to help you get home to yours more quickly and safely.

With everything opened back up on U.S. Highway 281, we've now got some news on Loop 1604 and on a few other projects....

Loop 1604 VSL's

For starters, the variable speed limit signs are now active along west-bound Loop 1604. These speed limits can range from 30 MPH to 70 MPH, and can change in increments of 5 MPH. The idea behind these is to help folks ease into congestion points, making travel overall much safer than normal. Rather than having to suddenly stop as drivers approach congestion at 70 miles per hour - risking potential rear-end collisions - drivers will be eased into such pinch points with speed limits that gradually taper down to the slower speeds.

Remember: these speed limits are enforceable, and representatives of San Antonio Police Department can remind you of the regulatory nature of these signs if you've ignored them.

New projects

Next, with the end of the month comes the award of contracts to contractors. June is an active month in terms of project bidding, and a number of projects were approved by the Texas Transportation Commission.

More will be written later this week on this, but highlighting the list of projects in the San Antonio District are resurfacing projects on I-10 (between downtown and New Braunfels Avenue) and on I-410 (between Medina Base Road and I-35). We've also got a project on I-35 in Comal County on tap; we're adjusting some of the entrance and entrance ramps between FM 306 and Conrads-Kohlenberg Road.

More on that stuff later this week, though.

Independence Day

As we approach the Fourth of July, we have two brief messages:

First, we will not have active work zones near traffic areas through the weekend. We chalk it up to high traffic volumes for the holidays, and we shut most of our projects down. This means no closures during the holiday weekend.

Second, please celebrate responsibly. Drive responsibly, too! Don't tolerate drunk driving, or texting while driving. Figure out where you're going ahead of time, or pull over to send or receive your text messages. Help us make this an enjoyable and fatality free weekend!

That's it for now. More tomorrow!

2013 in review....

When 2013 began three major projects sat in limbo after the financial collapse of one of the department’s most oft-used road builders while a flurry of major projects awaited a start date.

Those three stalled projects – including two segments of Wurzbach Parkway and the I-10 Huebner project – resumed in the spring after being released by a bankruptcy court and new contractors were selected by the projects’ bonding company. Most of the early work done on each project was maintenance – the projects needed to be cleaned up and inventory taken.

Just as the year came to a close, victory! The first segment of Wurzbach Parkway, running from Blanco Road to West Avenue, opened for traffic. Yes, an issue with the bridge deck surface is holding us back from opening the Blanco Road overpass just yet … but we got that segment of the parkway opened and operational. The bridge deck surface issue, by the way, is about ride quality and not structure. We’re trying to provide the best-quality product we can, and this is a major topic of conversation between TxDOT leaders and the responsible bonding company.

Work continues on the eastern segment, also slowed by the Ballenger Construction bankruptcy; we hope to have the stretch from Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore opened by the end of summer. With major road builder Webber Construction working on the I-10 Huebner project, we’re assured the project should be substantially completed by early 2015 (which is amazingly not far off the original completion target).

With all that said, let’s take a look at a few of the successes enjoyed by TxDOT during 2013.

Traffic signals

In January we turned on McMullen County’s first-ever full traffic signal. The intersection of state Highways 16 and 72 was fitted to a traffic signal that offers protected left-turn lanes and traffic control for two major corridors for the booming Eagle Ford Shale energy traffic.

Later in the year we turned on a new signal at the intersection of state Highway 46 and Rudeloff Road just north of Seguin. More than 21,000 vehicles pass through that intersection each day, with many using Rudeloff Road to reach the local airport. The signal replaces two-way stop signs and has improved safety at that critical intersection – and has improved the gateway to the Guadalupe-Comal community for those who commute via aircraft.

Finally, as part of a major project up in north Comal County, we built and turned on a signal at the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and Rebecca Creek Road (in Spring Branch). That signal has already added a huge amount of safety to the intersection and will prove critical when our work to convert Highway 281 to a divided highway is finished by the end of 2015.

Finished projects

2013 was a year of continuing efforts. About a dozen projects were completed through the year, each surrounding sidewalk improvements or road resurfacing. The biggest project to wrap up was the “hot-in-place” resurfacing project on I-37 on the south end of Bexar County.

In terms of our most major projects, last year was one of those years where we simply continued that which we started. And, in fairness, we started quite a bit of projects through the year.

Started projects

More than $221 million in contracts were awarded with work starting during 2013. Now, that’s just the actual contract amount, not total project costs (contract amounts do not include design and other costs associated with a project before it even starts). These projects range from adding capacity to the highway to reconstructing frontage roads to landscaping improvements. Here are a few highlights:

Seguin Avenue (New Braunfels): Austin Bridge Company is rebuilding a UPRR bridge and widening the main entryway to downtown New Braunfels. The icing on the cake here is the fact Austin Bridge is the same company that built the original UPRR bridge as part of the Works Progress Administration program back in the 1930s. Work started in January and will wrap up late spring 2014.

U.S. Highway 281 (Spring Branch): Hunter Industries started this 30-month project that turns a country highway into a four-lane divided highway in February and is already about halfway through the work, putting them on pace to potentially finish the work before the end of 2014. There are several factors that may impact that, however, including the fate of the Spring Branch Post Office.

FM 306 (Comal County): Another project by Hunter Industries, this is two-year project that’s also just more than halfway done. It started in March. While building two overpasses to separate the road traffic from UPRR railroad traffic is a major portion of this work, we’re also expanding the road to a four-lane divided highway.

I-35 SAMMC (northeast San Antonio): Thanks in part to a $20 million boost from the Department of Defense, Lane Construction was able to begin work expanding and adjusting I-35 between the two I-410 interchanges, near San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). Work started in November.

Fred-Med (Medical Center): One of the more anticipated projects in San Antonio is a “grade separation” project at the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Medical Drive. The project had been initially slated to begin early 2012, but was pushed back by utility adjustments and issues with a previous contractor. This summer the contract was awarded to Texas Sterling Construction, who began work in September. They are on pace to finish the project on time, by early 2015.

I-10 resurface and restripe (near Crossroads): This three-month project flew largely under the radar, but added a lane in each direction for folks driving between I-410 and Wurzbach Road on the northwest side of town. Clark Construction is nearly finished, and should be wrapped up within the next few weeks (weather permitting!).

I-10 Seguin: This conversion of the frontage road along I-10 between Highway 46 and FM 725 is being done by Angel Brothers Construction and is entirely funded by local sources. Not only will this nine-month project, which started in October, make the area safer, but it will add to the growing economic corridor of the blossoming town.

Major milestones

The biggest milestone in the news this year was that of the northbound I-35 exit to Forum Parkway, which was closed near the beginning of the year to be reconstructed. We took what was a zipper-weave ramp with exiting and entering traffic merging with one another, competing for road space, and turned it in to a braided ramp with exiting traffic bridged over traffic entering northbound I-35 from Loop 1604.

Nearly six weeks after closing the ramp, the contractor discovered some design issues holding them back from building. Resolution of those issues pushed deep into our summer months, and when the contractor returned attention to the ramp they pushed hard to finish in time for the Christmas shopping season (the new exit ramp is a major route to The Forum at Olympia Parkway). That time frame was successfully met, and Santa helped us open the ramp the day before Thanksgiving.

The first of three major milestones on the I-10 Huebner project kicked in when lanes on I-10 over Fredericksburg Road were closed for about two months while Webber Construction rebuilt the bridge deck surface, forcing one of the lanes of main lane traffic to use the frontage road. To the credit of the contractor, that work was finished and the main lanes reopened three days earlier than the original 70-day target.

Out of the blue

A recap of the year wouldn’t be complete without recognizing the quick work and assistance of contractors who responded – with astonishing haste, no less – to emergency situations this year. Most notably, this includes an unused bridge over U.S. Highway 281 that was hit by a truck this summer.

The crash caused a closure of some main lanes on U.S. 281 that lasted several days, and the total closure of the highway for a weekend. Hunter Industries was able to complete the work to repair the bridge and clean up the mess in less than 30 hours, though they had more than 72 to finish the work.

On I-35 between Schertz and New Braunfels a garbage truck hit the underside of an overpass, causing structural concerns for a lane of the northbound I-35 main lanes. Hunter again came to help, offering equipment to assist in the short-term. Dan Williams Construction finished the work fast, though – getting the crossing under I-35 reopened in a matter of weeks rather than months.

Looking forward

Over the course of 2014, we’re looking forward to completing the bookends of the Wurzbach Parkway project as well as finish the I-35 project through Selma and Schertz. If we get favorable conditions, we could wrap up work on FM 306 near Gruene and on U.S. Highway 281 in Spring Branch. We’ll finish the Seguin Avenue project being done by Austin Bridge and Road.

The Main Street bridge in Boerne should be finished soon, and Relmco is expected to get the expansion of Highway 39 in Ingram near completion by year’s end. We’ll wrap up work on an overpass for Loop 1604 at Marbach by mid-year as well.

Meanwhile, we’re starting a project to convert Loop 1604 to an expressway (overpasses!) between Bandera Road and Culebra Road in northwest San Antonio. That should kick off this spring, as will some smaller projects in New Braunfels.

Those in the Fair Oaks Ranch and Boerne Stage Road area will see significant upgrades to the frontage roads along I-10, with work on the Ralph Fair Road overpass starting this spring.

And that’s the year in review!