This week's updates: fairly routine

We're in a brief lull in summertime work, where our projects are between the more "exciting" moments of construction and we're just busy getting things done. Here's a quick round-up of what's going on, and where we're at in terms of schedule:

Ralph Fair Road

Crews were busy laying asphalt this week, getting ready to shift traffic on the westbound access road to the left side of the road. Road builders are still working along Ralph Fair Road, which will remain squeezed down a bit until we're finished with the expand Ralph Fair Road overpass bridge. That will come somewhere around the end of summer 2015.

We're still getting a fair share of phone calls talking about delays in traffic, particularly around Boerne Stage Road. We've worked the signals at Boerne Stage Road to be the best for traffic in all directions; until the county project on BSR is finished, the way traffic is moving is about as good as it will get.

I-10 Huebner

With traffic shifted over to its long-term configuration, crews are working on the reconstruction of the DeZavala overpass bridge. Well, the eastbound side of the bridge. That structure should be reconstructed and finished by the start of 2015; we'll then move traffic over and get to work on the westbound side.

But between now and then, continue to expect seeing crews working feverishly on that bridge six days a week. We've got crews working on retaining walls, road widening and support structures (particularly near UTSA Boulevard, where we're building new ramps and a new turnaround bridge) five days a week.

Overall completion is expected near the end of summer 2015.

Fred-Med

Dirt crews are pushing hard to finish utilities adjustments on the eastbound side of Medical Drive. Most of that work is near the bottom of the hill, near the driveway for Spyglass Hill Condominiums. The goal of project managers is to be done with this utility work by the end of August, so road builders can take over and get the road widening work done there.

Right now road crews are busily working near the top of the hill, pushing hard to get finished with what will be the eastbound entrance ramp (or whatever we're calling it) in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, under those huge steel plates, bridge crews are constructing support structures that will eventually hold up Fredericksburg Road.

The project had fallen a few weeks behind through the spring due to weather and the availability of crews with some subcontractors, but right now they've almost made that time up. We're still on target to finish the project early 2015.

Loop 1604 at Marbach

Capital Excavation should be finished with this project, with the overpass at Marbach open for traffic, by early August. That timing is exactly in line with the contractor's schedule, when work began in 2013.

Loop 1604 expansion

Bridge builders have been working on support structures for the northbound frontage road at Helotes Creek, across Loop 1604 from Wildhorse Drive. They're also working on reconstructing the southbound frontage road between Shaenfield and Culebra roads - a process that has reduced the road to a single lane for the foreseeable future.

Work continues near Braun Road, where dirt is being pushed around and formed into what will be the approaches for the overpass there. Because of the nature of a project that is being designed as it's being built, survey crews are routinely going through to check and re-check the details of the terrain out there.

All in all, we're on pace to finish work in 2016.

Loop 1604 East

This project is being overseen by Bexar County. Information may be found here.

Wurzbach Parkway

Here we have a little bit of news we're pretty darned excited about, actually. That temporary crosswalk near Buckhorn Drive that's catered to the hikers, bikers and runners along the Salado Creek Greenway will soon become obsolete. The Mud Creek bridge structures are nearly complete, and the connector for the trail is nearly ready for use.

Now, it'll be up to the good folks with the city of San Antonio to remove the crosswalk and temporary sidewalk, which was built in 2012 to keep the Salado Creek Greenway active during construction.

We're also looking at scheduling weekend or overnight closures in August to set beams and continue building the overpass bridge over U.S. Highway 281. Those closures won't be nearly as huge as what we had going in June, but they'll still be impactful. As soon as we have dates for these, we'll get the word out.

The west segment (West Avenue to Jones-Maltsberger) is set to open summer 2015. The eastern segment (Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore) will open later this year.

I-35 SAMMC

This is one of those projects where we'll have huge things happen now and again, but for the most part during the three-year process of this work we're behind barriers and just pounding out work as we go. Most of that work is concentrated in two areas - the first, on the south, is right there between Rittiman Road and George Beach (including the interchange with I-410). The second, on the north, is in the Windcrest area.

We're still on pace to finish this job by the end of 2016.

Loop 1604 work

Loop 1604 northwest

The design-build project on Loop 1604, which expands the loop to an expressway with overpasses at Braun, Shaenfield and New Guilbeau roads, is moving ahead at full steam. That's even despite the rain storms over the last couple of weeks.

Last month Leslie Road was converted to a one-way road between Shaenfield and Culebra, and local residents are getting accustomed to the new traffic configuration. Crews with Williams Brothers Construction have been adding a temporary widening on Leslie - now effectively the southbound frontage road - to provide some added space for work to be done. The road needs to be rebuilt to meet TxDOT specifications - until now it's been a city road - and match the improvements planned to the area.

Tree trimmers have cut back mesquite trees and other brush that would have been in the way of work, particularly where the southbound frontage road near New Guilbeau will go and along the future northbound frontage road throughout. Those trees that have been removed have been mulched. A few large oak trees - known on the project as 'legacy oaks' have been preserved and sprayed to protect against oak rot.

With trees out of the way, dirt is being moved to form the footprint of the northbound frontage road.

Meanwhile, dirt crews are working - and will be working for the foreseeable future - on the embankment (big dirt mounds) at Braun Road. Because of the room in the center median there, Williams Brothers is moving forward with what will be the overpass structure there. Adjustments to the ramps will need to happen as well.

For now, the everyday driver won't be impacted by the work happening. Planned lane closures are typically at night only, and only a single lane here or there (to set barriers, for instance) at that.

Marbach overpass

Well, there's not a whole lot to say about this project besides we're almost done. We expect to have the overpass open and in use - one lane in each direction - and our project completed in July. We have some minor concrete work to do and some asphalt to lay, and that's about it.

A huge credit to Capital Excavation for working hard at this project for the duration of this project.