Loop 1604 “super-street” approved

Diagram of a typical super street intersection (KY DOT)

Diagram of a typical super street intersection (KY DOT)

Just yesterday, I mentioned that plans for a Loop 1604 super-street would beĀ announced soon, and indeedĀ the project was announcedĀ todayĀ at a Bexar County Commissioners Court meeting where the court approved kicking-in $900,000 of Advanced Transportation District funds to help pay for the $7.4 million project.Ā  The remaining $6.5 million will come from federal stimulus funds.

There will be three componentsĀ to the project.Ā  The first, to start in May, will make improvements to the Braun/1604 intersection.Ā  I will get a copy of the plans from TxDOT as soon as I can and will pass-on the exact details of those improvements.Ā  However, it does not appear that the intersection will see the typical super-street design, that being replacing left-turns with turnarounds.Ā  Work on those improvements will take about a month.

Next January, work will begin on the actual super-street portion of the project, which will redesign the intersections of New Guilbeau, Shaenfield, and SH 151, replacing some left-turn movements with a combination of right-turns and turnarounds.Ā  Eliminating those left-turns allows for additional green time for 1604 through traffic.Ā  That project is expected to last seven months.

The final element of the improvements, which will begin late next year or in early 2012 in May 2011 and take a little over two years to complete, will build an underpass on SH 151 at Loop 1604, connecting 151 to Alamo Ranch Pkwy.Ā  That project will cost $18 million and will be funded separately.

It is estimated that the super-street will increaseĀ travel times on Loop 1604 by about 35%Ā duringĀ the morning rush hourĀ and 65% during the evening peak.Ā  The Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, which is currently conducting an environmental studyĀ for long-term improvements for Loop 1604, will design the project and obtain the required environmental clearances for it.Ā  TxDOT will then construct it.

For more information on how a super-street works, see my US 281 super-street page.

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