Tuesday, September 30

Wurzbach Parkway redux

This week is much of the same stuff as last week, as the major work planned around the intersection of Starcrest Drive and Wurzbach Parkway was put off due to the rain last weekend.

That hasn't kept crews with Texas Sterling Construction from doing what they can, however - including some work that surprised folks yesterday by closing some of the access through Starcrest. That work was short-lived, though, and will be wrapped up this weekend.

If it feels like there's a sense of urgency to finish, that feeling would be accurate. This project, which was originally contracted to Ballenger Construction in 2011, was scheduled to be finished about a year ago. Ballenger declared bankruptcy in 2012, defaulting on the project and putting the project in the hands of their bonding company, Liberty Mutual.

Texas Sterling took over the project in the spring of 2013 and needed a few months to sort through what had been done and what hadn't, as well as to repair things that weren't done correctly. They also had the nearly finished segment between Blanco and West Avenue to wrap up, which was done last year.

The reality is we're a mere weeks from having this eastern segment of Wurzbach Parkway finished and in regular use; but a few painstaking things need to yet be complete. One of the biggest tasks is the final surface of asphalt on Starcrest at Wurzbach. Texas Sterling Construction plans to do that work this weekend, firing up equipment around midday and blocking some of the lanes of traffic by 1 p.m.

Traffic should still be able to move through the area, but drivers should plan on the route being sluggish at best.

On the "middle" segment, or the final segment, Williams Brothers is planning to close the main lanes of U.S. Highway 281 at Wurzbach Parkway next week to set bridge deck panels over the highway. Deck panels are flat pieces of concrete that fit together to form the skeleton of the bridge.

Exact dates for the closure are not yet known, but should be posted by Friday.

The final segment is still set to open middle of next year.

Monday, September 29

Projects approved by the Commission this month

We haven't done this sort of post in a while, but they are just so helpful to get to know an idea of what projects lie ahead. For instance, some projects we have already received bids on and are awaiting some utilities adjustments to begin include:
- UTSA Boulevard between I-10 and Eduard Jiminez, expand the road to a four-lane divided road
- FM 1101 (New Braunfels) between Hwy 46 and FM 306, expand the road to include a center left-turn lane and bike lanes
- I-35 between FM 306 and Conrads-Kohlenberg Rdd (New Braunfels), reconfigure entrance and exit ramps
- Walnut Avenue (New Braunfels) between Kerlick and Landa streets, expand to a four-lane road

There are more projects, but this gets the biggest ones out in the open.

In the month of September, the Texas Transportation Commission approved five projects in the San Antonio District, totaling a little over $9 million in construction costs. Two of these projects are in Bexar County, and one each are in Atascosa, Kendall and Kerr counties. Here's a quick run-down:

Atascosa

Along U.S. Hwy 281, between the Bexar County line and FM 3006, $479,000 for the maintenance off fixed objects - such as guardrail, signs, that sort of thing.

Bexar

On I-37, around U.S. Hwy 181 (on the southeast side of town), $2.2 million to install a cable barrier - those cables that run in the center median along the Interstate highways in the area.

On U.S. Highway 281, between San Pedro and Newell Street (north-central San Antonio), $463,000 to add rumble strips for safety along the edge lines of the highway.

Kendall

On I-10 between Hwy 46 and U.S. Hwy 87 (basically through Boerne), $3.5 million to reconfigure the entrance and exit ramps, as well as improve the intersections.

Kerr

On Hwy 39 at Hunt Crossing, $2.5 million to replace the narrow bridge.

Now, on this list, the major two projects are in Kendall and in Kerr counties. We'll talk more about these projects as they get nearer to their respective start dates. For those keeping track, the earliest any of these projects can begin is late December or early January. Don't look for any work - utility adjustments aside - between now and the start of 2015.

Friday, September 26

Next week's construction-related closures

Interstate 10
Main lanes, both directions, at UTSA Boulevard (northwest San Antonio)
All lanes will close while crews pour concrete to form the UTSA east-to-west turnaround bridge. Traffic will exit UTSA Boulevard and reenter the highway immediately after passing through the UTSA Boulevard intersection. Expect long delays.

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and lay pipe. Expect delays.

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

Eastbound main lanes between Loop 1604 and Fredericksburg Road (northwest San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and place asphalt. Expect delays.

Westbound main lanes between UTSA Boulevard and Huebner Road (northwest San Antonio)
The right lane will close while crews widen the roadway. Expect delays.

Interstate 35
Sunday, September 28
4 a.m. until noon
Northbound main lanes between Binz-Engleman and Rittiman roads
All lanes will close while crews stripe the roadway. Traffic will exit Space Center, continue along the frontage road, and enter northbound I-35 after Rittiman Road. Expect delays.

Southbound main lanes between Schwab Road and FM 2252 (Schertz-New Braunfels)
All lanes will close while crews do road work. Traffic will exit Schwab Road and reenter the highway after FM 2251. Officers will direct traffic along the frontage road. Expect long delays.

Southbound main lanes between Randolph Blvd and Walzem Rd (northeast San Antonio)
The two right lanes will close while crews move and build barrier. Expect delays.

Southbound frontage road at Fratt Road (northeast San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. Expect delays.

Southbound frontage road at Fratt Road (northeast San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. Expect delays.

Southbound main lanes between George Beach and Eisenhauer (northeast San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close to allow trucks safe access to the project area. Expect delays.

Northbound main lanes between George Beach and Rittiman Road (northeast San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier do road work. Expect delays.

Interstate 37
No closures scheduled.

Interstate 410
Eastbound exit to southbound I-35 (northeast San Antonio)
The right lane will close while crews move barrier and pour concrete. Expect delays.

Loop 1604
No closures scheduled.

U.S. Highway 90
No closures scheduled.

U.S. Highway 281
No closures scheduled.

Other roads
Starcrest Drive at Wurzbach Parkway (north-central San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close in both directions while crews pave the intersection. Through traffic will use Wurzbach Parkway and Jones-Maltsberger to reach its destination. Expect delays.

Jones-Maltsberger at Wurzbach Parkway intersection (north-central San Antonio)
Alternating lanes will close in both directions while crews pave the intersection. Expect delays.

Medical Drive, both directions, between Ewing Halsell and Fairhaven Street (Medical Center)
Alternating lanes will close while crews do roadwork. Expect delays.

Fredericksburg Road between Louis Pasteur and Data Point (Medical Center)
Alternating lanes will close while crews pour concrete. Expect delays.

All planned lane closures are pending weather.

I-10 Huebner: another overnight closure ahead

Bridge builders working for Webber Construction have plans to close the main lanes of I-10 at UTSA boulevard overnight Monday and Tuesday nights, allowing them to form and pour the bridge deck for what will be the UTSA Boulevard east-to-west turnaround.

Work will begin at 8 o'clock each night, and the highway will reopen by 5 a.m. the next morning. Traffic will use the frontage roads - in both directions - to reach its destination. Police officers will be on hand to ensure the smoothest traffic flow possible at UTSA Boulevard.

These closures represent the nearing completion of this long-awaited intersection improvement, which will allow eastbound traffic to reverse course and access the growing development along the westbound access road of I-10 between UTSA Boulevard and Loop 1604.

The next big change on the I-10 project, however, is currently scheduled for the night of October 10 - weather permitting to get all the work slated to be done between now and then - when traffic over DeZavala Road will be moved from the westbound side of I-10 over onto the nearly finished eastbound side. Webber Construction has been working on the eastbound overpass at DeZavala since mid-summer, totally reconstructing the bridge to add capacity and to raise the bridge somewhat, allowing greater clearance space for traffic on DeZavala Road itself.

The traffic switch marks the end of the first of two back-to-back six-month milestones to reconstruct the I-10 overpass at DeZavala. It would also mean Webber finished the first milestone two full months sooner than projected - a welcome development for those who've been experiencing the project since early 2012. Completion of the second milestone (which is the reconstruction of the westbound overpass bridge at DeZavala) will essentially be the end off the project at large; crews are working hard at all other areas of the project to wrap things up.

Project managers anticipate the total completion of this project for summer 2015.

This project was initially a 30-month project, beginning early 2012 and set to wrap up mid-2014. That timeline was derailed in November 2012 when the initial contractor, Ballenger Construction, filed for bankruptcy and defaulted on the project. Webber Construction took over in the spring of 2013 and needed almost six full months to sort through what had already been one and what had been left undone by Ballenger. The bonding company, Liberty Mutual, is responsible for any assessed charges for late delivery on the project.

Tuesday, September 23

Wurzbach Parkway progress

The threat of rain over the weekend, and wet weather spread intermittently through the last two weeks, pushed back planned closures on Jones-Maltsberger and on Starcrest. Texas Sterling Construction did not close the roads over the weekend to lay the final surface of asphalt on these roads, opting instead to close lanes of Jones-Maltsberger daily the rest of this week.

Work will begin at 8:30 a.m. and wrap up by 4:30 p.m. each day. Paving crews will close a single lane in each direction during this timeframe, bottling traffic down to a single lane each way. This is in line with long-term traffic configurations we've had on Jones-Maltsberger during most of the project's duration.

Saturday and Sunday Texas Sterling will close Starcrest Road at Wurzbach Parkway to lay the final surface of asphalt. Traffic will follow the Parkway to a Jones-Maltsberger to reach Starcrest. Local traffic to Texas Disposal Systems and Gardenville will reach these businesses via their normal routes in and out of the facility, but the going will be a little slower. Work will begin at sunrise, with closures continuing until the work is complete.

Beyond this work, Texas Sterling still has some short portions of concrete rail to build, pavement lane markers to paint and street lights and traffic signals to turn on.  With that and the finishing touches left, project bosses are confident they'll have the Parkway opened between jones-Maltsberger and Wetmore by mid-October.

On the final segment, spanning West Avenue to Jones-Maltsberger, Williams Brothers is focusing efforts on bridge work on U.S. 281 at Bitters Road and on the Parkway overpass approaching Hwy 281. Utilities crews are working in a few drain inlet structures throughout the project and are tying in a few remaining water lines.

Project supervisors say the final segment should be complete and in us by mid-2015.

Thursday, September 18

Fred-Med project sliding along

The weekend's pending rain has scrubbed plans to set bridge support beams forming the Fredericksburg Road bridge Saturday.

Bridge support beams were scheduled to be set at the Fred-Med intersection Saturday, requiring occasional closures of one lane on Medical Drive to provide space for the trucks to set up. Because of rain and the lane closure restrictions on the project, Texas Sterling has developed a plan to set the beams daily beginning Monday morning around 9:45. The work will stop by 3 p.m. each day.

Job bosses expect all beams - 38 in total - will be set by the end of the week. No lane closures will be used for this, though police will be used to direct traffic and get trucks into the work area. Trucks will come along Fredericksburg Road from I-410, then turn left onto Medical Drive.

The beams are being set on the west side of Fredericksburg Road in the middle of the future through lanes, allowing Texas Sterling Construction to build the bridge deck out of the way of Fredericksburg Road traffic. In late October Texas Sterling will close Federicksburg Road at Medical Drive to slide the bridge deck into place.

Though we are scheduled to have Federicksburg Road closed two weeks, this slide-in-place process Texas Sterling is bringing to Texas could mean the work is done much faster.

With access lanes built and traffic along Medical Drive in its final footprint, the through lanes of Medical Drive and the Fredericksburg Road are all that's really left to build on this project. Job bosses say work is on schedule to finish in time for its early 2015 end date.

Tuesday, September 16

Details regarding the I-10 closure at Ralph Fair Road

If you've not yet heard, Sundt Construction is closing all main lanes of I-10 at Ralph Fair Road this weekend, beginning Saturday morning (September 20) a little after 7 a.m (note the time change ... we previously had said 6 a.m.).

Sundt is also closing Ralph Fair Road between Old Fredericksburg Road and I-10.

The closures will allow Sundt to set nine bridge support beams - each one 165 feet long - that will make up the backbone of a new section of the Ralph Fair Road overpass. Sundt is half a year into a year-and-a-half project to rebuild the overpass, expanding the bridge in the process.

Those beams will leave the fabrication plant at 7 a.m. (they are required to wait for daybreak to begin their trip) and use Loop 1604, U.S. Hwy 281, Texas Highway 46 and FM 3351 to reach the work zone. Job bosses are expecting the trip to take about an hour and a half - about as long as it will take traffic crews to shut down the road. Bridge crews hope to start setting the first beam around 9 a.m.

Those driving along the haul route - Lp 1604, U.S. 281, Hwy 46 and FM 3351 - during the morning hours may experience some delay. All trucks should be clear of the route and at the project site by noon.

Bridge crews will be setting beams through the day. Project bosses expect to finish up work by Sunday morning, but may need more time (more on that below). At the latest, main lanes will reopen by Monday morning at 5 a.m. During that time, motorists are encouraged to try alternate routes (such as U.S. Hwy 281 and Hwy 46 to get from Boerne to San Antonio) or plan for about an extra hour to their travel plans. To be completely blunt, we expect westbound traffic to back up well beyond Lp 1604 and eastbound traffic to back up to Boerne.

Thursday-Friday

As part of the prep work for the weekend, crews will begin setting up the crane in the area. Those local drivers on the frontage roads will see temporary and occasional delays with police officers stopping traffic as needed.

For those who are visual, here's another look at the work zone and the closure area:


For local businesses:

Obviously, access through the weekend will be tough. While some have access from Old Fredericksburg Road, others will have one-way access only. Clients and guests should plan on extra time to reach the destination.

Weather pending

This weekend carries a strong chance of rain in the forecast. While that may not dramatically impact the work itself, rain can slick up the roadway and make the area less safe for traffic and guys working on the project. Friday the powers that be will take one final look at the weather and make any final decisions. If anything changes, we will send notices by midday Friday.

Remember: this is the first of seven similar closures over the next 10 months.

Wurzbach Parkway Progress

First, the big news: The eastern segment, connecting Wetmore Avenue to Jones-Maltsberger, will be opened for traffic by the first weekend of October (as long as weather cooperates).



Crews will still close a lane here or there to do some finish work, but this will effectively open the Parkway up along this corridor. Those who drive the area should watch out for crews with Texas Sterling Construction as finishing touches are done.

The middle segment - connecting West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger - is still on pace to be finished by the middle of 2015. Electricians are busy finishing up all the lighting under overpasses at West Avenue and Jones-Maltsberger, and road crews are working along U.S. 281.

Some closures upcoming (if weather cooperates):

This weekend - Saturday and Sunday - Texas Sterling will close Jones-Maltsberger at Wurzbach Parkway to lay asphalt. Traffic will use Arion Pkwy, Bitters Rd and the U.S. 281 frontage road to read its destination.

Texas Sterling will also close alternating lanes of Starcrest this weekend - Sunday - to lay asphalt.

Monday through Thursday nights next week Williams Brothers Construction will close the turnarounds on U.S. 281 at Bitters Road.

The following week (Sept. 29-Oct. 2) crews will close down portions of Bitters Road under U.S. 281 overnight. They'll have eastbound lanes closed for two nights, then swap over and have westbound lanes two nights. Traffic will use frontage roads and turnarounds to reach its destination.

Both sets of closures will allow Williams Brotthers to begin bridge work on the southbound main lanes of the highway.

Watch here for a look at the rest of what's happening:


Monday, September 15

Upcoming closure: I-35 south of New Braunfels (Comal County)

An event transpired in Kerrville the weekend of September 6-7 that is having a ripple effect on construction across the San Antonio District. That weekend, five road workers - including two TxDOT inspectors - we're seriously injured by a driver who was apparently driving under the influence of alcohol.


Working on roads is risky business to start - our offices are mere inches from traffic flying by at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour - but it's often made riskier by the poor choices of individuals behind the wheel. Because of that risk, closures. On at least one project in our area will be adjusted to improve safety.


That project is on I-35 between Solms and FM 3009, and involves roadway base repairs and asphalt resurfacing. It's a job intended to fix and extend the life of the roadway.

 

In order to provide more protection for crews working on the roadway, main lanes of I-35 will close overnight (one direction at a time) starting Sunday night, September 21, at locations between FM 3009 and Solms Rd. This closure will start at 10 p.m. and crews will be out of the way by 5:30 a.m. the following morning. These closures will persist nightly through the week.

 

These closures will begin on the southbound side only and begin at locations near Solms Rd. As work progresses south, closures will be moved to locations further south. Closures on the northbound lanes are expected to begin near FM 3009 as early as September 28, with crews progressing north as work is finished. This means the overnight closures will continue on the northbound side Sept. 28-Oct. 3.


Specific limits of the nightly closures and any details regarding detour routes will be available later this week.


Update (16 Sept):


Between September 21 and 25 Angel Brothers will close the southbound main lanes between Schwab Road and FM 2252, with traffic re-routed to the frontage road. This will take all southbound I-35 traffic through at least two intersections, which will be directed by police. This closure is nightly only, from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Between September 28 and October 2, the nightly closure will move to the southbound main lanes between FM 2252 and FM 3009. Again, traffic will pass through multiple intersections along the frontage roads and officers will direct traffic. The closure will start at 10 p.m. and the highway will reopen by 5 a.m.

Similar closures on the northbound side will start the night of October 5. More details regarding exact locations and the duration of the closure will be known in two weeks.


This major closure is being done to ensure the safety of road crews working for Angel Brothers and of TxDOT inspectors on the job. Initiating a full closure allows crews to work without worry of being hit by motorists moving through the work zone. The TxDOT area engineer in New Braunfels also expects this closure to improve the quality of the product and the speed of production.


Angel Brothers is repairing the road base along this corridor and resurfacing the roadway.

Friday, September 12

Next week's construction-related closures

Interstate 10

Monday-FridaySeptember 15-19

9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and lay pipe. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 15-19

9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 15-19

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 15-19

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 15-19

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Eastbound main lanes between Loop 1604 and Fredericksburg Road (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and place asphalt. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 15-19

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Westbound main lanes between UTSA Boulevard and Huebner Road (northwest San Antonio)

The right lane will close while crews widen the roadway. Expect delays.

 

Saturday-MondaySeptember 20-22

6 a.m. until 5 a.m. continuous

Main lanes, both directions, at Ralph Fair Road (Fair Oaks Ranch)

All lanes will close while crews hang bridge support beams. Traffic will exit Ralph Fair Road and use the frontage road through the Ralph Fair Road intersection, then re-enter the highway. Expect long delays.

 

Interstate 35

Sunday-FridaySeptember 14-19

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Southbound frontage road at Rittiman Road (northeast San Antonio)

The left lane will close while crews move barrier and move trucks through the work area. Expect delays.

 

Sunday-FridaySeptember 14-19

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Southbound frontage road at Fratt Road (northeast San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. Expect delays.

 

Monday-ThursdaySeptember 15-18

9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily

Southbound frontage road at Fratt Road (northeast San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. Expect delays.

 

Sunday-FridaySeptember 14-19

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Southbound main lanes between George Beach and Eisenhauer (northeast San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close to allow trucks safe access to the project area. Expect delays.

 

Sunday-FridaySeptember 14-19

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Northbound main lanes between George Beach and Rittiman Road (northeast San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and stripe the roadway. Expect delays.

 

Interstate 37

No closures scheduled.

 

Interstate 410

Sunday-FridaySeptember 14-19

9 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Eastbound exit to southbound I-35 (northeast San Antonio)

The right lane will close while crews build barrier. Expect delays.

 

Loop 1604

Tuesday, September 16

9 a.m.

Main lanes, both directions, at I-10 (east San Antonio)

Traffic will shift from the future northbound lanes onto the future southbound lanes as work begins to enter the next construction phase. This work is overseen by Bexar County Public Works.

*This was initially scheduled for Monday, Sept. 15 … scheduling conflicts pushed this back a day.

 

U.S. Highway 90

No closures scheduled.

 

U.S. Highway 281

No closures scheduled.

 

Other roads

Friday-SaturdaySeptember 12-13

11 p.m. until 11 p.m. continuous

Jones-Maltsberger at Wurzbach Parkway intersection (north-central San Antonio)

All lanes will close while crews pave the intersection. Traffic will use Arion Parkway, the U.S. Highway 281 frontage road and Bitters Road to reach its destination. Expect delays.

 

Sunday, September 14

4 a.m. until 11 a.m.

Starcrest Drive at Wurzbach Parkway (north-central San Antonio)

All lanes will close, one direction at a time, while crews pave the road. Traffic will follow the posted detour. Expect delays.

 

Monday-WednesdaySeptember 15-17

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.

DeZavala Road at I-10 (northwest San Antonio)

All lanes will close while crews pour concrete to form the eastbound overpass bridge deck. Traffic will turn right onto the frontage road in each direction and use turnarounds at the next intersection to reach its destination. This work should only take one night; extra night planned in case of inclement weather. Expect delays.

 

Tuesday-SaturdaySeptember 16-20

8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Medical Drive, both directions, between Ewing Halsell and Fairhaven Street (Medical Center)

Alternating lanes will close while crews do roadwork. Expect delays.

 

Tuesday-SaturdaySeptember 16-20

8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Fredericksburg Road between Louis Pasteur and Data Point (Medical Center)

Alternating lanes will close while crews do roadwork. Expect delays.

 

Saturday-MondaySeptember 20-22

6 a.m. until 5 a.m. continuous

FM 3351 (Ralph Fair Road) between Old Fredericksburg Road and I-10 (Fair Oaks Ranch)

All lanes will close while crews hang bridge support beams. Traffic will turn north or south, as needed, onto Old Fredericksburg Road to reach its destination. Expect long delays

 

Saturday-SundaySeptember 20-21

TBD a.m. until TBD p.m., continuous

Medical Drive between Fredericksburg Road and Ewing Halsell (Medical Center)

One lane will close while crews set bridge support beams to build the Fredericksburg Road bridge. This closure may include lanes of Fredericksburg Road as well. Details on this closure will be determined early next week. Expect major delays.

 

All planned lane closures are pending weather.

Thursday, September 11

U.S. 281 in Spring Branch: changes coming next week

If weather holds - and the chances are it won't this weekend - crews with Hunter Industries will have traffic along U.S. Highway 281 in its final configuration through Spring Branch Monday.

Again, the wet weather forecast for this weekend, beginning Friday, will likely push that back at least a day, perhaps a few more. Wet weather stops necessary dirt and paving work, as well as the painting that needs to happen, to allow us to move traffic over.

Whatever the weather, the point is traffic will be following the final footprint of U.S. 281 through the Spring Branch area next week. For now, traffic will only have one lane in each direction - this is to allow some extra space with which to safely work while some final details are being worked out.

One thing to note: the Spring Branch Post Office is still in its location ... and we had to build the road around the Post Office. Northbound lanes will bank left, then right, around the Post Office as the road comes down off Coyote Ridge. The posted limit is 55 miles per hour... but folks driving this road may think about slowing down a bit more than that. When driving through the area, remember to be safe and drive smart.

Hunter Industries is preparing the area for a final surface of asphalt, set to come soon. Once the final surface is down, striping crews can paint the roadway and traffic will be put in its final configuration - with two lanes each way (speed limits still 50 or 55 miles per hour).

Weather permitting, that should happen in time for family to visit for Thanksgiving.


Wednesday, September 10

I-10 closure at Ralph Fair Road planned

This week, folks are planning around full main-lane closures on I-10 at UTSA Boulevard. Next week, we'll all need to plan around a full main-lane closure on I-10 at Ralph Fair Road.

Next week's closure will make this week's seem like a walk in the park.

Here's what will be closed:
  • Main lanes, both directions, between Boerne Stage Road and Fair Oaks Ranch Parkway
  • Ralph Fair Road, both directions, between Old Fredericksburg Road and the I-10 eastbound frontage road
Work will begin Saturday, September 20 at 5 a.m. and crews will have everything reopened in time for the Monday morning commute. This closure will allow Sundt Construction to hang bridge support beams for the Ralph Fair Road overpass over the I-10 main lanes. These 165-feet-long beams will be some of the largest concrete support beams in the state of Texas.

Here's the planned/marked detour route for the main lanes:
  • Exit Ralph Fair Road, continue through intersection, re-enter highway after Ralph Fair Road
Here's the planned/marked detour route for Ralph Fair Road:
  • To reach Boerne Stage Road, turn left onto Old Fredericksburg Road, then right onto Aue Road, then left onto the I-10 frontage road (which is two-way between Aue and Boerne Stage roads)
  • To reach westbound I-10 turn right onto Old Fredericksburg Road, then left onto Lost Creek Gap, then left onto the I-10 frontage road (which is two-way), then use the entrance ramp between Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Ranch Parkway
  • To reach eastbound I-10 turn right onto Old Fredericksburg Road, then left onto Lost Creek Gap, then right onto the I-10 frontage road, then turn around at Fair Oaks Ranch Parkway and enter the highway at the next available entrance ramp
Project supervisors fully anticipate traffic on I-10 to back up to Boerne (eastbound) and to Loop 1604 (westbound), and perhaps beyond. Those who don't live in the area are cautioned to find different routes - like using Texas Hwy 46 and U.S. Hwy 281 - to travel between San Antonio and Boerne. The route may mean more miles, but the time to travel just might be significantly shorter.

In case all the bullet points are a bit confusing, here's a look at the work area ... red roads are closed, green roads mark the I-10 main lanes detour, blue roads mark the Ralph Fair Road detour.

This is the first of seven total closures of I-10 at Ralph Fair Road to take place over the next year while Sundt Construction rebuilds the Ralph Fair Road overpass bridge. The next such closure has not yet been definitively scheduled, but could be as early as October.

Tuesday, September 9

I-10 construction this week....

The most prominent thing to discuss is the full closure of I-10 at UTSA Blvd. this week. That closure was initially scheduled tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) but issues getting materials from Bexar Concrete, the trucking company supplying trucks to haul the bridge support beams to be set, have pushed those closures back 24 hours.

Webber will close all lanes of I-10 at UTSA Blvd. Wednesday and Thursday nights to set the bridge beams. Inclement weather could again impact this schedule, but project bosses are pushing hard to get this work done this week. Traffic going either direction will exit UTSA Blvd. and re-enter the highway.

This delay through the trucking company comes due to statewide inclement weather, which has pushed the company's work queue to push back a few days. The trucks hauling the beams were on their way to El Paso this morning to pick up the beams and should begin arriving on-site late Wednesday morning, in time to set beams starting Wednesday night.

During this closure traffic will be pushed through a signaled intersection (Webber Construction will have officers on site to direct traffic), this means traffic will be squeezed into a single lane as drivers exit and renter the highway (the ramps are only one lane). This will cause long delays, and those who can are advised to find alternate routes.

Meanwhile, bridge crews are working hard to finish up the eastbound side of the I-10 bridge over DeZavala Road, with concrete scheduled to be poured at the approaches to the bridge early next week. Once those approaches are poured, and the bridge rails, the smaller tasks can be done to prepare that side of the road for traffic.

Webber is hoping to have traffic switched over onto the eastbound side later this fall, ahead of the January target date. When traffic is switched over, work will begin in the westbound side.

Friday, September 5

Next week's construction-related closures

Interstate 10

Tuesday-ThursdaySeptember 9-11

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.

Main lanes, both directions, at UTSA Boulevard (northwest San Antonio)

All lanes will close while crews set bridge beams. Traffic will exit UTSA Boulevard and run through the intersection, then reenter the highway. Expect long delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 8-12

9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and lay pipe. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 8-12

9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 8-12

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Westbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 8-12

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Eastbound frontage road between Huebner Road and Loop 1604 (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and build storm drain. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 8-12

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Eastbound main lanes between Loop 1604 and Fredericksburg Road (northwest San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews move barrier and place asphalt. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 8-12

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. nightly

Westbound main lanes between UTSA Boulevard and Huebner Road (northwest San Antonio)

The right lane will close while crews widen the roadway. Expect delays.

 

Interstate 35

Sunday-FridaySeptember 7-12

9 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. nightly

Southbound main lanes between Solms Road and Schwab Road (Schertz)

Alternating lanes, two at a time, will close while crews resurface the roadway. Expect delays.

 

Sunday-FridaySeptember 7-12

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Southbound frontage road at Rittiman Road (northeast San Antonio)

The left lane will close while crews move barrier and move trucks through the work area. Expect delays.

 

Sunday-FridaySeptember 7-12

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Southbound frontage road at Fratt Road (northeast San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. Expect delays.

 

Monday-FridaySeptember 8-11

9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily

Southbound frontage road at Fratt Road (northeast San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close while crews lay asphalt. Expect delays.

 

Sunday-FridaySeptember 7-12

9 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Southbound main lanes between George Beach and Eisenhauer (northeast San Antonio)

Alternating lanes will close to allow trucks safe access to the project area. Expect delays.

 

Interstate 37

No closures scheduled.

 

Interstate 410

Sunday-FridaySeptember 7-12

9 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Eastbound exit to southbound I-35 (northeast San Antonio)

The right lane will close while crews build barrier. Expect delays.

 

Loop 1604

Monday, September 15

9 a.m.

Main lanes, both directions, at I-10 (east San Antonio)

Traffic will shift from the future northbound lanes onto the future southbound lanes as work begins to enter the next construction phase. This work is overseen by Bexar County Public Works.

 

U.S. Highway 90

No closures scheduled.

 

U.S. Highway 281

No closures scheduled.

 

Other roads

Tuesday-SaturdaySeptember 9-13

8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Medical Drive, both directions, between Ewing Halsell and Fairhaven Street (Medical Center)

Alternating lanes will close while crews do roadwork. Expect delays.

 

Tuesday-SaturdaySeptember 9-13

8 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly

Fredericksburg Road between Louis Pasteur and Data Point (Medical Center)

Alternating lanes will close while crews do roadwork. Expect delays.

 

Monday-TuesdaySeptember 15-16

8:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.

DeZavala Road at I-10 (northwest San Antonio)

All lanes will close while crews pour concrete to form the eastbound overpass bridge deck. Traffic will turn right onto the frontage road in each direction and use turnarounds at the next intersection to reach its destination. Expect delays.

 

Friday-SaturdaySeptember 12-13

11 p.m. until 11 p.m. continuous

Jones-Maltsberger at Wurzbach Parkway intersection (north-central San Antonio)

All lanes will close while crews pave the intersection. Traffic will use Arion Parkway, the U.S. Highway 281 frontage road and Bitters Road to reach its destination. Expect delays.

 

Sunday, September 14

4 a.m. until 11 a.m.

Starcrest Drive at Wurzbach Parkway (north-central San Antonio)

All lanes will close, one direction at a time, while crews pave the road. Traffic will follow the posted detour. Expect delays.

 

All planned lane closures are pending weather.