In just under a year, we've reached the mark we can consider ourselves about halfway finished with the U.S. 281 expansion project through Spring Branch.
Let me say that again: we're halfway done on the U.S. 281 project in Spring Branch.
Let that sink in a bit, because it's AWESOME!!!
This project is a nearly three-year project. That means we're on pace to finish the project at least a year ahead of the project's expected completion date of late 2015.
We're still working out the issues with the Post Office property - we don't have a solution there quite yet - and we still have some utilities adjustments to deal with. But we're moving pretty darned quickly along the project.
Meanwhile, we're going to slow down traffic on the road - and this is a permanent change. In upcoming weeks the posted speed limit will drop to 55 miles per hour from the river all the way to the Blanco County line. There will be a stretch in Spring Branch with a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour.
Be aware of these changes, as they will be enforceable immediately after the signs are posted. Again, we're dropping the speed limit in the next two weeks to 55 miles per hour.
Saturday, November 9
Friday, November 8
Next week's construction-related closures
Interstate 10
Friday-Sunday, November 8-10
10 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Eastbound main lanes between Huebner Road and I-410 (northwest San Antonio)
The left lanes will close while crews resurface the road. Expect delays.
Sunday-Wednesday, November 10-13
10 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.
Westbound main lanes between I-410 and Ramsgate (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews restripe the road. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 11-15
10 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Eastbound main lanes between Huebner Road and I-410 (northwest San Antonio)
The right lanes will close while crews resurface the road. Alternating exit and entrance ramps will close as needed. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 11-15
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
Eastbound main lanes between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews build the center median. This closure includes the Fredericksburg Road and the Huebner Road exit ramps as needed. Traffic should use the next available ramp and turnaround. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 11-15
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
Westbound frontage road between DeZavala Road and UTSA Boulevard (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews set barrier. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 11-15
9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily
Westbound frontage road between Woodstone Drive and DeZavala (northwest San Antonio)
The left turnaround lane will close while crews set barrier. Expect delays.
Interstate 35
Monday-Friday, November 11-15
8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily
South-to-north turnaround at Medina River (southwest Bexar County)
All lanes of the turnaround will close while crews set concrete girders. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 11-22
8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily
Southbound main lanes between Fisher Road and Von Ormy Road (southwest Bexar County)
The left lane will close while crews set concrete girders. Expect delays.
Monday-Tuesday, November 11-12
9 p.m. until 5 a.m.
Southbound main lanes between George Beach and Rittiman Road (northeast San Antonio)
The two right lanes will close while crews set up a work zone. Expect delays.
Monday-Tuesday, November 11-12
9 p.m. until 5 a.m.
Northbound main lanes between George Beach and Rittiman Road (northeast San Antonio)
The two left lanes will close while crews set up a work zone. Expect delays.
Interstate 37
No closures scheduled
Interstate 410
Sunday-Tuesday, November 10-12
9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Northbound main lanes between Binz Engleman and Rittiman Road (northeast San Antonio)
The left lane will close while crews set concrete barriers. Expect delays.
Loop 1604
No closures scheduled
U.S. Highway 90
No closures scheduled
U.S. Highway 281
Friday-Saturday, November 8-9
9 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. continuous
Northbound frontage road at Country Parkway (north San Antonio)
The right lane will close at Country Parkway. This will require a total closure for Country Parkway. Traffic will use Heimer Road to reach its destination. Expect delays.
Other roads
Tuesday-Friday, November 12-15
7 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily
WW White Road between Rigsby Avenue and East Houston Street (southeast San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews repair the pavement base. Expect delays.
Wednesday-Friday, November 13-15
9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
FM 306 at Goodwin Lane (New Braunfels)
All lanes of FM 306 will close while crews hang bridge support beams. Traffic will use Loop 337 and Common Street to reach its destination. Expect delays.
Sunday-Monday, November 17-18
7 a.m. until 5 a.m. continuous
Comal and Castell streets at the UPRR crossing (New Braunfels)
Comal and Castell streets will close at the UPRR crossings while UPRR crews tie in a shoofly detour route associated with the Seguin Avenue underpass project. Traffic will use Jahn Street, Academy Avenue and Nacogdoches Street to reach its destination. Expect delays.
All planned lane closures are pending weather.
Wednesday, November 6
FM 306 to close next Wednesday, Thursday nights
Farm to Market 306 will close overnight at Goodwin Lane Wednesday (Nov. 13) and Thursday (Nov. 14) while crews set concrete bridge support beams as part of the FM 306 expansion project that began in March.
The closure will mean traffic will use Loop 337 and Common Street to reach its appropriate destination. Crews will shut down the road after 8 p.m. each night and reopen the road in time for the morning commute.
Traffic to nearby facilities – such as the Coleman plant – will still be able to reach its destination. Through traffic on FM 306 will be halted before reaching Goodwin Lane.
The opening of Goodwin Lane onto FM 306 will move a few hundred feet east of its original location, following what will be the north half of a permanent two-way access road and turnaround at the intersection. The turnaround will be finished and put into use when the full bridge is finished next year.
Once the beams are set, crews will begin working on the bridge surface itself, setting deck panels and forming barriers. Traffic will begin use of the bridge early 2014, once the eastbound side is complete. That will likely mark the first bypass of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks along the project; separating vehicle traffic from the railroad was a primary factor in determining the scope of this project.
The $32 million effort began in March and was slated to finish late 2015. To date the contractor, Hunter Industries, of San Marcos, has completed about 30 percent of the work.
Friday, November 1
Next week's construction-related closures
Interstate 10
Friday-Monday, November 1-4
10 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Westbound main lanes between Huebner Rd and I-410 (northwest San Antonio)
The right lanes will close while crews resurface the road. This closure will include exit and entrance ramps as needed. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 4-8
10 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Eastbound main lanes between Huebner Rd and I-410 (northwest San Antonio)
The right lanes will close while crews resurface the road. This closure will include exit and entrance ramps as needed. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 4-8
9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily
Eastbound frontage road between UTSA Blvd and DeZavala Rd (northwest San Antonio)
The left turn lane will be closed while crews set barriers. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 4-8
9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily
Eastbound frontage road between UTSA Blvd and Fredericksburg Rd (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews set barriers. Expect delays.
Monday-Friday, November 4-8
Westbound frontage road between Woodstone Dr and DeZavala Rd (northwest San Antonio)
The left turn lane will close while crews set barriers. Expect delays.
Interstate 35
Sunday-Monday, November 3-4
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.
Southbound main lanes at FM 3009 (Schertz)
The left lane will close while crews install road lights. Expect delays.
Sunday-Tuesday, November 3-5
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
Northbound main lanes between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway (Selma-Schertz)
Two right lanes will close while crews resurface the road. This closure will include the Schertz Parkway exit. Drivers will use FM 3009 or the FM 1518 exit to reach their destinations. Expect delays.
Sunday-Friday, November 3-8
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
Southbound main lanes between Olympia Parkway and Forum Parkway (Selma-Schertz)
The two left lanes will close while crews build the center median barrier and the overhead highway sign supports. Expect delays.
Tuesday-Friday, November 4-8
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
Southbound frontage road between Schertz Parkway and FM 1518 (Selma-Schertz)
Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the road.
Interstate 37
No closures scheduled.
Interstate 410
No closures scheduled.
Loop 1604
No closures scheduled.
U.S. Highway 90
No closures scheduled.
U.S. Highway 281
No closures scheduled.
Other roads
Other roads
Wednesday-Friday, November 6-8
8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Eastbound Medical Drive between Ewing Halsell Dr and Fairhaven St (Medical Center)
The right lane will close while crews install a water line. Expect delays.
Monday-Wednesday, November 4-6
8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Westbound Medical Drive between Ewing Halsell Dr and Fairhaven St (Medical Center)
The right lane will close while crews set barrier and remove sidewalk. Expect delays.
All planned lane closures are pending weather.
Northbound I-35 exit to FM 3009 tabled ... for now
Closure of the northbound I-35 exit to FM 3009 has been tabled until the contractor working on the I-35 Selma project can responsibly allocate resources for the work.
This decision was made by the contractor, Dan Williams Construction. Right now the project's highest priority is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway finished so we can, in turn, reopen the ramps from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35. This prioritization - and a bit of a shortage of laborers - has placed other tasks a little lower on the totem pole, so to speak.
Let's take all this one step at a time....
FM 3009 exit
First off, we're not closing the FM 3009 exit for at least a few weeks. And, with the current schedule putting us at a point to be ready for work until somewhere around Thanksgiving. But, since the businesses are dependent on the spending that happens through Turkey Day, that means we'll likely not be touching the ramp until after Thanksgiving.
Between now and then, we'll reconfigure the northbound frontage road approaching FM 3009 to allow more flow. First and foremost, that means traffic patterns will return to "normal" sometime early next week.
As for the exit closure? Again, we're looking at sometime after Thanksgiving at this point. When that happens, it will close for not more than three weeks while we adjust the ramp a bit and add a lane. When we're all done, the exit ramp will feature two lanes.
In the meantime, we're working where we can on the turnaround bridge(s). Frankly, the crews on the project that do the kind of concrete work needed there are committed to the Forum Parkway exit, so the schedule to open that turnaround has been pushed back a bit.
Forum Parkway
The top priority on the project - head and shoulders above other activities - is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway open in time for the holiday shopping season. Really, that means Thanksgiving is the deadline we're working on (so we can be out of the way for Black Friday).
Over the last two weeks we've hung bridge support beams and started setting bridge deck panels. Next week we're planning to pour the bridge deck. That is, pour concrete to make up the bridge deck.
We'll also be working as close to around-the-clock as can safely be done on the final retaining walls for the bridge landing. Once the retaining walls are in place and the bridge deck is poured (and the curing time for the concrete has passed), we'll build the barrier.
All this means we're looking to reopen the ramps from Loop 1604 to northbound I-35 shortly after Veterans Day. Weather permitting, at least.
As for the exit ramp to Forum Parkway? Our crews have devoted every available resource to the ramp and we should be able to finish up just in time. That's right - all roads will be open to The Forum.
Other work areas
Wet weather has slowed down the reconstruction of the southbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway and Olympia Parkway. Traffic is using the exit to FM 1518 and following the access road to reach appropriate destinations. Before the new exit ramp can be built, two small retaining walls need to be built. Right now, between the constant onslaught of rains (hitting every time the ground dries up enough to work) and a smaller available workforce than expected, we're hoping to have that southbound exit ready before Christmas.
Yes, that's a little later than initially anticipated. Again, all available resources are being dedicated to the northbound exit to Forum Parkway. The southbound side will be built as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, subcontractors are using nightly closures to work on the center barrier and the road lighting. Most of that work should be finishing up by the end of the year.
The overall project is on pace to finish up by the end of the school year.
This decision was made by the contractor, Dan Williams Construction. Right now the project's highest priority is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway finished so we can, in turn, reopen the ramps from Loop 1604 onto northbound I-35. This prioritization - and a bit of a shortage of laborers - has placed other tasks a little lower on the totem pole, so to speak.
Let's take all this one step at a time....
FM 3009 exit
First off, we're not closing the FM 3009 exit for at least a few weeks. And, with the current schedule putting us at a point to be ready for work until somewhere around Thanksgiving. But, since the businesses are dependent on the spending that happens through Turkey Day, that means we'll likely not be touching the ramp until after Thanksgiving.
Between now and then, we'll reconfigure the northbound frontage road approaching FM 3009 to allow more flow. First and foremost, that means traffic patterns will return to "normal" sometime early next week.
 |
| Though we won't have the northbound exit to FM 3009 under construction or rebuilt within the next few weeks (it will remain open until we're ready to rebuild the ramp), our crews will be restriping the road to open up the traffic flow at this intersection. |
In the meantime, we're working where we can on the turnaround bridge(s). Frankly, the crews on the project that do the kind of concrete work needed there are committed to the Forum Parkway exit, so the schedule to open that turnaround has been pushed back a bit.
 |
| In the late afternoon, the fact you're looking directly into the sun makes taking a photo tough to do. But from under the FM 3009 overpass bridge, drivers can see the work on these structures is nearly completed. Crews are focused on the northbound exit to Forum Parkway, but as they are available some crews will work on the finishing touches - the concrete barrier rails - on the turnaround bridges. |
The top priority on the project - head and shoulders above other activities - is getting the northbound exit to Forum Parkway open in time for the holiday shopping season. Really, that means Thanksgiving is the deadline we're working on (so we can be out of the way for Black Friday).
 |
| Work on the northbound exit to Forum Parkway continues. Crews are pushing to have all roads open to The Forum in time for Black Friday. |
We'll also be working as close to around-the-clock as can safely be done on the final retaining walls for the bridge landing. Once the retaining walls are in place and the bridge deck is poured (and the curing time for the concrete has passed), we'll build the barrier.
 |
| With the bridge support beams in place and deck panels being set, crews should be pouring concrete for the Forum Parkway exit ramp early next week. We're hoping to reopen to traffic the ramps from Loop 1604 to northbound I-35, which will drive under the support arch shown here, in upcoming weeks. |
As for the exit ramp to Forum Parkway? Our crews have devoted every available resource to the ramp and we should be able to finish up just in time. That's right - all roads will be open to The Forum.
Other work areas
Wet weather has slowed down the reconstruction of the southbound exit ramp to Forum Parkway and Olympia Parkway. Traffic is using the exit to FM 1518 and following the access road to reach appropriate destinations. Before the new exit ramp can be built, two small retaining walls need to be built. Right now, between the constant onslaught of rains (hitting every time the ground dries up enough to work) and a smaller available workforce than expected, we're hoping to have that southbound exit ready before Christmas.
Yes, that's a little later than initially anticipated. Again, all available resources are being dedicated to the northbound exit to Forum Parkway. The southbound side will be built as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, subcontractors are using nightly closures to work on the center barrier and the road lighting. Most of that work should be finishing up by the end of the year.
The overall project is on pace to finish up by the end of the school year.
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