Wurzbach Parkway progress

Wetmore to Jones-Maltsbergrer

More of the work to get the Mud Creek bridge has been finished - the support columns are all formed and built; the forms for the column caps are scheduled to be delivered this week. The columns will take about two weeks (weather allowing) to finish. Once the columns are capped, bridge crews can set beams and build the bridge deck.

On the other end of this segment, paving crews are scheduled to lay asphalt on Jones-Maltsberger (the future southbound lanes) Thursday. Recent weather issues have pushed this work back a bit; project bosses had initially planned to have the work done in January. With the new asphalt in place, traffic will be moved to begin using the actual lanes planned for the respective directions. That means southbound traffic will be on southbound lanes and northbound traffic will be on the northbound lanes. Some work remains in the middle if the road - that will happen over the few weeks after the next switch - but traffic on J-M should be about where it will stay by mid-spring.

Jones-Maltsberger to West Avenue

The most visible work right now is at West Avenue and along U.S. Highway 281. At West Avenue, bridge crews are scheduled to finish pouring the bridge deck this weekend. The first half was poured last weekend ... The upcoming work will mirror what was done before. This will mean alternating lane closures starting at 6:30 Saturday morning just as we had Feb. 15. This will finish the bridge deck and allow crews to focus on the surrounding features and the barrier rail lining the bridge.

On U.S. 281, the push is on the northbound side. Dirt crews continue to build up the area for the new Wurzbach Parkway exit ramp under Nakoma while a subcontractor continues work on drain structures near the future braided ramp exiting to Blanco ans entering from Nakoma. This drain structure needs to be built before the support structures for the ramps.

Just because this segment is seen the least of the three segments, here's a look (end to end) at the work being done. Note: this video was shot during the workers' lunch hour, so don't be alarmed if you don't see a bunch of guys actually doing the work!

 

West Avenue to Blanco Road

The last remaining piece of this segment is the Blanco Road overpass, which remains unopened until the bridge deck surface issue is resolved. Again, it's not a structural issue but a ride-quality issue; the kind of subtle dips in that bridge deck currently existing can make the drive less comfortable that we like. It also creates a potential for puddling when rains fall.

Here's the bottom line: project bosses are targeting spring break to have the Blanco Road overpass prpopen to traffic. Several factors can impact this, including approval of a batch of asphalt mix (that is in the hands of the Vulcan Materials Company), weather (that's in the hands of a Power higher than us at TxDOT) and equipment (that's on the shoulders of Clark Construction).

Liberty Mutual has approved a plan to address the bridge deck surface; a subcontractor (enter Clark Construction) will add a surface layer of asphalt to smooth the road. Clark's equipment is scheduled to be repaired and ready to go this week; asphalt should be ready by the weekend. If the weather holds - TxDOT specifications require temperatures higher than 60 to lay asphalt - we should be able to get the work done by spring break.

Here's a look at the bridge:

 

Wurzbach Parkway: lots of work along U.S. 281 (and some at West Ave., too)

The northbound entrance ramp from Nakoma Drive has been replaced with a temporary ramp nearer to Bitters Road, allowing Williams Brothers Construction to begin more aggressive work on adjustments to the U.S. 281 corridor near Wurabach Parkway.

The new temporary ramp for traffic coming from Nakoma onto the northbound U.S. 281 main lanes will allow work to progress quickly along this corridor.

That includes constructing braided ramps - that is, an exit ramp bridged over an entrance ramp - in the vicinity of the old entrance ramp. The braided ramp will serve traffic exiting to Bitters Road and traffic entering northbound U.S. 281 from Nakoma Drive and Wurzbach Parkway. Before the visible structures can be built there, though, trenching crews will finish the complex drain structures in the area. That should be finished in March.

Saturday morning, 6 a.m., bridge crews will close alternating lanes of West Avenue to pour the overpass bridge deck. Work will continue through the day; project managers anticipate clearing out of the work zone around 6 p.m. As long as nothing squirrely happens through the day, we'll keep one lane open in each direction.

The West Avenue overpass bridge has been prepped for concrete. Alternating lanes of West Avenue will close Saturday while crews pour concrete on the first half of the bridge deck.

Saturday's pour will complete half the overpass bridge. Next week's weather forecast will determine when the second half of the bridge gets poured; if it's warm enough, bridge builders will pour the second half overnight next week. If overnight temperatures are too cold (concrete work typically requires temperatures above 40 degrees) we'll have to push the second-half work to next Saturday.

As for the Blanco Road overpass ... It's still in Liberty Mutual's court (that is, the decision on when to open the overpass). That said, Texas Sterling reports pavement crews are scheduled to address the bridge deck surface issues in the upcoming weeks with the goal of opening the overpass in March. 

Major closures, major openings and more progress on Wurzbach Parkway

Beginning this week—Wednesday, actually—alternating lane closures will be used on West Avenue to allow bridge crews to begin constructing the West Avenue overpass.

 

A single lane will close between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., ensuring crews will stay out of the way of peak traffic rushes. While only single lanes will close, those driving the area should be aware the closed lane will change from day to day. Bridge crews will be setting bridge deck panels, overhang brackets, tying steel reinforcement frames, pouring the bridge deck surface and building the roadway barrier rail. The east-to-west turnaround of Wurzbach Parkway will also close

Over upcoming weeks, bridge crews will complete the West Avenue overpass bridge.

The closures on West Avenue will continue until the end of February. Project bosses hope to have the overpass finished by mid-March, though it won’t be in use until the full center segment of Wurzbach Parkway is finished.

The overhead highway sign structures have been the biggest factor behind keeping the Blanco Road overpass closed. These structures should be put up by next week, allowing the overpass to open.

While opening the Blanco Road overpass remains a priority for staff at all levels of management at TxDOT, the solution for the bridge deck surface issues and overhead highway signs that have kept crews from opening the bridge are still pending.

Crews responsible for erecting the overhead highway signs are scheduled to be on-site to do their work by the first of February. Once the overhead signs are in place we’ll be able to open up the overpass for traffic.

 

That could happen as early as the middle of next week.

 

The support structures of these signs have been the biggest reason for not opening the overpass at this point. The structures are being stored along the parkway, creating a potential safety hazard for those who might be driving along the road should the structures be left in their places. Sign-hanging crews were waiting on a new design for bolt placement, signed and sealed by an engineer, to place the signs.

 

Project supervisors explored the option of moving the structures, but the cost and resources necessary to do so simply made moving the structures off-site prohibitive.

 

The Blanco Road overpass ride quality – that is, the smoothness of the ride over the bridge – is another issue still being discussed. TxDOT is committed to ensuring the product delivered to the public meets a certain level of quality, and the bridge deck isn’t quite there yet. Officials with Liberty Mutual, the surety company that insured Ballenger Construction before that contractor went bankrupt in 2012, are discussing with TxDOT administration to determine the long-term solution for the ride issues.

The bridge deck surface may not be perfect, but it's safe. Project supervisors are intent on opening the overpass; future closures may be employed, if needed, to resolve issues with the bridge deck surface.

All other major work has been finished on the western segment. Contractors may be out cleaning up the area over the next few weeks – including addressing graffiti issues on the parkway. As you see them, please be courteous of them and slow down while the crews do their work.

 

Dirt crews will close the northbound frontage road of U.S. Highway 281 between Country Parkway and Maltsberger Lane this weekend to build an underground drain structure crossing the road. The frontage road will close Friday night at 9 p.m. and reopen in time for Monday’s morning commute.

 

Drivers in the area should use Country Parkway and Maltsberger Lane to reach their destinations; this route has been used for similar closures in the past.

 

The drain structures will connect the inlets that have been built along the outside shoulder of the frontage road with the massive culvert built between the main lanes and the frontage road near Bitters Road, improving drainage for the whole area. When the new structure is in place, road crews will build a temporary entrance ramp for traffic coming from Nakoma Drive.

 

The temporary ramp will allow crews to begin building the braided ramps to be located in the area, serving traffic driving from Nakoma and the parkway onto northbound U.S. 281 and traffic exiting U.S. 281 at Bitters Road.

 

It will also signal an uptick in activity near Nakoma Drive, where the new exit ramp to Wurzbach Parkway—which is a relocation of the current Bitters Road exit ramp—will be opened for use mid-February.

 

The center segment of the parkway, connecting West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger, is on track to be complete in 2015. Among the last portions of that project, as anticipated today, is the completion of the parkway’s overpass at U.S. 281.

TxDOT lead inspector recognized

Lloyd Mair, the lead inspector for the center segment of Wurzbach Parkway and a 28-year veteran at the Texas Department of Transportation, was recognized this week by his peers for an award given by the Association of General Contractors earlier this year.

The AGC had announced the award in October and recognized Mair at a conference in Austin. Mair wasn’t at that conference, saying his priority was concentrating on the active construction in San Antonio. TxDOT leaders with the Bexar Metro Area office and the district construction office plotted the recognition, knowing Mair wouldn’t go out of his way for accolades.

"This shouldn’t go to an individual,” Mair told those gathered at the weekly progress meeting on Wurzbach Parkway Tuesday. “This was a team effort.”

Those involved with the project, who worked with or around Mair, gathered at the weekly meeting to surprise him with a plaque and some handshakes. The award was presented by TxDOT Director of Construction Gina Gallegos.

“I’ve heard a number of nicknames for Lloyd,” Gallegos said during the presentation. “Now I’m hearing him called ‘Gold Star’. I just heard that this morning – it’s fitting!”

The recognition came for his work on the expansion of Spur 421 – Bandera and Culebra Road, inside I-410 in town – between 2008 and 2011. Williams Brothers Construction was the contractor on that project. Mair is inspecting Williams Brothers’ work on the parkway now. The project superintendent with Williams Brothers was also recognized for his part in the project.

For more information on the Wurzbach Parkway project Mair is currently inspecting, check out the project's regular newsletter here.

Temperatures cooling work (and other Wurzbach Parkway stuff)

Near-freezing temperatures are delaying pavement scheduled for Jones-Maltsberger and for the western segment of the parkway, causing project managers to find creative solutions to getting work done while waiting on critical asphalt work.

TxDOT specifications require temperatures above 60 degrees to lay asphalt. That temperature is not a problem for most of the year in this part of Texas, but with the winter norther blowing through the area work across the area is slowing.

Millers will be moving across the western portion of the parkway this week, preparing the road for a final surface of asphalt. Paving crews are tentatively scheduled to move in next week – Monday – if temperatures have risen enough to get the work done.

On Jones-Maltsberger, the subgrade and base is built; project managers are waiting for paving crews to come through to finish the future southbound lanes of the city street so traffic can be moved to its next phase. That shift – the final shift before traffic is put into its final configuration – will divide northbound and southbound traffic, allowing for a work area between the two directions of traffic.

Temperatures are also impacting the ability to pour concrete, which requires temperatures at least in the 40s before concrete can be poured. Most of the work being held up by inability to pour concrete is on the east side of the project, including the concrete paving blocks near the brush site operated by the city of San Antonio on Old Bitters Road.

For more on the Wurzbach Parkway project, see the latest newsletter here.

West Avenue closure scheduled, other Wurzbach updates

Williams Brothers Construction will close West Avenue the nights of Wednesday and Thursday, December 4 and 5, to set support beams to build the Wurzbach Parkway overpass.

 

Work will begin—and the road will close—at 9 p.m. each night as required. The road will be reopened by 6 a.m. each morning.

 

While crews set the beams, traffic will follow Nakoma, the U.S. Highway 281 frontage roads and Interpark to reach its destination. This is the same detour route used by traffic when West Avenue was closed six months for the road’s reconstruction in 2012.

The original detour route - Interpark, U.S. Highway 281 and Nakoma Drive - will be used while crews set beams over West Avenue for the Wurzbach Parkway overpass bridge.

The beams span the full width of West Avenue in a single span. Shorter beams will bridge the turnarounds. The turnaround beams will be set during daytime hours, most likely after the full bridge span has been set. Work to set these shorter beams should not impact traffic patterns.

 

If the Parkway is opened between Blanco and West Avenue, eastbound traffic will not be able to turn north on West Avenue during this work. Other traffic on the Parkway—including traffic from West Avenue onto the westbound lanes of the parkway and traffic using the turnaround—should not be hindered.

 

Additional, similar, closures will be scheduled to set bridge deck panels early next year.

 

Read more about the development of Wurzbach Parkway here.