Go Ahead!

Thursday, December 15

The new Hwy 151 overpass

We're nearing that moment everyone involved with any of our projects looks forward to: completion.

Background

Williams Brothers started the expansion of Loop 1604 between Bandera and Culebra roads back in March of 2014, and signed an option to the contract for the interchange of Hwy 151 that December. Work on the interchange started February of 2015. They opened the new Loop 1604 main lanes in May of this year and the new direct connector to eastbound Hwy 151 the end of July.

Every step of the way WB has been ahead of their set targets. The last remaining targets: open the new Hwy 151/Alamo Ranch Parkway overpass and finalize the job. They have until the first quarter of next year to do both.

If the project manager for WB has his way, that new overpass will be open and in use by the start of next week. This means we'll have some alternating lane closures at the intersection this weekend, particularly on Hwy 151 (both directions) between Wiseman and Lp 1604 and right there at the southbound Lp 1604 frontage road at ARP.

Gettin' it done

We won't hold a media event for this opening. Heck, right now we don't have a for-sure opening time or date and we recently told the folks in Alamo Ranch we didn't expect it to happen until after New Year. Inclement weather that week after Thanksgiving really slowed work down, but crews have been working like crazy to recover that time. If you drive the area routinely, you've likely noticed the flurry of work over the last couple of weeks.

At any rate, just like we did with the southbound 1604 connector to eastbound Hwy 151 we just want to have it ready for you and get it open. When it happens, we'll post it to Twitter and probably call it good.

Most of the big stuff is finished (though crews are still laying that last bit of asphalt this week). We have a lot of little things still to happen. When the opening takes place there will be barrier to move and lanes to stripe.

Those using that direct connector can expect a slight change to the way their lane meets up with Hwy 151 when the overpass is opened; drivers do need to be aware of changing scenarios over the next several days.

What it'll look like

This overpass will carry Hwy 151 traffic over Loop 1604 and land it directly into Alamo Ranch Parkway. Those taking this route will notice a bunch of large yellow signs as they approach Loop 1604 that read, "FREEWAY ENDS".

At the top of the overpass we've got a traffic signal. Yes, you read that right. Traffic coming from westbound Hwy 151 wanting to hit southbound Loop 1604 will have a protected left-turn signal atop the overpass and will have a ramp landing them with the southbound frontage road traffic as it prepares to merge onto the main lanes.

Of course, traffic along Alamo Ranch Parkway will have a series of traffic signals to go through. Take a look at our quick Periscope broadcast about the signals:

Backup plans

If for whatever reason Williams Brothers isn't able to get this overpass finished for next week, we will likely see its opening pushed to the start of January. We try to avoid closures as much as we can between December 15 and January 2 because of the holiday traffic volumes. That might prohibit us getting that overpass done by Christmas should work push very far into next week.

Finishing up

Even if the overpass is opened and finished before Christmas, expect to see WB crews working on finish items through February. A few orange barrels and some of the orange signs will be maintained until the contract is finished up (which can often be a few months after work has actually completed). Although work is about to finish, just know those orange signs will remain for a little while - not too long - while the paperwork end of the project is getting finished up.

Illumination on Loop 1604

Because it's related but doesn't warrant a separate post, we want to address a small string of those median light poles that aren't working right there around Braun Road. All the infrastructure is in place - the wiring, the light poles, light bulbs, everything - for those lights to work. CPS Energy has to connect the circuit to turn the lights on. The contractor's work has been done for a while at this point and we're still waiting on CPS. They are aware of the work item request, it just hasn't reached its turn in their work queue.

Putting a rumor to bed

Just because it keeps coming up when we talk with neighborhood associations in the area, we should put something out there on the topic. Right now TxDOT has not been asked, nor are we planning, to develop Hwy 151 along Alamo Ranch Parkway any further.

The idea has been discussed as savvy folks look at the map and realize as ARP continues to develop it could potentially link to the county's extension of Hwy 211, which will connect Potranco and Culebra roads.

The idea isn't totally crazy - particularly when keeping the future growth and development of the area in mind. It's simply not something that's on our radar at TxDOT. ARP isn't a state-maintained roadway and has been developed, to date, by private builders as the Alamo Ranch area has been built.

Tuesday, December 13

The New Braunfels Ave bridge work

A few months ago - late August or early September - folks in the Government Hills area started seeing orange signs pop up around the New Braunfels Ave bridge over I-35, marking the start of a long-awaited repair to that bridge.
The bridge suffered damage after it was hit a few years ago by an 18-wheeler. Due to the damage we had to close the right southbound lane of New Braunfels Avenue over I-35 and the pedestrian access on that side of the bridge. The northbound side remained at two lanes and had a sidewalk in place for pedestrian access.
Earlier this year we were able to get the funds approved to make the needed repairs. CRG was awarded the $5 million project to replace - not just repair - the bridge.

The first phase of work is to remove the entirety of the southbound half of the bridge, moving traffic over to one lane each way on what was the northbound side - basically what you see out there today (and on the graphic to the right). While this is in place we'll have just one left-turn lane on each frontage road to avoid any conflicts with folks vying for their spot as they try to cross over I-35. All pedestrian traffic will continue to use the existing sidewalk on the east side of the bridge.
Some folks might look at the lanes we've got closed and wonder why we're not doing anything. It's a darned good question. With traffic moved, CRG really can't do anything on the project until that old southbound segment is removed and demolished. Before we let them demo that portion of the bridge (which will require a full closure of I-35, when it happens) we require they submit a demolition plan that walks us through a step-by-step run of the work. It's pretty basic stuff - most demo plans look the same - but it's a requirement we have that the contractor have that plan submitted and reviewed.
As of last week we still have not received the demo plan for this project. With lane closure restrictions starting this weekend, the earliest this work could be done is mid-January. That would at least show some progress and justify the lane closure now in place.
Though we're not quite ready to demo that section of bridge, we're leaving the closure in place as it is. Why? Two reasons. First, the volume of traffic across the bridge isn't so much we're not restricting traffic flow any more than was already done by the damaged bridge. Second, the cost to restripe the bridge and move barrier would make the whole thing some "wasted money".
In the meantime we're still pushing the contractor for those demo plans and charging time against the contract, which means they're getting squeezed to get going soon or they'll start running into financial issues on the project (liquidated damages).
This configuration will be in place until summer 2017, when we'll basically just flip traffic over onto the new side of the bridge and wreck and complete the northbound side you're driving on today.
All told, the project should finish up around the end of 2017, if all goes well.

Monday, December 12

This week's construction-related closures

With the Christmas holiday break coming up, this will be the last week of closures planned for the year. All our contracts in Bexar County - and many contracts beyond - heavily restrict closures between December 15 and January 2.

I-10 - Seguin

Wednesday, December 14. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Westbound main lanes between Business 123 and Hwy 46. The right lane will close while crews set bridge support beams.
Wednesday, December 14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound frontage road between Hwy 123 and Business 123. The left lane will close while trucks are staged for crews setting bridge support beams.

I-10 – Boerne

Thursday-Friday, December 15-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes at Scenic Loop Road. The left lane will close while crews move barrier.

I-10 - Leon Springs

Monday-Tuesday, December 12-13. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Eastbound main lanes between Boerne Stage Road and Dominion Drive. The right lane will close while crews move barrier.
Monday-Tuesday, December 12-13. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Westbound main lanes between Dominion Drive and Boerne Stage Road. The right lane will close while crews repair guardrail.

I-10 – East San Antonio

Friday, December 9-Monday, December 12. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. continuous. Eastbound main lanes between Foster Road and FM 1516. All lanes will close while crews install drain structures. Traffic will exit Foster Road and re-enter at the next available ramp. Officers will control traffic at the Foster Road and FM 1516 intersections. This closure is a rescheduled closure from Dec. 2-5, rescheduled due to weather.

I-35 – New Braunfels

Monday-Tuesday, December 12-13. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes at York Creek. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
Tuesday-Wednesday, December 13-14. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Main lanes, both directions, at York Creek. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.
Wednesday-Thursday, December 14-15. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes at York Creek. Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier.

I-35 – Northeast San Antonio

Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Northbound exit to westbound I-410. Alternating lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will exit Walzem and continue along the frontage road to reach I-410.
Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Main lanes, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Frontage roads, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.
Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound connector to southbound I-410. The connector will close while crews move barrier. Traffic will exit George Beach, turn around and reach southbound I-410 from the northbound frontage road of I-35.
Monday-Friday, December 12-16. 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily. Frontage roads, both directions, between Rittiman and Walzem roads. Alternating lanes will close while crews do road work.

I-35 – East San Antonio

Monday-Friday, December 12-16. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Frontage road, both directions, between Binz-Engleman and AT&T Center Parkway. The left lane will close while crews do finish work.

I-410 – Northeast San Antonio

Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound exit ramp to Randolph Blvd. The ramp will close while crews do bridge work. Traffic will follow the posted detour route.
Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Eastbound connector ramp to southbound I-35. The ramp will close while crews move barrier. This closure includes the entrance from Austin Highway. Traffic will go to Thousand Oaks, turnaround and continue down the southbound I-35 frontage road until the next available entrance ramp.

I-410 – Northwest San Antonio

Current until April 2017. Northbound exit to Culebra Road. The exit will close while crews widen the main lanes and frontage road. Traffic will exit Ingram Road, turn around and get to Culebra on the southbound frontage road.

US Hwy 90 - West San Antonio

Tuesday, December 13. 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Westbound main lanes between I-410 and Medio Creek. The right lane will close while crews install guardrail.

US Hwy 281 - North-central San Antonio

Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Northbound main lanes between Josephine and Airport Drive. The right three lanes will close while crews do road work.
Monday-Thursday, December 12-15. 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Northbound main lanes between I-35 and Mulberry. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work.
Monday-Thursday, December 12-15. 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. Main lanes, both directions, between I-410 and I-35. The right two lanes will close while crews do concrete work.

Hwy 151 – Northwest San Antonio

Current through Friday, December 16. Westbound exit ramp to Ingram and Potranco roads. The ramp will remain closed while crews install bridge support structures for the direct connector ramps being constructed.
Monday-Thursday, December 12-14. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Westbound frontage road between Wiseman and Loop 1604. Alternating lanes will close while crews resurface the road.

Loop 1604 – Northwest San Antonio

Monday-Friday, December 12-16. Constant closure. Northbound frontage road between Hwy 151 and Culebra Road. The right lane will close while crews do concrete work. Access to businesses will be maintained.
Monday-Friday, December 12-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound connector to eastbound Hwy 151. The connector will close while painters paint the bridge. Traffic will go to Wiseman Road, turn around and reach eastbound Hwy 151 via northbound Loop 1604.
Tuesday-Thursday, December 13-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Southbound main lanes between Military Drive and Potranco Road. The right lane will close while crews set barrier.
Tuesday-Wednesday, December 13-14. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes at Hwy 151. All lanes will close while crews paint the bridge overhead. Traffic will exit Alamo Ranch Parkway, follow the frontage road and re-enter Loop 1604, then turn around at Wiseman to reach Hwy 151.
Wednesday-Thursday, December 14-15. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound connector ramp to eastbound Hwy 151 main lanes. The ramp will close while crews work on guardrail. Traffic will be able to reach the eastbound frontage road of Hwy 151, then run through the Wiseman intersection before entering the main lanes.

Other roads – Seguin

Current until Saturday, December 31. 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. King Street, both directions, between Cedar Street and US 90. All lanes will close while crews install storm drains and rebuild the road. Traffic will use Hwy 123 as a detour.

Other roads - Kendall County

Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Hwy 46, both directions, between Dresden Wood and Dierks Road. Alternating lanes will close while crews set barrier. Off-duty police will handle one-way traffic control.

Other roads – Northeast San Antonio

Current until Tuesday, December 13. 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly. Northbound FM 1103 between FM 78 and Brite Road. Alternating lanes will close as needed while crews repair the pavement.
Sunday-Friday, December 11-16. 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly. Randolph Blvd, both directions, between Crestway and I-35. All lanes will close while crews do overhead bridge work. Traffic will follow the posted detour.

All closures are pending weather.

Tuesday, December 6

New signal going in on Potranco Rd at Vista Pl/Arcadia Path

Earlier this year we posted about how we determine placement of traffic signals. At the time we were receiving a few different requests for traffic signals at specific intersections. Those requests continue, and we investigate each request to see if the location warrants a signal.

One location is getting their requested signal fairly soon - construction starts December 12. That location is at the intersection of Potranco Road and Vista Place/Arcadia Path - basically serving traffic at the subdivisions of Bella Vista and Arcadia Ridge. The installation of the signal will wrap up by the end of March.

The signals will be suspended from span wires held up by steel poles. The steel poles and the control cabinet for the signals are being supplied by us; they were salvaged from projects at other locations. The work itself is being paid for - 100 percent - by the developer of the Arcadia Ridge subdivision. The developer of the Bella Vista subdivision - the subdivision that initiated this signal request - has elected to not contribute to this effort.

A little history

In 2015 Texas State Representative Rick Galindo hosted a town hall meeting to discuss the development of Potranco Road, which is currently underway through the Bexar County Public Works Department. During that meeting members of the Bella Vista community presented a petition to have a signal installed at their intersection. As promised by Rep. Galindo, TxDOT engineers surveyed the intersection and placed it on a watch list to be investigated again in the future for a signal if a greater need arose.
The issue was pressed again earlier this year when members of the community again petitioned the representative and brought their cause to the public eye through contact with one of our local news stations. Again our engineers investigated the intersection - and found no major changes in traffic volumes, even with the development of the Arcadia Ridge subdivision.
To be clear, traffic volumes during a two-hour peak time period were sufficient to justify a signal, but district-wide best practices were employed to place the intersection on a list and wait until it reached a higher priority level. Why? Several intersections across our 12-county district have a two-hour peak traffic volume that's considerable, but during the remaining 22 hours of the day the traffic volumes are so light a signal would be extremely counter-productive - especially with the lofty price tags that can accompany the infrastructure for this sort of construction. That was the case at this location.
A compromise solution was brought forward that if the signal could be donated by the developer we would permit the signal installation based on the single warrant of the two-hour peak traffic volume. The developer of Bella Vista, Perry Homes, declined to make such a commitment. CTMGT Rancho Del Lago, the LLC developing the Arcadia Ridge subdivision, stepped up to provide the $158,000 in cash to have the signal installed. We (TxDOT) have donated the controller cabinets and steel poles at an additional $50,000 value.

Where we go from here
Work will start next week, if weather allows. The soggy ground from recent and upcoming rain may push this back a few days, but the bottom line is crews will be at work at this location this month to install the signals.
They'll have it all finished up by the end of March.
Those driving through the area should be aware of the overlap this work has with Bexar County's efforts to expand Potranco through this location, and the two projects may be tough to confuse. Simply put: if the contractor has a big "TSC" on their truck, hard hat or safety vest ... that worker is part of the county's project and issues need to be brought to Bexar County Public Works. If not, and the work is very confined to this intersection, there's a good bet it's signal work and issues need to be forwarded to TxDOT.
Note the crews working to install the signal are not hired by nor do they work for TxDOT; they work for CTMGT Ranch Del Lago under a permit given to them by TxDOT. Confusing? Perhaps ... but the delineation should be made. Still, TxDOT remains a good point of contact for issues that may arise.
While the work is ongoing folks driving the area should remain patient and know the work being done is to honor the request they've made. It'll be done soon enough, and we hope it provides the outcome so desired.

Friday, December 2

Next week's construction-related closures

I-10 – New Braunfels

Thursday-Friday, December 15-16. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Southbound main lanes at York Creek. The left lane will close while crews move barrier.
Wednesday-Thursday, December 14-15. 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. Northbound main lanes at York Creek. The right lane will close while crews move barrier.