Friday, April 26

Construction-related closures next week....

Here's a look at what we've got planned, closure-wise, for the next week. Please note the Loop 1604 closures are correctly dated two weeks in advance.

Interstate 10
Monday-Friday, April 29-August 30
9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, weekdays only
East-bound frontage road of I-10 between Loop 1604 and Huebner Road
The right lane will be closed while crews install fiber optic cable for the TransGuide system. This closure will not be in place every day, but should be an advisory for daily drivers to expect this work through the summer.

Interstate 35
Sunday-Thursday, April 28-May 2
6 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly
North-bound frontage road of I-35 north of the Medina River (south Bexar County)
The left lane will be closed while crews do digging work related to the I-35 bridge project. This closure includes the south-to-north turnaround.

Monday-Wednesday, April 29-May 1
11 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
North-bound I-35 at FM 3009
All main lanes will be closed while crews work on the FM 3009 overpass bridge. Traffic will take the FM 3009 exit and re-enter the main lanes after FM 3009. Expect long delays.

Wednesday-Friday, May 1-3
11 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
South-bound I-35 at FM 3009
All main lanes will be closed while crews work on the FM 3009 overpass bridge. Traffic will take the FM 3009 exit and re-enter the main lanes after FM 3009. Expect long delays.

Interstate 37
Monday-Friday, April 29-May 3
8:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily
North-bound I-37 between the Atascosa-Bexar County line and U.S. Highway 181
Rolling, alternating lanes will be closed while crews work on the bridge joints. Expect long delays.

Interstate 410
No closures scheduled.

Loop 1604
Monday-Friday, May 6-10
11 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
West-bound Loop 1604 at Vance Jackson (northwest San Antonio)
All lanes of Loop 1604 will be closed while crews set beams for the Vance Jackson overpass bridge. This includes the entrance ramp from Lockhill-Selma. Traffic will exit Lockhill-Selma and re-enter the highway after I-10. Expect long delays.

Wednesday-Friday, May 8-10
11 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
East-bound Loop 1604 at Vance Jackson (northwest San Antonio)
All lanes of Loop 1604 will be closed while crews set beams for the Vance Jackson overpass bridge. This includes the entrance ramp from I-10 and the east-bound frontage road between I-10 and Vance Jackson. Traffic on Loop 1604 will take the frontage road exit before I-10 and re-enter after Lockhill-Selma. Traffic on I-10 (both directions) will take the frontage road exit before Loop 1604 and enter the highway after Lockhill Selma. Expect long delays.

U.S. Highway 90
No closures scheduled.

U.S. Highway 281
Monday-Saturday, April 29-May 4
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
South-bound U.S. Highway 281 between Interpark and North Park Drive
The left lane of the frontage road and the auxiliary (acceleration-deceleration) lane on the main lanes will be closed while crews build a storm drain related to the Wurzbach Parkway extension project.

Other roads
Monday-Friday, April 29-May 3
9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Wurzbach Parkway between Lockhill Selma and Blanco Road
Rolling, alternating lanes will be closed while crews re-stripe the roadway.

Loop 368 (Austin Highway) between I-35 and New Braunfels Ave
Rolling, alternating lanes will be closed while crews re-stripe the roadway.

State Highway 218 (Pat Booker Road) between I-35 and FM 78
Rolling, alternating lanes will be closed while crews re-stripe the roadway.

FM 1535 (Northwest Military) between I-410 and Wurzbach Parkway
Rolling, alternating lanes will be closed while crews re-stripe the roadway.

All planned lane closures are pending weather. Road conditions and traffic updates available on Facebook, www.facebook.com/txdot and Twitter, www.twitter.com/txdotsanantonio
.

Wednesday, April 24

About Wurzbach (no newsletter this week)

In lieu of a newsletter on Wurzbach Parkway this week, here's a look at some items of interest. Pretty plain and boring ... but time-saving for yours truly (Parkway Progress will return next week):

·         By mid-May we’ll be working on widening the north-bound frontage road of US Hwy 281. We’re widening it to the outside, or to the right. This will mean a lane of the current frontage road will be shut down for a while, once we get in there. We’ll work to maintain business access while we’re doing this work. We’ve got to shift over the frontage road to fit the new exit/entrance ramps between Nakoma and Bitters that we plan to see the contractor building later this summer.

·         Over the next two weekends (that is, April 26-29 and May 3-6) we’ll have closures on the north-bound side of US 281. This will be the left lane of the frontage road and the right lane of the main lanes. The entrance ramp from Nakoma will be closed. Expect delays in the area.

·         This week we’ll have the left frontage road lane and the right shoulder of the main lanes of the south-bound frontage road closed during some nighttimes. We’ll start at 8:30 p.m. and end at 5:30 a.m. each night we do this. We’re building a storm drain there. This may impact the exit ramp to Nakoma.

·         We’re still seeing problems with folks trying to use segments of the parkway that aren’t ready for use yet. Some of the places we’re seeing “traffic” are absolutely ridiculous. If you happen to see someone driving on a part of the parkway that isn’t open, please call SAPD and report them. Not only is this a safety hazard, but some of this “traffic” is disrupting our work zones and causing potential delays. I know none of us want to see any more delays….

·         Crews are now on the job on the “bookend” segments. For the first weeks, they’ll be working to clean up the site and get everything in order. This may take a few weeks. Think of cleaning a kitchen that’s had dishes stacked up for several weeks. Instead of a 20-minute clean-up, it could take hours. That’s what we’re dealing with, and our guys are working hard to get this going the right way. No cutting corners.

Tuesday, April 23

I-10 Huebner: gearing up for summer

Though most of the physical activities on the I-10 Huebner project is focused on UTSA Boulevard - crews are still working on the new retaining wall (they are pushing the old one back, essentially), the center median wall and pumping water out of the area - the minds of the project are on what's coming for the summer.
Crews collect and sort inventory, clean up the work area and pump water from the shoulder area of I-10 at UTSA Boulevard. In the center median, crews are building a new concrete median wall.

And how to best prepare for it.

The biggest task is the Fredericksburg Road overpass bridge repair - a 70-day milestone in the project that will cut into east-bound main lane traffic around-the-clock until it's complete. As part of this work, the Huebner Road exit ramp and the frontage road, all the way up to the entrance ramp just before reaching Huebner Road, will be considered a main lane of highway traffic. A detailed graphic will be provided later ... for now, let's just keep in mind this will make any commute into the city a little more challenging.
When crews are repairing the Fredericksburg Road overpass bridge on east-bound I-10 this summer, this frontage road will serve as a proxy for the displaced main lane of traffic ... that is, one main lane will be diverted onto the frontage road.
In the meantime, look for crews to begin working on the current west-bound Woodstone exit ... which will be the permanent DeZavala-Woodstone exit. We're adding a lane to the exit ramp. The good news: the work will be done out of the way of those driving through the area. We shouldn't have major closures. But it also means we'll have crews near the open lane.


Sometime between now and the summer, crews will begin adding a lane to this west-bound exit on I-10 to Woodstone. It will become the permanent DeZavala-Woodstone exit.
With that in mind, please slow down and be careful!

For now, we'll stick to what's going on at UTSA Boulevard. And that means nightly lane closures this week - all impacting east-bound traffic at UTSA Boulevard. We're only shutting down one lane (the left lane) so traffic should be able to still move through the area efficiently.

Monday, April 22

Road closures this week....

Over the next week,  you'll see some limited closures. We've ratcheted down what we're allowing to be closed this week while Fiesta goes on ... but that doesn't mean every road closure related to construction will be stopped. Notably, pay attention to north-bound I-37 between the Bexar-Atascosa county line and the closre on the north-bound I-35 frontage road around Pat Booker Road. These closures are daytime closures and will impact daily traffic a bit. Here's the report:

Interstate 10
Monday-Thursday, April 22-25
8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
East-bound I-10 at UTSA Boulevard
The left lane will be closed while crews construct a concrete barrier wall. Expect delays.

Interstate 35
Monday-Thursday, April 22-25
9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily
North-bound I-35 frontage road between Pat Booker Road and Loop 1604
The north-bound frontage road of I-35 between Pat Booker Road and Loop 1604 will be closed while crews lay the final layers of pavement for a pavement repair job. This includes the entrance ramp from Pat Booker Road and the exit ramp from north-bound I-35 to Loop 1604. Traffic reaching Loop 1604 may take Pat Booker Road to reach their desired routes. Expect delays.

Interstate 37
Monday-Friday, April 22-26
8:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily
North-bound I-37 between the Atascosa-Bexar county line and U.S. Highway 181
Alternating, rolling lanes will close while crews repave the roadway. Expect long delays.

Interstate 410
No closures scheduled.

Loop 1604
No closures scheduled.

U.S. Highway 90
No closures scheduled.

U.S. Highway 281
No closures scheduled.

Farm-to-Market roads
Sunday-Thursday, April 21-25
9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
Spur 421 (Culebra Rd.) between Hillcrest and I-10
Rolling, alternating lanes will be closed while crews restripe the roadway.

All planned lane closures are pending weather. Road conditions and traffic updates available on Facebook, www.facebook.com/txdot and Twitter, www.twitter.com/txdotsanantonio
.

Friday, April 19

Parkway Progress, road closures.

A brief post here, for now. More to come this weekend.

The Wurzbach Parkway newsletter, Parkway Progress, is now posted online.

Road closures will be minimal next week due to Fiesta. For instance, no closures will be done along I-35 between FM 3009 and Loop 1604.

However, the Alamo RMA has some closures this weekend you may be interested in. A detailed list of TxDOT closures will be posted this weekend.

Wednesday, April 17

The Comal County round-up

Those familiar with the communities in Comal County know TxDOT is doing a lot of work - thanks mostly to the hard work by local officials to find money to help fund the work. Here's a look at the biggest projects TxDOT has going:

Business 46 (Seguin Avenue)

At the end of March the contractor, Austin Bridge, approached TxDOT with a proposal to continue work through the summer without disrupting the current traveling lanes. Initially the plan was to stop work altogether April 1 and resume work after Labor Day, allowing traffic to be unhindered during the busy summer months that sees hundreds of thousands visit New Braunfels to play in the river.

Because the proposal shows a potential for time savings on the project, and because the contractor has said we will not interfere whatever with the traveling lanes, the proposal was accepted by District Engineer Mario Medina.

Most of the summer work will be to prepare to move the railroad to some temporary tracks over Seguin Avenue (called a "shoofly" bypass). The idea is to have everything but the actual overpass built and ready, so the shoofly can be completed September 8 and we can move forward.

Remember: we plan to CLOSE Seguin Avenue at the UPRR overpass September 8, and we expect to have the road closed about six months. We'll talk about the detour route as we get closer to the closure date.

FM 306 - Gruene and Canyon Lake

The Canyon Lake portion of the work on FM 306 (a series of new passing lanes and turn lanes on the northeast side of Canyon Lake) is progressing. Still no major impacts on daily traffic, but the work being done off the shoulder is pretty plain to see.

Some of the widening to FM 306 in the Canyon Lake area can be seen here, where fresh asphalt has been laid beyond the existing shoulder areas.

Please - when driving through the area, be mindful this is our business office. Don't just barrel through the work zones. Be aware we'd like to return home each day from work safely, and be extra attentive and cautious when driving through our work area.

In the Gruene area, work is just about to get interesting. This week (and a little into next week) the utilities work will wrap up. NBU has been pretty busy over the last several months moving water lines, sewer lines and overhead power lines.

Those traffic stops caused by NBU will be replaced by stops caused by our efforts to build temporary roadways while we move into the first phase of actual road building. The area most impacted will be at Hunter Road and westward, where FM 306 will be narrowed and shifted over a bit. We'll actually be losing the dedicated turn lanes at the intersection of Hunter Road, and the left-turn arrows at the light will go away during the next phase of construction. We're working on a good route to get folks from I-35 safely and swiftly to Gruene. Once everything on that route is worked out, you'll see it published here.

The left-turn arrow at Hunter Road will be eliminated, as will the dedicated turn lanes, when construction moves into its first full-on road-building stage by the start of May.
We're still two weeks out from the more major changes to traffic along FM 306, so we'll work on some images to help folks get an idea of what we'll have going on before it happens. Stay tuned in next week for a more detailed look.

U.S. 281 Comal

Really, any update here is "more of the same". We're still working on building up roadway that's not near the existing lanes, and we don't expect to move into a phase of work that will impact traffic at all until after the summer.


Until the summer is over, the biggest impact drivers will see on U.S. Hwy 281 in the Spring Branch area is the concrete barriers already in place along the west side of the roadway.
However, please mark your calendars for Thursday, May 9. We've been invited by Comal County Commissioner Jan Kennady to be part of an informational open house at Bulverde Spring Branch Library. There's no formal presentation - just a bunch of stations with county and TxDOT staff available to answer questions about anything regarding the project. Seriously, it's open season on us. Ask anything.

We'll be there from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. We'll even have the full plans available to look at (not take home!) if you're interested.

I'm pretty grateful for Mrs. Kennady and her work in the county, and glad for her invite to this open house. Seems like an easy way to chat with everyone about issues from driveway placement to project funding to intersection layouts. We hope to see you there.

Tuesday, April 16

The latest on I-10 Huebner....

I got the three-week look-ahead for the I-10 Huebner construction project yesterday morning ... and it looks like crews working on the job will spend most of their energy working on the retaining walls at UTSA Boulevard.

But that was to be expected. After all, we anticipate that will be where most of the work will take place through April and well into May.

A small drilling rig - kind of a boring machine, actually (and not boring as in not fun, but boring as in it digs long, narrow holes) - will continue to work on the soil nails that will act as anchor pins for the retaining wall.
Crews are excavating on the south side of I-10 at UTSA Boulevard. A small drill rig - seen tucked under the overpass on the right - is drilling holes for soil nails, or anchor pins for the future retaining wall to be built here.
Concrete crews will be working on the center median barrier near UTSA Boulevard, including the stretch of I-10 between UTSA Boulevard and DeZavala Road. One of the subcontractors will begin working on TransGuide structures in the area as well.
The framework for the concrete median barrier can be seen on the left ... in the distance, a truck with concrete forms is being unloaded by crews tasked with constructing the barrier. Nighttime lane closures will allow concrete crews to pour the concrete to make the barrier.
So ... what does all that mean for the daily commuter?

Two simple things, really. For the month of April (and well into May), you'll see digging and drilling at UTSA Boulevard (particularly on the south side of I-10). All of that work will be behind traffic barriers, so there shouldn't be much of an impact on the traveling lanes.
Though work is actively progressing along I-10, most daily drivers will find their commutes unhindered. For the time being, only a few nighttime closures are being used.
The center median work, however, and the work on the TransGuide structures, will require occasional nightly lane closures. Those driving through between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. may see some delays.

As summer approaches, we'll see more work. Crews will begin adding a lane to the west-bound exit to Woodstone, which will become the permanent DeZavala exit (the current DeZavala exit will be removed as part of this project).

A new exit lane will be added to the west-bound Woodstone exit, which will be renamed the DeZavala/Woodstone exit. The new lane will be to the left of the existing lane. Most of this work will be done behind protective barriers, reducing the impact on daily commuters.

That work will be done to prepare the work area for harsher work - rehabilitation of the Fredericksburg Road overpass bridge. That rehabilitation, set to start in June, will disrupt east-bound traffic through the summer.


The bridge over the Fredericksburg Road connector, tying Loop 345 to the west-bound frontage road of I-10, will be rehabbed over the summer.

Monday, April 15

Main Street Boerne progress....

After getting a few questions about the project on Main Street in Boerne, it's about time to provide an update (I'll try and get updates on this project out at least twice a month, when possible).

The project has three seperate segments - the Cibolo Creek bridge expansion, Construction of steel-armed traffic signals and crosswalk enhancements. Each segment is being built seperately from the ohter segments, though project supervisors routinely coordinate work with one another to ease the impact on daily commuters.

Crosswalk enhancements

Crews are about 60 percent of the way done with the intersection of Blanco Road, and they've already finished up at Bandera Street, River Road and Rosewood. When crews finish at Blanco - probably late next week - they'll move on to Johns Road. Work at Johns Road will take about a month, then the location at School Street will take about two weeks.

Crews pour concrete that will seat brick pavers across Blanco Road at Main Street in Boerne.
Of course, all that depends on weather.

Remember: while work is happening at these intersections, we'll have traffic restricted to a single lane in each direction. But, again, that's only in the specific intersection the crews are working on.

Traffic signals

All the underground work is finished, meaning pole foundations and the conduit carrying power lines to the signal poles have been put in. All the controller foundations are built as well. Well, except for the underground structures at Bandera Street. Crews are working there right now, and they'll be finished by the end of the month.

The new paver strips marking the crosswalks in downtown Boerne will add to the aesthetics of the Hill Country Mile. Meanwhile, traffic signals at intersections like this will be changed to steel mast arms over the next two months.

The mast arms are scheduled to arrive sometime in May, and crews will start installing them when they get in.

All in all, the work on the intersections should be finished by mid-summer.

The bridge

In late March, the contractor's drilling rig broke down and halted progress on the bridge. The contractor did everything they could without the driller, not letting the time go by unused, and the rig got back up and running again last week. As folks drive by, they can probably see the drill rig at work, drilling foundations for the support columns that will hold up the expanded portions of the bridge.

The drill rig, on the right, is back up and running after about two weeks of frustrating project supervisors. Crews have finished nearly all the preparatory work to be done at this point that does not involve drilling.

Friday, April 12

Construction road closures for next week....

Interstate 10
Monday-Thursday, April 15-18
8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
East-bound I-10 at UTSA Boulevard
The left lane will be closed while crews build a new concrete barrier.

Interstate 35
Sunday-Friday, April 14-19
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
I-35 at FM 3009
Crews will close all lanes of I-35 alternately on the south-bound side and the north-bound side to work on the FM 3009 turnaround bridge structures. A detailed schedule was not available at the time of this announcement. Lane closures will begin at 9 p.m., total closure will not take effect until 11 p.m. Traffic will be diverted onto the access road and through the intersection of FM 3009.

Interstate 37
Monday-Saturday, April 15-20
8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily
North-bound I-37 between the Atascosa County line and U.S. Highway 181
Rolling, alternating lanes will close while crews repave the roadway.

Interstate 410
Monday, April 15
9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
South-bound I-410 between Pearsall Road and the Union Pacific Railroad overpass
The right lane will be closed while crews remove concrete traffic barriers and lay asphalt.

Tuesday, April 16
9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
South-bound I-410 between Pearsall Road and the Union Pacific Railroad overpass
The right lane will be closed while lay the final layer of asphalt and tie in a new ramp.

Loop 1604
Monday-Friday, April 15-18
9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily
South-bound Loop 1604 between Emory Peak and Spurs Ranch Road
The left lane will be closed while crews set concrete barrier.

Monday-Friday, April 15-18
9 a.m. 3:30 p.m. daily
North-bound Loop 1604 between Big Mesa and Emory Peak (west San Antonio)
The left lane will be closed while crews set concrete barrier.

U.S. Highway 87
Monday, April 15
8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
West-bound U.S. 87 between Rosillo Creek and Lakefront Drive
The right lane will be closed while crews repair the pavement base.

U.S. Highway 90
Sunday-Friday, April 14-19
9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
East-bound U.S. Highway 90 between the Medina County line and Loop 1604
Rolling, alternating lanes will close while crews restripe the highway.

Sunday-Friday, April 14-19
9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly
U.S. Highway 90 frontage road between 36th Street and Loop 1604
Rolling, alternating lanes will close while crews restripe the highway.

U.S. Highway 281
No lane closures scheduled.

Farm-to-Market 306
Monday-Wednesday, April 15-17
7 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly
FM 306 at Hunter Road (New Braunfels-Gruene)
FM 306 will be necked down to a single lane while crews widen the roadway. This closure includes closures on Hunder Road, blocking overnight access to FM 306 from Hunter Road. Drivers should find alternate routes.

All planned lane closures are pending weather. Road conditions and traffic updates available on Facebook, www.facebook.com/txdot and Twitter, www.twitter.com/txdotsanantonio.

Thursday, April 11

Parkway Progress...

The latest edition of the Parkway Progress newsletter - an informal publication updating folks on the Wurzbach Parkway project - is online and available for you to look at.

Big headlines this week: Work has resumed on the segment of the Parkway between Jones-Maltsberger and Wetmore. Also, a major closure related to the RMA's interchange project at Loop 1604 and US 281 will likely impact traffic on US 281 near the parkway.

Tuesday, April 9

Soggy, yet progressing - I-10 Huebner up-and-moving

In March crews started stirring up the work zones along I-10 between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 - a joyful sight for those who travel the northwest San Antonio route regularly.

Then, almost like some thought-out bad joke, the work bogged down last week. The cause: rain. Lots of it. The mud and the slop brought by all the wet weather made the simple tasks road-building crews were working at nearly impossible.

This week, though, work is back on. While some guys are busily cleaning the project work area, others are at UTSA Boulevard beginning excavation work and driving in "soil nails" - anchor pins buried deep into the dirt that will support the retaining wall that will keep the hill under the overpass bridge from eroding away.

Here's a narrated look at the project and what's happening:

Monday, April 8

Construction can be rained out? Really?

One of the toughest challenges about highway construction is the need to work around the weather.
Last week we saw two nights of planned work on the I-35 Selma project get rained out by sweeping rain and hail storms that have pummeled the area. That work will be rescheduled for next week.

What does all this mean?

First, the total closure of I-35 south-bound lanes at FM 3009 planned for Tuesday night and the closure of north-bound lanes planned for Wednesday night were washed out. The lanes remained open and folks weren't disrupted in their drive as we had expected.

Second, those closure dates will be rescheduled for this week. In all, drivers will see these sorts of closures nightly for most of April (except for Friday and Saturday nights). For instance, this week:

Sunday-Tuesday nights, 11 p.m. until 5:30 a.m., the south-bound lanes will be shut down.
Wednesday and Thursday nights, 11 p.m. until 5:30 a.m., the north-bound lanes will be shut down.

Remember we'll start closing some lanes at 9 p.m., but the total closure of the highway will be in effect at 11. We're redirecting traffic onto the frontage road and through the FM 3009 intersection. Folks driving through the area may want to try a different route.

Though not at FM 3009, folks should be aware of:

Monday-Tuesday nights, 9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m., north-bound lanes at Loop 1604. We'll close the two right lanes while crews build a new concrete median barrier.


Frame work for the new barrier can bee seen to the left, while nearly finished barrier can be seen beyond the overpass bridge. Crews will continue to construct this new barrier and, when finished, a new entrance ramp to north-bound I-35.
The rain slowed down our work between FM 1518 and Schertz Parkway, as well - but crews have recovered pretty quickly. They've got the base layers of asphalt in place for most of the new ramps on the north-bound side, and they're finishing up laying the base for the additional roadway lanes. Pavers are now getting ready to hit hard the south-bound side in the upcoming week or so.

Once the asphalt base is in place crews can begin to lay final layers - or all but the final final layer - of asphalt and reopen the ramps for use. Project bosses were hoping to have that done by early summer.

The week in construction road closures....

Interstate 10
Wednesday-Friday, April 10-12
9 p.m. until 6 a.m. nightly
East-bound I-10 at UTSA Boulevard
The left lane will be closed while crews work on the center concrete median barrier.

Interstate 35
Sunday-Wednesday, April 7-10
11 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
South-bound I-35 at FM 3009
All lanes will be closed at FM 3009 while crews set bridge panels in place. Traffic will be re-routed onto the frontage road and pass through the FM 3009 intersection before returning to the I-35 main lanes. Expect long delays.

Monday-Wednesday, April 8-10
9 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
North-bound I-35 at Loop 1604
The two right lanes will be closed while crews construct a new concrete traffic barrier. Expect delays.

Tuesday-Friday, April 9-12
8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily
South-bound I-35 between Benton City Road and Medina River (south Bexar County)
All lanes will be closed while crews drill support shaft bases for bridge expansion on the south side of the Medina River. Follow posted detour route. Expect long delays.

Wednesday-Friday, April 10-12
11 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly
North-bound I-35 at FM 3009
All lanes will be closed at FM 3009 while crews set bridge panels in place. Traffic will be re-routed onto the frontage road and pass through the FM 3009 intersection before returning to the I-35 main lanes. Expect long delays.

Interstate 37
Monday-Saturday, April 8-13
8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily
North-bound I-37 between the Atascosa County line and U.S. Highway 181
Rolling, alternating lanes will close while crews repave the roadway.

Interstate 410
No closures scheduled.

Loop 1604
Monday-Friday, April 8-12
9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily
Loop 1604, both directions, between Spurs Ranch and Emory Peak (far west side)
The right lane will be closed while crews build the curb along the right shoulder and widening sections of the roadway.

U.S. Highway 90
No closures scheduled.

U.S. Highway 281
No closures scheduled.

Farm-to-Market roads
No closures scheduled.

All planned lane closures are pending weather. Road conditions and traffic updates available on Facebook, www.facebook.com/txdot and Twitter, www.twitter.com/txdotsanantonio
.

Wednesday, April 3

The latest scoop

Thanks to a long weekend (state holiday plus Opening Day plus a family birthday), this blog has been a bit silent. So, here's a look at the latest on all things construction in the region:

I-10 Huebner:
We are officially back to being underway. Mostly, crews will continue cleaning up the job site and preparing the work areas. Think of it as when you take over a desk used by someone else for a while - you like to clean and rearrange things. Well, that's what they're doing. We should see actual excavation by the end of the week - mostly around UTSA Boulevard. I'll have more details next week.

I-35 Selma:
Overnight work at FM 3009 has meant total closures Monday night and Tuesday night. Storms prevented work last night and, I suspect, will prevent work tonight. Bridge crews are hard at work building the turnaround structures at FM 3009. South-bound lanes were impacted Sunday and Monday nights. The north-bound lanes will still be shut down ... but probably not this week. More on that tomorrow.

Keep in mind, with these closures, we'll start closing lanes down at 9 p.m. to set up the work area. At 11 p.m. we'll have everything shut down and traffic will be routed onto the frontage road through the intersection at FM 3009. This will cause major delays. We'll have everything picked up again by 5:30 a.m. the next morning.

U.S. 281 Comal:
Several calls to TxDOT and to Comal County have requested a look at what the final product will be up in Spring Branch. Right now we're working with Comal County Commissioner Jan Kennady to arrange an informal open house to let folks have a look. More efficient that way, we figure. More on that when details are known.

Main Street Boerne:
The U.S. Highway 87 project in Boerne continues to plug along. Really, not a lot of new stuff to update anyone on ... the bridge work is moving along as crews work on the support structures for the extra bridge while signal-building crews are working hard at upgrading the downtown intersections one crosswalk at a time.

Vance Jackson bridge:
After some closures on Loop 1604 through the weekend that only minimally impacted traffic, crews are cruising through the process of building support structures for the overpass that will connect Vance Jackson to The Rim shopping center. Nothing major to update anyone on beyond that.

Wurzbach Parkway:
This seems to be the project I get asked about the most. Right now only one of the three segments are actively being built - the middle segment, between West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger. Most of that activity is concentrated on three specific tasks: build the bridge structures east of U.S. Highway 281; construct the overpass and build the highway subgrade around West Avenue; construct drain features along U.S. Highway 281 between Nakoma and Bitters.

A couple of brief items, to answer questions people have asked recently.... First, we have instructed the contractor to clean up the areas along U.S. 281 between Nakoma and Bitters, which has been reportedly getting a little messy with a variety of debris being left in the area (not all construction-related).

Second, here's a look at the current planned schedule of construction/completion:
Blanco Rd to West Ave: Resume April 2013, completion expected mid-summer 2013
West Ave to Jones-Maltsberger: Construction ongoing, completion scheduled early 2015
Jones-Maltsberger to Wetmore: Resume April 2013, completion expected mid-2014

FM 306:
While we're still waiting on the go-ahead from Union Pacific Rail Road to work on the crossing near Hunter Road, our contractor is working on clearing the right-of-way and moving utilities in the area. Folks should be aware there is some work near I-35 that's being done by AT&T as well. While that work is related to the FM 306 expansion, it's being overseen by the utility company and not TxDOT.

Kerr County work:
Work has started on state Highway 39 in Ingram, but is mainly out of the traveling lanes as bridge crews prepare to expand the Johnson Creek Bridge near Tom Moore High School.

Meanwhile, efforts to expand Francisco Lemmons Street in Kerrville are entering a new phase, requiring paving crews to resurface the roadway on Lemmons Street between Main Street and Thompson Drive. We'll do our best to keep at least a lane open in each direction, but folks should be aware of shifting lanes from a day-to-day basis.

On the horizon:
A contractor for the grade seperation project (translation: underpass) at the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Medical Drive in San Antonio's Medical Center area should be selected by the end of the month. Bids were accepted earlier today, and a contractor will be announced once contracts have been agreed upon and signed. Construction should start early summer.

We will receive bids on a project to address clearance issues on I-10 at S. New Braunfels Ave and Gevers and Walters streets, and we expect that project to begin this summer.