Loop 1604; bridges, bridges, bridges....

For those who've not driven through Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads for a few weeks ... well, bridges are starting to pop up almost everywhere.

In the last two months (yes, it's only been two months ... well, two-and-a-half) traffic on Loop 1604 has been cleared from the old "main lanes" and onto the new "frontage road" (it's all the same right now...), Williams Brothers Construction has been able to set bridge support beams and start placing bridge deck panels for the Braun Road ovverpass, build drill shafts to support retaining walls and other bridge support structures at New Guilbeau and Shaenfield roads, and begin getting those retaining walls built up at New Guilbeau.

What's more, drill shafts and some retaining walls have started and are well underway for a new overpass taking Hwy 151 over Loop 1604.

The approach WB is taking is really interesting, almost like an assembly line of sorts. As dirt crews finished up with the Braun Road overpass, they moved to the New Guilbeau intersection and made room for the bridge crews to move in at Braun. Now those dirt crews are wrapping up at New Guilbeau, and ready to move on to Shaenfield ... meanwhile, bridge crews are wrapping up at Braun and ready to move south to New Guilbeau.

The process has allowed a tremendous amount of progress to happen in a few short months. Right now project supervisors are saying they could have the new main lanes of Loop 1604 in use as early as this time next year; that is, late summer 2016. Overall completion of the project, including the new direct connector and overpass at Loop 1604 and Hwy 151, is scheduled for the end of 2016.

Here's an interesting bit of work to keep an eye out for: asphalt between Helotes Creek and Braun Road. The walls creating the bridge approaches at New Guilbeau are nearing completion, and as soon as that wraps up Williams Brothers will lay asphalt to start building the main lanes between the two landmarks. This will only be the base layer ... we won't be driving on those main lanes until next year.

At the Braun Road overpass, which has been causing overnight closures of Braun Road at Loop 1604 routinely throughout each of the last few weeks, crews are scheduled to begin building bridge rails through this weekend and next week. WB hopes to have no more need for regular closures on Braun Road by the middle of October.

Progress on the Shaenfield overpass should start getting increasingly more visible by that time. Dirt crews are expected to migrate to Shaenfield in early October, and the overall support structure there should be in place by the end of the year.

If you're driving on Alamo Ranch Parkway, by the way, expect to see a lot more activity over the next few weeks. Crews are moving in to build support columns for the direct connector from southbound Loop 1604 to eastbound Hwy 151, and there's some work needed to begin preparing for the overpass landing for the new Hwy 151 overpass at Loop 1604. That overpass will land at Alamo Ranch Parkway and will be finished by the end of 2016.

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 – Northwest San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, September 20-25. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road. Alternating lanes will close for road work.
• Sunday-Friday, September 20-25. 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road. Alternating lanes will close for road work.
• Monday-Friday, September 21-25. 8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Huebner Road and Loop 1604. Alternating lanes will close for road work.

I-35 – East San Antonio

• Sunday, September 20. 3 a.m. until 3 p.m. Southbound main lanes between Binz-Engleman and AT&T Parkway. Two left lanes will close while crews install bridge support beams.
• Sunday, September 20. 3 a.m. until 1 p.m. Turnarounds, both directions, at Salado Creek. The turnarounds will be closed while crews install bridge support beams.
• Sunday-Friday, September 20-25. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
• Sunday-Friday, September 20-25. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Walzem and George Beach. Alternating lanes, two at a time, will close while crews do road work.
• Sunday-Thursday, September 20-24. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Binz-Engleman and AT&T Center Parkway. Alternating lanes will close, two at a time, while crews move barrier.
• Sunday-Thursday, September 20-24. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage road, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
• Monday-Tuesday, September 21-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes between AT&T Parkway and Binz-Engleman. Two left lanes will close while crews install bridge support beams
• Monday-Friday, September 21-25. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Turnarounds, both directions, at Salado Creek. The turnarounds will be closed while crews do bridge work.

I-35 – Northeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, September 20-25. 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Northbound exit to westbound I-410. The right lane will close while crews do road work.
• Monday-Friday, September 21-25. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Northbound exit to westbound I-410. The right lane will close while crews do road work.

I-35 – Downtown San Antonio

• Tuesday, September 22-Thursday, October 1. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound I-35 between McCullough Avenue and U.S. Hwy 281. Alternating lanes will close, two or more at a time, while crews do road work. Traffic will be diverted onto the frontage road on occasion as needed.

I-35 – Comal County

• Tuesday-Thursday, September 22-24. 8 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Conrads-Kohlenberg and FM 306. The two right lanes will close while crews move barrier and relocate ramps.

I-410 – East San Antonio

• Sunday, September 20. 3 a.m. until 3 p.m. Northbound connector to southbound I-35. The ramp will close while crews set bridge support beams. Traffic will exit Kirby Road, turn left at Binz-Engleman Road, then left again onto the southbound I-35 frontage road.
• Sunday-Friday, September 20-25. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound connector to northbound I-35. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.

I-410 – Southeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Friday, September 20-25. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Rigsby Road and Southcross. All lanes will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will exit Rigsby Road and re-enter the highway at the next available ramp.

U.S. Hwy 281 – North-central San Antonio

• Friday, September 18-Friday, October 2. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Northbound frontage road between Wurzbach Parkway and Bitters Road. The right lane will close at spot locations while crews do work across driveways. Business access will be maintained.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Sunday, September 21-27. 10 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Southbound frontage road between New Guilbeau and Shaenfield roads. The right lane will close while crews work on curbs and sidewalks.
• Wednesday-Thursday, September 23-24. 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound frontage road at Helotes Creek. The right lane will close while crews do bridge work.

Other roads – Northeast San Antonio

• Sunday-Monday, September 20-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound Rittiman Road at I-35. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto the frontage road and turn around at the next available intersection.
• Sunday-Monday, September 20-21. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound Rittiman Road at I-35. The right lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.
• Monday-Tuesday, September 21-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto the frontage road and turnaround at the next available intersection.
• Monday-Tuesday, September 21-22. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.
• Monday-Wednesday, September 21-23. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound Rittiman Road at I-35. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto the frontage road and turnaround at the next available intersection.
• Monday-Wednesday, September 21-23. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound Rittiman Road at I-35. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work
• Tuesday-Thursday, September 22-24. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto the frontage road and turnaround at the next available intersection.
• Tuesday-Thursday, September 22-24. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.
• Thursday-Friday, September 24-25. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto the frontage road and turnaround at the next available intersection.
• Thursday-Friday, September 24-25. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound Eisenhauer Road at I-35. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.

Other roads – Northwest San Antonio

• Monday-Friday, September 21-25. 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Braun Road, both directions, at Loop 1604. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto Loop 1604, use the next available turnaround and return to the intersection to reach its destination.
• Friday-Saturday, September 25-26. 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. Braun Road, both directions, at Loop 1604. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto Loop 1604, use the next available turnaround and return to the intersection to reach its destination.
• Saturday-Sunday, September 26-27. 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. Braun Road, both directions, at Loop 1604. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will turn right onto Loop 1604, use the next available turnaround and return to the intersection to reach its destination.

All closures are pending weather.

Major weekend closure: I-35

Note: Plans for these closures were changed Friday afternoon. The new plans are less impactful, and were brought by the contractor in an effort to appease those driving the area. These changes will also require longer hours for work. See below for the new plan.
 
Drivers along I-35 near SAMMC have likely noticed signs flashing a warning about closures set for this weekend along the corridor. Here are a few details about the what, why and when:

What

Sunday (Sept. 20) the two left lanes of the southbound main lanes will close between George Beach and AT&T Center Parkway. Crews will also close the direct connector from northbound I-410 to southbound I-35 in order to keep traffic off the closed portion of I-35. Traffic will exit FM 78, turn left at Binz-Engleman and continue on to the southbound I-35 frontage road.

You'll take a few turns, but reaching southbound I-35 from northbound I-410 will be as simple as exiting FM 78 (Kirby Road) Sunday morning.

Monday night into Tuesday morning (Sept. 21-22), the two left lanes of the northbound main lanes will close between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman.

Why

All these closures will allow Lane Construction to set bridge support beams that will help add some width to I-35 as it runs over Salado Creek. The number of beams to be set is pretty minimal, so the work should go pretty quickly. All told, the project should wrap up early 2016. When we're done you'll see new lanes - auxiliary lanes - and some revisions to the ramps that will greatly improve the flow of traffic here.

When

Sunday closures (southbound side) will start at 3 a.m. and be wrapped up, weather permitting, by 3 p.m.

Monday evening closures (northbound side) will start at 9 p.m. and continue until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Here are the highlights

• NO CLOSURES SATURDAY
• Southbound main lanes will have two (out of three) lanes closed between George Beach and AT&T Center Parkway Sunday, 3 a.m. until 3 p.m.
• Northbound main lanes will have two (out of three) lanes closed between AT&T Center Parkway and Binz-Engleman Monday night, 9 p.m. until Tuesday at 5 a.m.
• NO FULL MAIN LANE CLOSURES
• Closure of NB I-410 ramp to SB I-35 still in effect Sunday, 3 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Mail Bag: Boerne Stage Road, graffiti and Wurzbach Parkway

Note: we've got dozens of questions to get to through the Mail Bag; we'll get them answered in the order in which they are received, and answer as many as we can at one time. Keep checking back if you've submitted a question!
 (There is) Graffiti on the one-way sign on the access road of 1604 heading east between Braun Road and Bandera Road. The sign is in front of the Stonefield Estates subdivision.
- Rachel


To start, we'll let our maintenance guys know (if they've not already addressed this) and make sure they can get it cleaned up. Often we can't clean it and have to simply replace the sign; it's frustrating and really expensive.

Beyond that, "there's an app for that" ... done by the city of San Antonio. It's pretty cool. You see graffiti, you take a picture of it and enter it into the app. Not only will the request for cleanup be sent to the proper agency, but it will help put a stop to the graffiti altogether.


When will the Boerne Stage Road project be completed? Nobody seems to be working on the project. Please advise.
- Holly

The Boerne Stage Road project is a Bexar County project; we don't have the details on the job. However, we do have an active project along I-10 right there, and we've posted an update on that project pretty recently.
If you're asking about the Boerne Stage Road expansion, get in touch with the county - that's your best bet.


Wondering what the plan and purpose is for the current construction on Culebra road at 1604.
It sure is causing some traffic headaches.
- Cody
There are two projects currently impacting traffic at Loop 1604 and Culebra, but the latest project is likely the culprit for your headaches.
The first project, an effort to expand Lp 1604 to an expressway between Bandera and Culebra, impacts traffic coming from Culebra onto northbound Lp 1604 - particularly during the afternoon traffic rush. That work will eventually make everything better for traffic on Culebra by allowing southbound Loop 1604 traffic bypass Culebra (using a Reverse Diamond or Super X ramp configuration).
The newer project adds raised concrete medians to the middle of Culebra Road between Loop 1604 and Grissom Road. This is a safety project, pure and simple, with the goal of removing what are called conflict points along the route and is part of an effort to prepare Culebra Road inside Loop 1604 to be turned over to the city. The plan eliminates a number of left-turn options, except at cross streets and some select other locations, in favor of maintaining a continuous flow of traffic along the route. It's consistent with what's done in a number of locations across the city, including (for instance) Callaghan Road or San Pedro.


Is there a projected date when the Wurzbach Parkway will be completed?
- Ed
Ed, you're one of dozens of folks who've submitted similar messages; your note also betrays just how long we've been sitting on these questions to get this post finished!
If you've not heard by now, here's the good news: the eastbound lanes of Wurzbach Parkway opened yesterday (that's September 15) at about 3:50 p.m. There's a ton of great news coverage out there on it; check here, here, here or here. Or here. And there's this one, run before opening.
We also broadcasted the opening of the new eastbound lanes via live video feed, which went over Twitter through Periscope (and if you don't have a clue what those are, well ... neither did we until a few months ago).
The bottom line: eastbound lanes are now open. Westbound lanes are targeted to open Sept. 23. We still have work on US 281, with the new northbound exit to Wurzbach Parkway and the turnarounds at Nakoma - which should all be finished by early October.

I-10 at La Cantera is a mess Saturday mornings because of the heavy traffic heading into Fiesta Texas around opening time. Is there anything that can be done to alleviate it now and the future? I know it's only during summer peaks tone but it makes it impossible to travel westbound on I-10 from 9 a.m.-noon.
- Christina
Christina, we're sorry for not responding to this one sooner - this note was sent well before the end of summer as the end-of-summer crowds were flooding the area for a last chance at some fun at one of our local amusement parks.
We actually already do take some huge precautions to help the situation at the intersection of I-10 and La Cantera, including the use of police officers (SAPD) to direct traffic at the intersection. Unfortunately, the backup stems not from the intersection or the ramps in the area, but from the bottleneck that's at the gates to the park. No matter what we do, traffic will only move as fast as folks can pay for their parking permits.
But know that we're always looking at the issue. We've tried some interesting stuff in the past, including routing traffic (as much as we can) to Camp Bullis to stack up the traffic queue for that amusement park along the eastbound frontage road.
It helps, but as you've noted the solution we've got isn't perfect. The good news is you can typically get around the snarl by using Loop 1604 to Vance Jackson, heading north through The Rim, then rejoining I-10 near Home Depot.

I-10 Leon Springs plugging along

The new, widened Ralph Fair Road overpass bridge over I-10 is finished and opened to capacity; Sundt Construction managed to save us some time and money on the project overall. Most of that money savings was in an adjustment to the traffic control plan that kept two-way traffic west of the Ralph Fair Road intersection through the duration of construction.

The overpass bridge running Ralph Fair Rd over I-10 was opened by Sundt Construction in August.

The only remaining issue, based on calls we've fielded, is the timing of the traffic signals at that location. Those signals should be timed appropriately, but we will continue to monitor what's happening. Frankly, we do have a capacity issue - particularly with eastbound traffic coming through the intersection on both sides of the highway. That issue won't be solved by re-timing signals, but by converting the frontage roads to one-way all the way out to Fair Oaks Parkway. More on that in a minute.

The other traffic signal issue is at Boerne Stage Road. The issue that we've noticed is actually amplified by the installation of a new signal on Boerne Stage Road at HEB; this signal was installed as part of the Bexar County project expanding Boerne Stage Road, and was funded by HEB. The timing of that signal is not yet in sync with signals on the I-10 frontage roads at Boerne Stage Road. We are working with Bexar County staff to get those signals synced up (they actually talk to one another through wireless technology) to maximize efficient traffic flow.

This new signal on Boerne Stage Road at the HEB shopping center is still not synced with the signals on I-10 at Boerne Stage Road. Once this signal is synced,traffic woes in the area should improve.

The actual construction that's happening in the area - a project that converts the frontage roads of I-10 to one-way between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive, including some intersection improvements at I-10 and Boerne Stage - is consistently moving along on pace to finish up in 2016. The only major snags we've run into with this project are utility conflicts. We have conflicts remaining with a private telecommunications company in a few locations, with water lines and with some power lines.

We've been working on these issues now for nearly nine months, preventing progress with construction in critical areas. That's not to say the project has been delayed yet - we aren't showing a delay at this point, but we could see one if we're not able to get moving on laying asphalt soon. Asphalt can't go down until some of the drain structures - including storm drain lines and inlets - are built. It's those structures that are hung up because of the utility delays.

The new westbound frontage road, running behind Fralos and Sonic and the Leon Springs Elementary, has been cut and, for the most part, graded. The significant road work here can't begin until all drain structures are in the ground; that means progress is in the hands of the utility companies setting in the area.

Most of these issues are located near the new westbound frontage road area, running behind the Leon Springs Elementary School and the I-10 main lanes, and at the area underneath I-10.

While waiting for these utility conflicts to be addressed, Texas Sterling Construction has been working out-of-the-box a bit, looking for areas to work in order to continue progress on the project. This means working on the frontage road improvements near Dominion Drive (crews will be installing decorative brick pavers at that location over the next few weeks) and near Leon Creek (bridge builders will start building bridge support structures next week).

Workers set brick pavers into the concrete median at Dominion Drive.

Bridge crews work on the eastbound frontage road bridge over Leon Creek; work on the bridge on the westbound side will begin late October.

All told, the current work will wrap up late summer 2016. Meanwhile, Sundt Construction is preparing to start the next project in the area - construction of a new overpass for I-10 over Old Fredericksburg Road. That project, funded by Proposition 1 money, will begin later this fall and will take about three years to complete.