Go Ahead!

Monday, September 14

Wurzbach Parkway officially opening

Last week we announced Wurzbach Parkway would likely open earlier than expected. Project staff has confirmed crews will open eastbound lanes of the parkway tomorrow afternoon.

Westbound lanes will open next week, with Wednesday being the target.

As folks prepare to navigate the Parkway and how it may best suit their daily commute, check out some helpful hints here.

On our end, we're happy to have the project finished. That's our job, after all - provide safe and reliable transportation solutions for Texas. There's nobody - nobody - more excited to have a project like this done than we are!

Friday, September 11

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 – Downtown San Antonio

Monday-Friday, September 14-18. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Eastbound frontage road between Martin and Houston streets. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.

I-10 – Northwest San Antonio

Sunday-Friday, September 13-18. 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 13-18. 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 14-18. 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-Friday, September 13-18. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
Sunday-Friday, September 13-18. 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.
Monday-Friday, September 14-18. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
Monday-Friday, September 14-18. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Turnarounds, both directions, at Salado Creek. The turnarounds will be closed while crews do bridge work.
Saturday, September 19. 3 am. Until 3 p.m. Northbound main lanes between AT&T Parkway and Binz-Engleman. All lanes will close while crews install bridge support beams. Traffic will exit Binz-Engleman, continue through the intersections of Binz-Engleman and George Beach, then re-enter the highway.
Sunday, September 20. 3 a.m. until 3 p.m. Southbound main lanes between Binz-Engleman and AT&T Parkway. All lanes will close while crews install bridge support beams. Traffic will exit George Beach, continue along the frontage road and re-enter the highway before reaching AT&T Parkway.
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.

I-35 – Northeast San Antonio

Sunday-Friday, September 13-18. 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 14-18. 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-37 – Atascosa County

Monday, September 14. 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Northbound main lanes between U.S. 281 and Leal Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews restripe the road.
Wednesday-Thursday, September 16-17. 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Northbound main lanes between U.S. 281 and Leal Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews restripe the road.

I-410 – East San Antonio

Sunday-Friday, September 13-18. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound connector to northbound I-35. All lanes will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will exit Space Center Drive, follow the frontage road through the Rittiman Road intersection then enter the northbound main lanes of I-35.
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.

I-410 – Southeast San Antonio

Sunday-Monday, September 13-14. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes between I-10 and WW White Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the roadway.
Tuesday-Friday, September 15-18. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Houston Street and Rigsby Road. All lanes will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will exit East Houston Street and re-enter the highway at the next available ramp.

I-410 – Southwest San Antonio

Sunday-Tuesday, September 13-15. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Medina Base Road and Ray Ellison Boulevard. The right lane will close while crews install guardrail.

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

Saturday-Sunday, September 12-13. 7 p.m. until 10 a.m. Southbound main lanes between Bitters Road and Nakoma Drive. . All lanes will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will exit Nakoma Drive, pass through the Nakoma Drive intersection, and re-enter the highway.
Saturday-Sunday, September 12-13. 5 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. Northbound main lanes between Nakoma Drive and Bitters Road. All lanes will close while crews resurface the roadway. Traffic will exit Nakoma Drive, pass through the Nakoma Drive and Bitters Road intersections, and re-enter the highway.
Sunday-Monday, September 13-14. 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes between Bitters Road and Nakoma Drive. . All lanes will close while crews resurface the road. Traffic will exit Nakoma Drive, pass through the Nakoma Drive intersection, and re-enter the highway.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

Saturday, September 12. 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Southbound frontage road between Liberty Field and Culebra Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews do repair work.
Saturday, September 12. 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Southbound frontage road between New Guilbeau and Wildhorse Parkway. The left lane will close while crews do repair work.
Monday-Wednesday, September 14-16. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Southbound frontage road between Shaenfield and the turnarounds. The left lane will close while crews construct drain structures.
Monday-Sunday, September 14-20. 10 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly. Southbound frontage road between New Guilbeau and Shaenfield. The right lane will close while crews work on curb and sidewalk.

Other roads – Northeast San Antonio

Sunday-Monday, September 13-14. 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 turnaround at the next available intersection.
Sunday-Monday, September 13-14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound Rittiman Road at I-35. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work
Monday-Tuesday, September 14-15. 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 14-15. 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 14-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. 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 14-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Westbound Rittiman Road at I-35. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.
Tuesday-Thursday, September 15-17. 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 15-17. 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 17-18. 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 17-18. 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

Saturday-Sunday, September 12-13. 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.
Monday-Friday, September 14-18. 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 18-19. 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 19-20. 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 closure on I-35 this weekend: an update

Drivers along I-35 near SAMMC have noted - and some have called about - signs advertising a full main-lanes closure for the southbound I-35 lanes between George Beach and AT&T Parkway.

This closure has been rescheduled for NEXT weekend, September 19-20. Here's a break-down of what will happen next week:

Saturday morning
Beginning at 3 a.m. the northbound main lanes of I-35 will be closed between AT&T Parkway and Binz-Engelman. This closure will allow crews with LANE Construction to set bridge support beams over the Salado Creek crossing. Project supervisors are saying all lanes should be reopened by noon.

With the lanes closed crews will exit Binz-Engelman, pass through the Binz-Engelman intersection and re-enter the highway north of George Beach.

Sunday morning
Again, starting at 3 a.m. crews with LANE Construction will close the southbound main lanes of I-35 as well as the ramp from northbound I-410 to southbound I-35. Basically, they're doing the same work as they did Saturday - setting bridge support beams - but on the opposite side of the highway. Project supervisors say everything will be reopened early afternoon.

Southbound I-35 traffic will exit George Beach, pass through the George Beach and Binz-Engleman intersections and re-enter the highway prior to reaching AT&T Parkway.

Northbound I-410 traffic will use northbound I-35, exit Rittiman Road, turn around and follow the southbound I-35 detour noted above.

If this is your neck of the woods or an area you frequent, let your friends know!

Thursday, September 10

Coming sooner than we thought - Wurzbach Parkway

One of the oldest mistakes a journalist - and a blogger - makes is to "bury the lead". To avoid doing that we'll cut to the chase:

Wurzbach Parkway over U.S. 281 will be open and in use next week.

Well, the eastbound lanes over U.S. 281 will be opened, at least. The westbound lanes will open later this month, allowing our engineers and staff with the city of San Antonio to develop some strategies with the influx of traffic anticipated when the parkway meets Wurzbach Road.

This soft opening is some two months ahead of the contracted date and a few weeks earlier than expected when we talked with the Express-News about opening dates earlier this month. Williams Brothers Construction, the contractor working on this job and one of the largest road-building companies in Texas, has accelerated work over the last several months in order to move their resources off this project and onto projects set to start later this fall. There is not an early completion bonus on this project.

Drivers using the new roadway should remain alert to the presence of crews working on the the project through the fall months as punch-list items such as laying sod or grass seed and other aesthetic work are completed.

Last week Williams Brothers opened the new northbound U.S. Hwy 281 exit ramp to Bitters Road, allowing us to shut down the old ramp and work on what will be the northbound exit to Wurzbach Parkway. Remaining work on that new ramp will finish up next week.

Nighttime drivers along Hwy 281 have seen main lane closures each night this week as paving crews resurface and re-stripe the road. This will realign the Hwy 281 main lanes to their final configuration, solving the issues folks have had with entering the lanes from Bitters Road (on the southbound side) and Nakoma Drive (driving north) by adding a dedicated lane for traffic from the frontage road to enjoy as they move into traffic.

During full main lane closures, traffic will exit Nakoma (northbound) and Bitters (southbound), pass through the intersections and re-enter the highway. Police officers will help manage traffic flow through the area. This resurfacing work should wrap up by Friday morning.

Meanwhile, concrete crews are putting some finishing touches on a few culverts and concrete barriers throughout the project. Electricians are tying their lanes to provide power to the street lights on Wurzbach and preparing the traffic signals at Jones-Maltsberger and at West Avenue for traffic in new directions. The city of San Antonio will assume maintenance and timing of the new signals.

The last remaining major item, then, is the turnarounds at Nakoma Drive. The north-to-south turnaround was closed and a span torn out to help build the new Wurzbach Parkway exit for northbound Hwy 281 traffic. As part of the work on the parkway - and as a way to manage traffic on eastbound Wurzbach Parkway headed for northbound U.S. 281 - a new south-to-north turnaround at Nakoma is being constructed. These turnarounds are still being completed and will open early October. With the parkway opened, Williams Brothers will be dedicating increased resources to the turnarounds.

The final configuration for traffic moving between Wurzbach Parkway and U.S. 281 keys on the frontage roads of Hwy 281. Eastbound traffic will turn around at the Nakoma intersection and use the northbound frontage road to reach northbound Hwy 281; westbound traffic will head north to Bitters, turn around, and use the southbound frontage road to reach southbound Hwy 281. Here's a look:

Wednesday, September 9

THIS week's construction-related closures

The biggest disadvantage of a blog operated by small numbers is that, when the operator(s) of said blog are out-of-pocket for any amount of time, the content on the blog is lacking.

And, yet, over the course of August - a month featuring just four posts on this blog - many of you continued to check in. THANK YOU. Your patience will be rewarded through this fall! There are a number of posts lined up and waiting in the queue for posting. Just see what we post tomorrow for some evidence.

But this is about this week's closures, so here you go (hint ... pay attention to US 281 and I-35 this week/weekend):

I-10 – Downtown San Antonio

Thursday-Friday, September 10-18. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. weekdays only. Eastbound frontage road between Martin and Houston streets. The left lane will close while crews do overhead bridge work.