Driving in fog....

Hey, y'all. TxDOT Public Information Officer Josh Donat here. I wanted to offer a personal message in today's post.
This morning a large number of vehicles were involved in collisions along northbound I-37 between Hwy 181 and I-410. Most of these collisions were attributed to dense fog - something we don't deal with too often in this part of Texas.

Yeah, I actually grew up seeing stuff like this on the daily.
Photo pulled from Steve Cole's blog.

Well, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, just a bit northeast of Seattle. Fog was a near-daily part of the morning commute out there. Heck, some days the fog got to be downright beautiful, when you'd get elevated above the fog line in the morning. The beauty of a foggy PacNW aside, it made for a challenge during our commutes. Sometimes those challenges could prove deadly - claiming the life of a schoolmate of mine when I was in middle school.
Because of these challenges we were taught thoroughly how to best drive through fog - particularly when we had those mornings visibility was limited to a few hundred feet at best. Because I care about the drivers here in San Antonio (and the great state of Texas as a whole), I wanted to take a moment to share with you the things I learned way back when I was in drivers' education classes as a teen:

1. Reduce your speed. Visibility is kind of important when you're driving. At TxDOT we're taught to "aim high in steering", meaning we try to look out ahead of where we're going. When visibility is limited by fog we can't see or identify hazards out ahead like we can during broad daylight. We're lucky in south Texas - in many places our normal visibility is measured in miles and we can identify road hazards well in advance. During dense fog, though, that advantage disappears. Literally. So should our high travel speeds. Don't drive faster than you can see - reduce your speed during foggy conditions.
2. Turn on your dang headlights - which engage your taillights as well. This should be a rule when you're driving 100 percent of the time, but is particularly important during fog, rain, dusk or dawn. This helps others see you, and can help you see others. Keep the low-beams on. Don't flip on your high beams. Ever. It's science; the water particles that make up fog reflect and refract the light. Your high beams are typically aimed higher up, straight into the fog. The fog scatters that light all over the place, further limiting your visibility. You'll actually have a better field of vision with low beams than you will with high beams. Also, by turning on your lights you'll have your rear lights on - which means those behind you can actually see you before you use your brakes. This simple act of running with your lights on will protect you and prevent senseless rear-end collisions simply by letting others know you're there.
3. Use the pavement markings as a guide. Growing up we called the white line on the edge of the road - the right side of your car - the "fog line". I've never heard it referred to as such in Texas (not even by our engineers), but that's what we called it. Why? Because when it was super foggy out, we'd slow down (see No. 1 above) and hug that white line. Why the white line and not the yellow? Because the yellow line puts you dangerously close to oncoming traffic, of course (by the way, this is the mistake my classmate's teenage brother made when I was a kid, and it got his VW Beetle run completely over by a large Ford Bronco). Use that white line - it's there for a reason. Obviously, on smaller roads without that white line (some county roads or city roads don't have them) this won't work; all TxDOT roads do have that white line, though. So use it!
4. Never, ever, ever just stop in the middle of the road. Slow down, yes. If you feel so inclined, flip on those hazard lights, even. But do not ever just stop in the middle of the road. If you feel like it's unsafe to continue driving, pull over onto the side of the road (or, better yet, take the next opportunity to find a parking lot!) and wait the fog out. I've done this in fog before. I've done it in snowy conditions while going to school in Idaho. I've done it for heavy rains in Virginia and in West Virginia (that Smoky Mountain Rain thing is no joke!). Every time I've gotten as far away from the travel lanes as possible before stopping. I feel like this shouldn't be something we have to remind people of ... but some people apparently don't realize the danger of stopping in the middle of a highway. Just don't do it. Ever.

That's it. Driving in these adverse conditions - when necessary - can be safely done if you follow these basic rules. Of course, if you feel like it's unsafe don't hesitate to just stay home. The good news here is the sun comes up and burns that fog away really fast. For me, growing up in the foothills of the mighty Cascade Mountains, that fog could sit where it was until almost noon. That's not the case here. If it's super foggy out, your best bet is to just wait it out and head in to wherever you're going a few minutes later.

If that's not an option, though, follow these tips. They'll get you through.

Mail Bag: A month-plus worth of questions

Does TxDOT evaluate drainage conditions on major roads after a major rain?
The left lane of the southbound 281 access road between Bitters and Wurzbach Parkway was under water Monday morning (9/26). The on-ramp to 281 was also under water with a stalled car on the ramp. Since there was not a flood gauge on the side of the road, it was hard to know how much water was on the on-ramp.
- Tom
We do take a look for problem areas and find ways to address these areas as needed after our major flood events. At your location we don't have a posted flood gauge because it's not the location of a creek bed. Per our Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices:
"If used, the Depth Gauge sign shall be in addition to the ROAD MAY FLOOD, WATER CROSSING, or WHEN FLOODED TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN sign and shall indicate the depth of the water at the deepest point on the roadway." (Section 2C.35.03)

That same section tells us not to post a "water crossing" sign where water only occasionally or temporarily crosses due to flash floods, like this instance. The "road may flood" sign is for areas with frequent flooding issues. This little section of the southbound frontage road of US 281 does not qualify for one of these signs.

Do you know when will they begin to finish the clover on 1604 and 281? What is the projected duration of the project? Will they be expanding 281 from 1604 to Overlook Parkway and be adding bridges across the highway - for example, at Evans Road? Thanks.
- Sal
Are you talking about the other direct connectors at the intersection of Lp 1604 and US 281? Those are part of a project expanding US 281 to include overpasses and frontage roads through Stone Oak Parkway. That project is set to begin spring 2017 and will take more than three years to complete. Continuing the expressway from Stone Oak Parkway through the Comal County line is targeted for the winter of 2018-2019.

Can VIA provide new or modified bus route(s) to relieve traffic congestion in the Alamo Ranch area (e.g, Wiseman west of 1604, Alamo Ranch Parkway, Culebra & FM 1560, etc.)?
- Richard
This would be a fantastic question to pose to VIA; we can't speak on their behalf.

Regarding the "zipper merge", does the "merge at the last minute" rule apply to lanes which are used for entrance and exit ramps such as the ones on Loop 1604 between I-10 and Blanco Rd? Would it be possible to post "zipper merge" signs at several needed places in San Antonio?
-Tom
To be honest, we're still fleshing out the best places for us to use the late merge or "zipper" as well as signing policies. One place you should always use it is when you're approaching a construction zone or a crash scene that's got lanes closed off. Remember - this really only applies during heavy traffic. If traffic is free flowing and not all that congested, merge as soon as you feel comfortable.
As for what to do at those ramp merge points, a good rule of thumb is to not cross a solid line. Wait for the broken line. That's supposed to show drivers where merging is to be done, but not everyone has gotten that memo.

Hi, I think someone wrote up the construction notices incorrectly this week. Your notice said "Current through Wednesday, October 19. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, at Hwy 151. Alternating lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will use the frontage roads to reach its destination."
1604 was closed off in the middle of the day all day Saturday, causing backups and gridlock. What happened here?
- Rick
Rick, you're absolutely correct. We completely missed the note regarding that closure and dropped the ball. We depend on contractors sending in closure alerts weekly by Thursday night in order to allow our communication staff time to get everything compiled into a weekly report. Sometimes a contractor misses this Thursday deadline, and we're working on getting accountability written into our contracts to prevent this. We're also working to ensure accountability exists when no notice is given.
In this case, it was an oversight - one that won't soon be repeated.

How far towards Canyon Lake is the FM 306 expansion project going to go?
All the way thru to Hgy 281?
- LD
The current work we have going runs from about Hunter Road and ends at River Chase. We have another project at the intersection of Bravo, near Canyon Lake, but that's constructing a left-turn lane at that location and won't expand the road beyond that.

What is the purpose of the new overpass at I-10 and Leon Spring Road?
- Jim
Jim, we're assuming you're talking about the work at Old Fredericksburg Road. If we're wrong, let us know.
We do get asked about the purpose from time to time, and some folks assume it's a widening project that will add capacity to the I-10 main lanes. It's not. All we're doing is adding this new overpass at Old Fred and converting the frontage roads to one-way.
The frontage road conversion is the key here; it's about safety, really. We're hoping to eliminate the excuse those on two-way frontage roads have when they end up driving the wrong way on an interstate. In order to do that, though, we need to shorten the distance for folks between their access point to I-10 and their feeder road. Old Fred cuts the distance between Ralph Fair and Fair Oaks roughly in half.
It also provides an additional distribution route for traffic from the growing Leon Springs/Fair Oaks Ranch area to reach I-10. Right now all that traffic is squeezed into Ralph Fair and through Fair Oaks. With this overpass and its accompanying entrances and exits, we're effectively adding a third option for folks to use in order to reach I-10 and commute into town as they are.

When will the construction of the north bound I-10 off ramp at Hwy 46 in Boerne be completed? This has been going on with little completion for over a year and there doesn't seem to be much current effort to complete it. This intersection is a daily mess. Thanks!
- Mike
We're still looking at spring 2017 for completion of this project. We don't have anything going on at the intersection, though, so we shouldn't really be impacting that much at all. None of the lane shifts we've had there actually impacts the operation of the intersection. What you're likely seeing in your daily commute is additional traffic from a rapidly growing section of Boerne.

On Hwy 46 just East of Boerne the speed limits coming into town are way to fast. There has already been a fatality accident in that area. Traffic should slow down before the Esperonza sub division. Traffic from there to Charger Blvd should not be 50 mph, and from there to the bend at the Kendall County Fair Grounds should be lower than 45. Speed is a proven factor in all accidents. This area is becoming very populated. The limits really need to be lowered. Please!
- Rodney
Rodney, there's a specific process for setting our speed limits and our processes rarely yield a lowered speed limit. That said, we checked with our traffic engineer, who dug this information out for us about a rarely used provision in our policy allowing local governments to conduct their own speed studies on state highways, then make their own recommendation to us:

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TxDOT’s Procedures for Establishing Speed Zones, Chapter 4, Section 2Speed Zones Unacceptable to a CityAlthough TxDOT has the authority to alter the speed limits on highways within the corporate limits of cities or override a speed limit set by city ordinance on such highways, it is intended that studies be made and recommendations be presented to the city for their acceptance and passage of a city ordinance to establish city speed zones. TxDOT should make every effort to have reasonable speed limits established.In the event that a city will not accept the zones within its corporate limits as submitted by the district, and it is not possible to reach an agreement with the city on reasonable and prudent speed limits, then the district should prepare one strip map showing the city’s preference and one strip map showing TxDOT’s  recommendation. Both strip maps should be submitted to TRF along with the district’s request for Transportation Commission action for making one of the zones effective.  When the commission minute order has been passed, the district should send a copy of the minute order, along with a copy of the strip map, to the city.The setting of speed limits within a city by commission minute order should only be used as a last resort; TxDOT should make every effort to secure the cooperation of the city so that the zones will be set by city ordinance.

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Rain, rain, go away....

May 2016 has brought some of the worst flooding on record in Texas. Flash floods brought by torrential downpours seems to have become a way of life the last year-plus. East Texas - particularly around Houston - has been hit the worst, logging more than 100 inches of rainfall since March 2015. Bexar County sits at some 60-70 inches over that period, by the way.
Still, as wet as it's been, let's not forget last May was worse - we got nearly 8 inches of rain in a single month at that point. (The infographic and those memes making their way through Facebook right now are actually about last May, not the one that just finished....)
At any rate, it's been a really wet spring. The impacts to our daily lives have been well documented and you've heard us make the #TurnAroundDontDrown cry pretty darned often. Heck, we even posted on it.
Now the water is receding and we're seeing sunnier skies. We're not out of the wet just yet - more is predicted for the weekend - but we're getting a break. With the sun out, so are our construction crews. In some areas you'll likely see activity pick up to a flurry to try to make up for any potentially lost time.
With that in mind, here's a run-down of the impacts of the rain on our biggest of construction projects (if we miss a project you're interested in, let us know by submitting a question for our mail bag).

 New Braunfels
Walnut Ave - Despite the wet weather crews with Dean Word were able to open Walnut to a single lane each direction before the Memorial Day weekend. Crews still have quite a bit of concrete work remaining to finish the job. That work should be wrapped up in July.
FM 306 - Hunter Industries hasn't seen any major impacts due to weather, and are moving forward with the expansion of FM 306 between Hunter Road and Hoffman Lane.

Boerne/Fair Oaks Ranch
I-10 at Scenic Loop Road - Wet weather set crews back about two weeks on their efforts to expand the intersection of Scenic Loop Road at I-10. That said, we fully expect this project should recover the time over the course of the summer. If you drive this area, expect to see work intensify with warmer and dryer weather.
I-10 Fair Oaks Ranch - The biggest impact has been the delay of moving traffic of the I-10 main lanes over away from the median area, where the bulk of construction will take place as we build a new overpass at Old Fredericksburg Road. That traffic shift was scheduled to happen mid-May; we were only able to get that done on the eastbound side. Right now Sundt Construction is aiming to have the westbound side shifted late June.
I-10 Leon Springs - A lot of the work on the new exit and entrance ramps between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive has been pushed back a couple of weeks, but Texas Sterling Construction is confident they'll be able to make up that time over the summer. That means, of course, a lot more activity as weather allows - we're trying to wrap this project up as close to the end of summer as we can.

San Antonio
I-35 near SAMMC - The asphalt work planned for the last four weeks on the main lanes near Splashtown keeps getting pushed back, and is again slated to happen this weekend (expect major main lane closures for that work). We still have concrete work as well. This project was all set to wrap up right about now until the rain started pummeling us in April; right now we're looking at wrapping up in July. As for work on the interchanges at I-410 and the new exits and entrances at Rittiman, Eisenhauer and Walzem ... well, LANE Construction is telling us the delays haven't been anything they can't make up over the summer.
FM 78 - This work to widen FM 78 under Loop 1604 out in the Converse/Universal City area has actually pushed back a full month due to weather. The biggest victim to RELMCo's work here is the new roadway base for the widened portions - it's tough, after all, to get good compaction on fine dirt when the rain just won't stop. This project, to be frank, is still waiting for the ground to dry out enough to begin that base work before it starts progressing again at a good pace.
Loop 1604 Northwest - Somehow Williams Brothers Construction seems to remain relatively unfazed by the rain, but will be on a much-bolstered work schedule to have expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads complete by next week. This will require a slew of (let's be honest) frustrating closures drivers will encounter, but the consolation is the fact we're at the end of the job. These closures are allowing crews to lay asphalt and paint, which are about all that's left to do on the job. We still have some concrete work - which will also require occasional frontage road closures - but the bottom line is work should be wrapped up next week. Again, if this is your commute, expect to see intermittent delays through the end of next week ... and then thing should be a whole lot better.
Hwy 151 and I-410 - Well, the old eastbound on-ramp from Potranco still isn't open and the driveways in and out of Westover Marketplace are still being worked on. This is all stuff that had initially been anticipated to be finished in April, for those keeping track. Then April rains washed us back. Then May rains came, and kept on coming. We're hoping for a much more dry June to help us get this stuff all done. The good news is Williams Brothers Construction has kept their bridge crews busy, getting as much aerial work done as possible. This should minimize the overall delay on this project, which is set to finish in 2018.

Flooding and driving: some straight talk

This year has been one of the wettest on record for the great state of Texas, and we have more rain coming. Among the benefits locally to these rains is the news Medina Lake has finally reached full capacity, with water flowing over the spillway earlier today.

Overall and in the short-run, though, the damage has been pretty rough. Last year the wet weather boosted bug populations  and facilitated a reptile migration - which could certainly be repeated. But even the uptick in alligators and water moccasins isn't the worst threat these rains bring.

That dubious position goes to flash-flood drowning. Sadly, many of these deaths are individuals who either decided to ignore constant warnings from state and local officials by driving through water over the roadway or are individuals attempting to rescue those trapped in a car caught in water. Just over this passed weekend the death toll reached 7 statewide.

We had a number of "funny" memes made up to try and take a light-hearted approach to this issue, but it simply doesn't seem to fit at this point. This isn't a funny issue. Lives are being put at risk while working to rescue those caught in the floods. These are emergency responders, good Samaritans and even TV reporters. While we love to read and hear about these heroic stories, the reality is these stories should never even have happened.

Over the last month the regional Twitterverse has seen more than 300 tweets with the hashtag #TurnAroundDontDrown. It's a phrase used in literally every media interview conducted by state and local authorities, including our folks. It's a phrase promoted by journalists and pundits and social media experts.

And, yet, the message just isn't sinking in. We're doing all we can here, folks. Heck, just this morning we posted on Facebook a reminder of why we keep saying this. By the way, that post had nearly 1,200 shares by 2:30 this afternoon.

Most people caught in the waters end up looking silly and get themselves on social media. They end up becoming the butt of a snarky meme. That, or they're rescued by folks willing to risk themselves to un-do the consequences of incredibly poor judgment.

We get it. You just want to go home (the final epitaph of one man caught in rising waters last week). However, if you try to cross a low-water crossing you just might not ever get there. At the very least, your car will be pretty well junked. If you've crossed a barricade to get through the water you'll be hit with some major fines.

Worst of all, someone - perhaps a loved one or a good Samaritan trying to help - could lose their life.

So, in the name of all those who've fallen victim before, we'll continue our constant reminders. We'll keep talking and emailing and blogging and Facebooking and tweeting about it until finally we'll have a flood event completely devoid of cars caught in creeks. We may say it with an eye-roll and a bit of frustrated snark from time to time - particularly when we say something like "Don't become the subject of a meme".

Please know, in those moments, those words aren't necessarily the words of a large nebulous government agency. Those are the words of your fellow Texans; they're the words of individuals who care and are frustrated by the news stories telling of folks who "think they can make it" and ignore the literally hundreds of warnings to the contrary.

Those are the words of individuals - at TxDOT in San Antonio, from Josh or from Laura - who hope you do get to see your family at the end of the day and want you to be safe.

And we'll keep saying it until the message finally gets through to every single person.

Turn around, don't drown. Don't drive through water over the road. It only takes six inches of water to carry a full-sized pickup truck. You don't really know what's under that water. Find an alternate route. In the midst of a major storm, if you don't have to travel ... don't. Go to work late, or stay at work late. Wait out the storm and the flood waters where possible. Evacuate if flood waters are approaching you. Get uphill.

Spread the word.

Mail Bag:

The person who commented on the on-ramp to westbound I-10 at Ralph Fair Rd was completely correct. You can't see the right lane clearly until you are in the acceleration lane which is way too short. And I don't agree about your suggestion on not stopping. If there is an 18 wheeler going 60 and you can't accelerate in front of it, you stop.
- Jean
For those new to the blog or unfamiliar with this issue, Jean is referring to Vicky's question back in the April 11 Mail Bag post.
A few minor points of clarification: it wasn't us making the recommendation on how to navigate the ramp; we referenced the recommendations coming from safe driving experts on the issue. That said, we've had our folks out there in a variety of vehicle types - the visibility of the roadway is quite clear from the frontage road.
The key here is to look ahead while driving. Those who aren't seeing the traffic on the I-10 main lanes are likely falling into the trap most of us do while driving; we're looking only at the pavement ahead of us. Nearly every safe or defensive driving course out there - including a standard drivers' education class and the Smith System program taught to drivers at TxDOT - teaches to aim high in steering and to get the big picture. In other words, don't simply focus on the road immediately ahead.
All this said, we stand by our explanation from before.

Why is the hillside by the southbound I-10 frontage road in Leon Springs being cut back? The project schematic does not show any additional main lines or ramps in that area. Is it for future projects?
- Blake
You're right - we're not adding additional lanes. But you'll notice on the schematic a realignment of entrance and exit ramps along the project. What you're seeing there is the cut for the new eastbound exit to Dominion Drive.

Are there plans to expand the road out Blanco Road to Old Blanco Road out in Bexar County near Camp Bullis?
- Rose
That's a great question - one we don't have a definitive answer for. The portion of Blanco Road north of San Antonio city limits is not a TxDOT facility, but is owned and maintained by Bexar County Public Works. They may have more to say on the issue than we do.

I was just wondering on the Hwy 90 west project if there will be additional lanes? And the bridge that is being built - is that going to be a turn around?
- Christina
In a word (or two): sort of. You've got two questions here. The easy one is about the turnaround. That answer is YES. As for the additional lanes ... that's the sort of.
We're adding "auxiliary lanes" in each direction to help facilitate traffic entering and exiting the highway in that area. For a closer look, check out our schematic used during our open house meetings prior to the project starting.

Flooding happens every time we have heavy rains. I travel I-35 and I-410 every day and see the trash collecting. When it floods we see six vehicles and 15 workers trying to fix something that they were payed to keep clear. People will be people that is why we pay city crews to clean it up. Someone is not doing there (sic) job period.
- Paul
Paul, we're glad you've reached out - and we hope you'll join us in our efforts to remind people of our Don't Mess with Texas campaign.
The highway belongs to the public and, as such, the care of the highway is the responsibility of us all - not simply the folks contracted to clean it up. At least, not any more than it's the sole job of our moms to clean our rooms or do our laundry. Heck, we even have a whole national holiday to recognize our moms and remind us all it's us, not our mom, who's ultimately responsible for picking up those pesky dirty socks.
We have our crews patrol the highways regularly to clean trash, but that's an extremely hazardous job to do. We can't do it daily, which is - quite frankly - what would be required to keep up with the trash getting tossed out by those people who are simply being people.
Those same crews are contracted to mow the medians at various intervals. They repair guardrails destroyed by drunk, inattentive or speeding drivers. They clean up graffiti by those who deface the signs or columns your tax dollars built. They fill in potholes we stuggle to keep up with.
In our efforts to save money in order to focus our funds on improving your commute through capital projects, we've outsourced some of our maintenance work. That's the case here - and our maintenance contractors are out on these roadways routinely.
So the issue, Paul, is not with our crews who aren't able to keep up with the trash folks are tossing out the window. It's with folks who dismiss the pathetic practice of littering as something we just need to deal with.
We take a different approach, believing we can use education to combat the problem and bring it to an actual halt. We've been working at it for 30 years now and seen some great results. There's more to do, though. Join us!

With 1604 opening past Bandera Rd, why the drop in speed limit to 60 mph? This section of road seems to be better than the NE part of 1604 around I-35 where the limit is at least 65 mph with less limited access than this section of road. Could I be so bold as to even throw out 70 mph for consideration?
- Ryan
Ryan, your sentiment is familiar - it sounds a lot like the request to increase the speed limit on Wurzbach when it opened. Well, those familiar with that situation know the speed limits were, indeed, changed.
Our approach here will be much more tempered. We have two more expansion projects coming to similarly add overpasses along Loop 1604 all the way through Hwy 90. That means this stretch between Bandera and Culebra is the stretch leading into a construction zone (that will be active next year), and the decreased speed limit will help slow folks down as they head into the new construction zones.
After that work is all done (2019), well ... that's a question for elected officials, speed studies and the Texas Transportation Commission.

How long for a large pothole to be repaired at state Hwy. 16 and main street in Kerrville?
- William
The pothole has been reported and should be addressed quickly. Thanks for letting us know!

Would you please give me information on the Highland Hills subdivision, Pocahontas Dr., and other roads around the zip code 78264 having construction plans to pave roads.
- Lee
Those roads - all unpaved, private or county roads - are not under TxDOT ownership or maintenance. The best agency to approach with this project would be Bexar County Public Works.

Rain impacts - water overtopping and pushed-back project milestones

Several immediate questions come every time heavy rains hit the San Antonio area. The first is always about which roadways are closed. The second is about how construction projects may be impacted.

Water over the road

First of all, any time you see water over the roadway you should stop, turn around and find another route. If you're on a highway where two-way traffic is not possible you should stop, turn on your hazard lights and notify emergency personnel. When police or fire department units arrive, follow their directions to get to an alternate route.

This morning the biggest closure in San Antonio was at the interchange of I-410 and I-35 near Windcrest. Trash clogged the drain inlets where eastbound I-410 runs to I-35 and water didn't have anywhere to go. Our crews were on site all morning and, after about 3 hours of hard work, were able to get the drains safely unclogged so we could open the highway back up and running.

Let's be clear about the cause here: random trash, including wrappers and plastic bottles, tossed out of vehicles on the roadway. No matter what our crews do to combat an issue like this, the ultimate responsibility for trash littering the highway has to come from the drivers who allowed this debris to hit our roads. It's not like there are superheroes running around to clean up behind everyone everywhere....

Who is it that's messing up Texas? Well, one in four Texans admit to tossing trash out their window on the roadway. Seriously - ONE in FOUR! Most of that trash is small stuff we think inconsequential, like gum wrappers or cigarette butts. Those accumulate, though, and create a major problem. Somehow the messages from back in the 1990s didn't quite get through to some folks.

Bottom line, y'all: Don't Mess with Texas!

Note: not all roads are TxDOT roads

Just to be clear, the only roads we actively report on fall within TxDOT jurisdiction. This means all state highways (16, 46, 151), all FM roads (1560, 1518), all interstate highways (I-10, I-35, I-37, I-410) and all U.S. Highways (87, 90, 281). For statewide reports, visit www.drivetexas.org - which, by the way, is optimized for use with your handheld device. Just don't use it while driving.

Other roads fall under city or county jurisdiction, depending on the location. For reports on city roads, follow the city's Twitter feed. For county road reports, follow the county.

Construction delays

The notable delay this week is the projected opening of new southbound main lanes of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads. This was slated to happen last night - in time for the morning commute today. The only task really remaining is to lay the final course of asphalt. That requires dry weather, though, and we'll not have a firm date for the opening until we get a day or two sans rain.

On the bright side, sunny days are nigh and this project is still running well ahead of schedule. Let's not forget initial projections showed these lanes wouldn't be open until mid-summer. Having them open at all before school gets out is a huge win for everyone.

Truth is every project we have is impacted. A small closure on the northbound frontage road of I-410 between Hwy 151 and West Military, for instance, has been moved from tonight to tomorrow night because of the weather. Overnight asphalt operations on Culebra have slowed. Any dirt work on the I-35 projects are pushed until the dirt dries out (usually 2-3 days). Pushing a bulldozer through wet, soft dirt can be a bad idea, so we try to wait for dry weather and work smarter on these jobs.

First comes rain, then comes ... well, you know.

We all saw this in May. And in June. For this year, at least, these things crop up more than zombies in World War Z. It makes sense, of course - we're on pace to see more precipitation this year than we've seen since 2007 (and 2007 is the wettest year San Antonio has seen this century).

If only we had Brad Pitt as one of our staff members, we'd solve this forever!

We're talking about potholes. Well, pavement failures of all sorts, really. It's what our maintenance guys spend thousands of hours each year combating, and we can use your help to do it.

Here's the deal: we don't have anyone to just drive around to find problems. We don't have sensors in the roadway to alert us of issues. We rely on folks to tell us where there are problems. We do have a department policy where, as full-time employees, we are asked to report any issues we see in our own driving. With hundreds of employees in the San Antonio region, this gives us decent coverage.

You might see something we don't, however. So if you do see something, help us out! Give us a call and report a pothole or other pavement issue, and we'll put it on our list to be addressed immediately. Here's what you'll need before you dial the phone:

• Highway you saw the issue on
• Direction you were driving (N, S, E or W)
• Nearest cross streets
• Which lane you were in (left, right, center)
• Nature of the issue you saw

One very important note: The Texas Department of Transportation is charged with maintaining state highways only. This means roads that have a state highway designation of some sort. This includes Interstate highways (I-10, I-35, I-37 and I-410), US Highways (like US 90 or US 281), Texas Highways (like Hwy 151 or Hwy 46), Farm-to-Market roads (like FM 1560 or FM 2696) and state spurs or loops (like Loop 1604 or Spur 53 or Spur 537).

If it's not a state-maintained road, reach out to the good folks with the city in which you're traveling or your county. They're likely in the same boat we're in, trying to catch up and keep up with the damage from such deluges as we've seen this year.

Oh, yeah ... here's our number:

210.615.1110

Mail Bag: potholes, I-10, Wurzbach Parkway, Lp 1604, new subscribe feature

Before we delve into this week's Mail Bag, let us know what you think about the new lane closures format. After all, this blog and its posts are for you and we want to do things in a format suited best for you.

Also, the wet weather we were pummeled by over the weekend (and that's headed our way this week) has a number of consequences. This includes a proliferation of potholes. We're doing what we can to fix the potholes we know about and get to those we hear about from you. The key to avoiding these potholes while you drive, by the way, is to increase your following distance to the recommended 3-plus seconds. This allows enough visual space for a driver to identify normal road hazards, like potholes, and avoid them safely and effectively.

Well, that addresses some comments and questions we've already had in mass since the weekend. Here's a look at a few more specific questions:

The other day I was driving on the WurzbachParkway between Jones-Maltsberger and Thousand Oaks. The new section is fantastic, but I noticed one thing which strikes me as odd - when I got on the highway from Jones-Maltsberger going eastbound, the speed limit is 45 MPH. After Wetmore Road, it goes up to 60. In my unprofessional opinion, the new section is too wide and feels way too slow for the posted 45 MPH. I feel you can definitely drive 60 on it. So my question to you is this: Is the 45 MPH speed limit temporary (until construction ends) or is it permanent? Thanks!
- Mike

It's a good thing most TxDOT vehicles come with cruise control so we can set our speed and be worry free from the temptation of doing 60 MPH on this road!

There are two speeds here - the design speed and the speed that is eventually set through use of speed studies. Because of the inclusion of curbs and sidewalks along the parkway, the design speed is 45 miles per hour. That speed limit can be changed with a speed study and requests from the local municipality. There's a whole process and handbook for stuff like that, if you'd like to go through it all.

The bottom line: expect that 45 MPH speed limit sign to stay where it is (by the way, it's posted at 45 MPH on the west end of the Parkway, between Blanco and West Avenue, also). We'll also be posting 45 MPH signs between West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger, including the overpass over U.S. 281. Because these are black-and-white signs, they're regulatory. That means our friends with San Antonio Police Department can offer reminders of the posted speed should you be going a little faster. I understand those reminders come only with a fee....

In regards to Braun/1604 overpass - I'm hoping that there are plans to add an additional left-hand turning lane to allow more traffic to get onto 1604 coming from outside the loop. It could really use it. During the school year it can take 5-6 lights cycles to get onto the freeway ... I realize that the project won't be complete until 2016 but it seems like adding another turn lane is something that could be implemented now to reduce some of the pain. Any chances on accelerating this?

- JDH

JDH! Code names ... feels like we're communicating incognito....

The current plan sheets show a single left-turn lane in each direction with an optional straight/left lane for your direction (eastbound Braun Road to northbound Loop 1604). We'll also have a third lane going through at that location. That configuration (straight, optional, left) won't be in place in full until the project nears completion next year.

This shows the final configuration of Braun Road at Loop 1604 when the expansion is finished next year.

Making the adjustment sooner may require some out-of-sequence work on the traffic signals, which may not be ready (we would have to order new components) for quite a while. That said, we can work with the contractor to accelerate the make the optional straight/left lane happen sooner than later.

We recently opened a new campus on Leslie right before Shaenfield. Needless to say this construction is affecting us greatly so I appreciate the updates to help us anticipate and plan. Would it be possible for you to add a feature where I could subscribe to these updates by email so new posts are delivered to my email? Thanks!
- Jamye

You know, that's a darned good idea. There are several options for subscribing (Google+, feed readers, etc.), but if you look to the left of the screen you'll see we just added a subscription option. This will get you an automated email every time we post.

You'll also see that we've added a "share" widget under the blog posts. If you'd like to share a post using your organization's (or personal) Facebook page or Twitter feed (or Google+, Pinterest, email, etc.), you'll find a small strip of icons at the bottom of each post that allows for an easy share.

Great idea, Jamye. Thanks for helping us evolve and develop this blog a bit! If there were such a thing as a "get out of traffic free" card, we'd be sending you one.

Wow, things have really slowed to a crawl on the construction side of things with Wurzbach Parkway. And no updates on here, either. What's the status?

- Michael

The Wurzbach Parkway project is still on pace to finish this summer - well ahead of the end-of-year deadline on our contract. Most of the work is focused along U.S. 281. Tuesdays are our project meeting days, and we'll get on over there to get you an update this week (this project meets the same time as the I-10 Huebner project, so we have to make a choice each week on which to go to).

A stop sign was just installed at the intersection of W. Hausman Rd. and the eastbound I-10 frontage road (near the Land Rover dealership) on either June 5 or 6. A couple years ago this location was converted from a "T" intersection with a stop sign to more of a curved divisional island intersection without a stop sign in order to improve the flow of traffic. Why was a stop sign reinstalled here after not existing for years? Also, many drivers are completely ignoring the stop sign--maybe because they don't know it is there. How come an Advance Traffic Control sign (W3-1) and a NEW sign (W16-15P) were not installed?

- Matt

Matt, two things. First of all, you've got an obvious extensive understanding of our Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices - kudos!

Second, that stop sign is part of the Hausman Road project operated by the city of San Antonio. The Transportation and Capital Improvements group there will have more information than we will.

The light at Dezavala and the Eastbound side of the I-10 frontage road has issues. The green light cycle only lasts long enough for about 4 cars to get through. As a result, the traffic backs up onto the frontage road. This Saturday, it took me 5 cycles to get through! I feel like the green light cycles on other sides of this intersection are longer. What can I do (i.e., who can I email or call) to help fix this?

- Lauren

Lauren, this is an issue we've noticed as well. We think it was an issue with a sensor that was pointed in the wrong direction - we've got that solved. If it's a timing issue, that's something handled by the city of San Antonio. Most lights across the city - even on our roads - are controlled by them. Sure, we build them and upgrade them if needed ... but they maintain the timing and so forth.

To put your mind at ease, we're in constant contact with the right folks with the city to be sure we're watching the timing at this location to be sure it's running optimally.

How did all the rain impact construction?

The flooding around the state was so prevalent this month, news of the destruction and dangers we've faced as Texans went national. Our folks in Austin even produced a video before the weekend to encourage Texans to be safe traveling in or around flooded areas.

The record-breaking rainfall did quite a number on our roads, and as our executive director pointed out in the video our maintenance crews are working hard to assess all the damage across the state and clear roads that got washed over. Some roads are in need of quick repair (in Bexar County, we had a slope begin to give way near the northbound I-37 ramp to I-10 south of downtown, which is why the northbound entrance from Fair is closed), and our maintenance folks are on top of things.

Construction operations were impacted heavily as well. Most projects in our 12-county area were pushed 3-6 weeks behind their initial schedules because of the rain. For instance on I-10 between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 overnight paving operations were ceased for more than three weeks, pushing back to completion of the northbound lanes and the northbound exit to DeZavala Road. On Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads a plan to have traffic moved onto frontage roads by June 1 (today!) has been pushed back to late June.

Other projects have suffered as well - on FM 306 in New Braunfels, crews are still working on the bridges that will fully expand the road to a five-lane road. On Hwy 39 out in Ingram crews missed a target to have that road in its final configuration by June 1 (again, today).

What is it, besides the rain, that's made these delays so significant? We've had some dry days, after all - why couldn't the work be done on those dry days?

Wet ground
Ground parched by drought acts like a dry sponge when water hits it, swelling up a bit. It actually gets really sloppy - acting like it's not seen water before. The slurry becomes unworkable and unstable.

When the wet ground gets even wetter, the water becomes runoff - further saturating the surrounding areas. This is when dirt slopes start to falter if crews aren't careful. More can be read about it right here.

The condition creates a scenario where crews can't do a whole lot of digging and they have to take care where heavy equipment is run. Dirt work grinds to a standstill, and workers are occupied with keeping the area as dry as they can. Sometimes that's done by harrowing the ground to allow greater water penetration. Sometimes it's done by simply pumping the water away from a project area. Whatever it is these guys are doing, it's not progressing the work of installing drain inlets and box culverts, and it's not laying roadway base.

Wet asphalt
Wet asphalt won't take roadway paint. We can't place another layer of asphalt on a wet base layer of asphalt. We can't seal coat on top of a base layer of asphalt.

When the weather is wet, we really can't do much of anything related to asphalt. This has led to pushing back work on I-10 and work at Fred-Med back nearly five weeks - we've had a string of several wet weekends.

Wet stockpiles
This doesn't happen regularly, but with the May showers we saw stockpiles with our suppliers saturate and flood. That flooding destroyed several stockpiles of asphalt with suppliers. These suppliers provide asphalt and other materials to our several contractors across the 12 counties we cover.

When these stockpiles get soaked the way they have in May, they have to be scrapped and production begins anew - only that production couldn't start until some dry days came. Now there's a backlog of materials needs and the suppliers are working hard to catch up to keep all of our contractors moving. The problem with that is the production plants are running constantly and risk more frequent break-downs (which is what precipitated this morning's traffic snarl on westbound I-10 at DeZavala Road).