On the Move » I-35

Most congested roads in San Antonio

Brian — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:53:05 +0000

TxDOT released their second annual list of the 100 most congested roadway segments in the state. Last year’s list inexplicably missed US 281 north of Loop 1604, but not this year. However, it still wasn’t tops in Bexar County. Loop 1604 West, from Bandera to Culebra, ranked #1 in Bexar County and #23 in the state with 945,701 annual hours of delay, or about 197,000 hours per mile, costing commuters $20.6 million. A rush hour trip on that section of 1604 took 51% longer than an off-peak trip, according to the data.

Second in Bexar County was the infamous stretch of US 281 from Loop 1604 to the Comal County line. It ranked 38th statewide with 1.2 million hours of annual delay costing commuters $25.7 million. These numbers are larger than those for 1604, but because the congestion levels drop-off substantially north of Marshall, that only worked-out to about 150,000 hours of delay per mile for the entire segment, which was the metric on which the rankings were based. US 281 also had a lower ratio of peak-period to off-peak congestion: a rush hour journey only took 33% longer. There are two ways to interpret that stat: either rush hour traffic isn’t really bad, or even non-rush hour traffic is pretty lousy. I think we all know which of those two applies to 281.

Bexar County had 11 segments on this year’s list (state rankings in parenthesis):

1 (23): Loop 1604, Bandera to Culebra
2 (38): US 281, Loop 1604 to Comal County Line
3 (48): I-35, US 281 to US 90
4 (49): I-35, Loop 1604 to Guadalupe County Line
5 (50): Culebra Rd., Loop 410 to Grissom
6 (56): Wurzbach Rd., NW Military to Loop 410
7 (62): I-35 North, Loop 410 to Loop 1604
8 (75): Castroville Rd., SW 19th to SH 151
9 (81): Fredericksburg Rd., Woodlawn to Loop 410
10 (94): Loop 410 North, I-35 to US 281
11 (96): Basse Rd./Nacogdoches Rd., US 281 to Naco-Perrin

Some on the list are surprising, such as Castroville Rd. But overall, this list is probably more spot-on than last year’s. This is probably because TxDOT used a new methodology this year to compile the list. You can read all the gory details about their process here.

Bexar County ranked third in the number of segments on the list after Harris (35) and Dallas (24) Counties. However, the DFW Metroplex had 37 roadways on the list, and the Austin area tied with San Antonio with 11.

You can see the entire list here:
http://www.txdot.gov/news/038-2010.htm

San Antonio Express-News story:
MySanAntonio.com – S.A. traffic could be worse — no, really

I-35 closed Saturday

Patrick — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:00:56 +0000

A daylong blanket of wetness (I can still hear a soothing patter outside) has pushed a scheduled nighttime closure of Interstate 35 to a more traffic-heavy Saturday morning.

Crews will close all main lanes in both directions between AT&T Parkway and New Braunfels Avenue from 4 a.m. to as late as 2 p.m. so they can do bridge work, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

Motorists should look for alternative routes such as Austin Highway and Broadway; or I-10 and Houston Street.

Also, watch out for the closure of three westbound Loop 410 lanes at San Pedro Avenue from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Could be rough. Work there includes culvert and bridge repairs.

The ultimate judge on whether the closures happen, of course, is the weather. The verdict for now, per the National Weather Service, forecasts a good chance for more showers Friday, followed by the sun coming out of hiding Saturday and Sunday.

Check out the latest:

I-35 closed this weekend

Patrick — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:07:37 +0000

With some dozen announcements about construction and lane closures apparently wrapped up for the week, the biggest snag to watch for will be on Interstate 35 near Fort Sam Houston.

In about an hour, crews will shut down all southbound main lanes of I-35 from Walters Street to New Braunfels Avenue so they can do bridge work, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

The lane closures could last to as late as 5 a.m. Monday, with motorists detoured to the frontage road.

Alternative routes include Rittiman Road to Austin Highway and then Broadway; or Coliseum Road to Houston Street.

To check current traffic conditions, go to TransGuide.

Funding approved to complete Wurzbach Pkwy

Brian — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:42:14 +0000

The Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) yesterday approved $130 million in Proposition 12 bond funds to complete the Wurzbach Parkway in San Antonio. The parkway project, which began in the late ’80s as a beltline to connect I-35 to I-10 across North San Antonio, has been built piecemeal over the years as funding has become available. Earlier this year, TxDOT updated the environmental studies to make the project “shovel-ready” in case federal stimulus funds became available. That didn’t materialize, but that preparation paid-off Thursday because the Legislature had mandated that the first batch of Prop 12 funds be spent by September 2011. Therefore, the TTC prioritized projects that could be started quickly. Because of that prep work the local TxDOT folks did, Wurzbach Parkway fit that criteria nicely.

The final leg of the parkway will be constructed in three segments: Blanco to West, West to Jones-Maltsberger, and J-M to Wetmore. Work on the eastern and western segments is projected to start next summer. The middle segment should get underway a year later. All three segments should take about two years each to complete.

Wurzbach wasn’t the only project in the San Antonio area to get funded. Lighting improvements on I-35 south of Rittiman and at US 281, installation of cable barriers in the median of I-10 in far western Guadalupe County, and widening of part of FM 306 in Comal County also got funded. And, of interest to everyone along the I-35 corridor, funds were approved to essentially complete the widening of I-35 from San Antonio to Hillsboro, namely long segments north of Waco. You can see the complete list of projects here. (Link updated 12/01/09)

Officials in the DFW area felt shortchanged in this process, getting only $126 million for minor maintenance projects in their region. According to news reports, officials there feel penalized because of their robust support for toll-roads. Bowing to public pressure, the Leg stipulated that Prop 12 funds could not be spent on toll projects. Most of the big projects getting ready to start in the DFW area have a toll component to them and thus were ineligible for these funds. And, as some pointed-out, DFW has gotten more than its fair share during some other recent rounds of funding. Metroplex officials have decided to regroup to see how they can ensure funding for projects in the future.

Two freeways closed this weekend

Patrick — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:36:25 +0000

Construction workers will shut down both directions of Interstate 35 and also eastbound Loop 410 this weekend so they can do bridge work.

Near Fort Sam Houston, crews demolishing a bridge will close all I-35 main lanes between AT&T Parkway and New Braunfels Avenue from 11 p.m. Friday to as late as 5 a.m. Monday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

On the North Side, workers setting beams will close eastbound Loop 410 at Nacogdoches Road from 8 p.m. Friday to as late as 5 p.m. Saturday.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Forecast predicts sunny skies Saturday and Sunday, with temps in the upper 70s.

I predict mighty slow going for motorists who don’t find better alternate routes, with tempers in the upper ranges.

Useful links:

Sometimes “no” really does mean “no”

Patrick — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:08:29 +0000

Click for larger map

A few years ago, then Texas transportation czar Ric Williamson shrugged off a citizen revolt against grand plans to build cross-state toll lanes and rail lines along Interstate 35. At the time, tens of thousands of people were showing up at dozens of public hearings to lash out at the planned Trans Texas Corridor’s I-35 leg.

Williamson, who was the Texas Transportation Commission chairman, said public hearings aren’t a vote but rather an effort to find out WHY people oppose or support a proposal and then to address those concerns.

He said:

The purpose of public hearings is not to take a survey. It is not a matter of not having sympathy for those who will have their land lost. Somebody has got to do something about (Interstate) 35. Not 10 years from now and not 25 years from now but right now.

Well, today the Texas Department of Transportation said the best way to address those concerns is to do nothing, at least for now.

“Citizens all along the I-35 corridor did their civic duty by participating in public meetings and hearings, and by voicing their concerns,” TxDOT Director Amadeo Saenz said. “Now it’s our duty to respond to those concerns – by recommending the No Action Alternative for TTC-35.”

Transportation Commission member Bill Meadows framed it much more bluntly to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

People don’t want it. They said “Hell no.”

Meanwhile, something still has to be done, commission member Ted Houghton said.

But, he said, ”Our future efforts to identify potential solutions will be led by citizens.”

TxDOT will finish widening I-35 to six lanes from San Antonio to Hillsboro and also look to its I-35 Corridor Advisory Committee and four I-35 segment committees for guidance on what to do next. The corridor committee will report to the Transportation Commission on Oct. 29 in Fort Worth.