In San Antonio and across Texas, there has been a rash of wrong-way drivers (WWD) over the past few years.  In San Antonio last year, there was a WWD about every other day.  Fortunately, 80% of those drivers caused no accidents.  But sadly, seven people were killed by WWDs last year.  Of no surprise was that the majority of WWDs were intoxicated.

To combat the problem, several agencies formed the San Antonio Wrong Way Driver Task Force in March 2011.  Those agencies include TxDOT, SAPD, City of San Antonio Public Works Department, Bexar County Sherrif’s Office, and Texas Transportation Institute, and the Federal Highway Administration.  The task force worked to determine the extent and characteristics of the local problem, evaluate previous research and countermeasures, and formulate a plan to test and implement countermeasures locally.

After crunching the data, it was determined that the most WWD incidents occurred between midnight and 6am with Saturday night/Sunday morning being the worst by far (nearly twice that of Friday nights, which was the second most dangerous.)

In determining the worst locations, engineers found that it was nearly impossible to ascertain the exit ramp where the WWD entered.  In fact, the wrong way entry point could be identified in just five cases last year.  Furthermore, focusing on specific ramps limited the effectiveness of the evaluation of the issue or any subsequent countermeasure programs.  Therefore, the problem was scoped by corridor.  In that context, the US 281 corridor from downtown to Stone Oak showed the most WWD incidents.

Next, the group evaluated potential countermeasures.  One of the first suggestions made by the general public is the use of wrong-way spike devices like those used in parking lots.  However, previous research and testing has shown that these devices are not the obvious panacea many folks think them to be.  Here are some of the problems noted in the task force’s report:

• Such devices are only designed for low-speed locations (< 10 mph).
• When tested in a high-speed location, even after being modified, the spikes did not cause the tires to deflate quickly enough to prevent the vehicle from entering the freeway and making significant progress.
• During testing in a high-speed location, the spikes often broke, making the device useless for its intended purpose and, furthermore, damaging the tires of vehicles headed in the right direction.
• Many right-way drivers perceived the devices as a hazard and hit their brakes, thus creating a hazardous condition.
• The devices were slippery during wet weather.
• Dirt, debris, and ice build up in the devices, preventing the spikes from folding down properly for right-way drivers.

Not mentioned in the report is the fact that even if spikes worked as intended, that would leave a disabled vehicle in the middle of an exit ramp, most often in the dark, thus presenting a serious traffic hazard for other drivers.

Given all these factors, spike strips are just a bad idea all around.

San Antonio is not the first city to encounter this problem, and therefore other countermeasures were available for evaluation.  One of the first things looked at was enhanced static signing.  TxDOT has already developed a checklist for increasing the visibility of static wrong-way signage and markings and has implemented that scheme on most ramp locations in San Antonio.  They are now considering additional “supplemental” measures including oversized signs as needed.

SAPD currently relies almost exclusively on the public to report WWDs.  All but one of the WWD incidents last year was first reported by the public (the other one was observed by a TransGuide operator.)  To improve the detection of WWDs, various detection devices can be employed.  These can be installed on exit ramps as well as on the main lanes and can alert SAPD and TransGuide dispatchers within seconds of a WWD being detected.

Also evaluated were “active” warning signs that either light-up or flash red borders when activated by a detection device.  These can also be placed on exit ramps and/or the main lanes.

Finally, physical channelization (i.e. the use of traffic islands to shunt traffic in the proper direction) on frontage road driveways was evaluated.

To determine the effectiveness of these devices, TxDOT selected the US 281 corridor from downtown to Stone Oak for a test project.  Wrong-way detection devices and active signage will be placed on each exit ramp in the corridor as well as at four main lane locations: south of Encino Rio, south of Thousand Oaks, south of Loop 410, and north of Hildebrand.  In addition, TxDOT will continue their practice of putting WWD warnings on the TransGuide dynamic message signs.  After the devices are installed, the effectiveness of these measures will be evaluated.  Work has already started and the system is expected to go online in mid February 2012.  Design work on a second corridor– I-35 from US 90 to I-37– is underway.  Because of the unique features of that corridor, including double-decked sections and non-typical exit ramps, different countermeasures may be employed.  Depending on the outcome of these projects, the system may be expanded to the rest of the city’s freeway system.

Hopefully, these countermeasures prove effective at solving a problem that is simply getting out of hand.

More information

• The San Antonio Wrong Way Driver Initiative

Somewhere on the new section of Blanco

Earlier this week, crews opened all the new lanes on the final stretch of Blanco Road outside Loop 1604, specifically from Wilderness Oaks to south of Huebner.  Last month, the new lanes north of Wilderness Oaks were opened.  All that’s left to do now is some striping, signage, and other “punch-list” items and this long-awaited improvement will be completed.  Along with the recent completion of the US 281 superstreet (well, it too is still getting finishing touches), traffic in and around Stone Oak should start to see appreciable improvements.  Additionally, off to the east, work on widening Bulverde Road from 1604 to Evans is ongoing (expected completion is late 2012) and the city is in the initial planning stages to widen Stone Oak Boulevard to six lanes.

Meanwhile, work is scheduled to start in the next week or so on the latest Medical Center intersection improvement project.  Crews will begin rebuilding the Babcock/Medical intersection in a manner similar to the other recent intersection upgrades.  I haven’t see the plans yet (I’ll update this post if/when I do), but I suspect there will be dual left turn lanes from southbound Babcock onto Medical and probably dual right-turn lanes from westbound Medical onto Babcock in addition to right-turn bays in all four quadrants and other improvements.  And nearby, work on the Hamilton-Wolfe/Floyd Curl intersection is wrapping-up; I expect it to be essentially complete by the end of this month.

• UPDATE (11/15/10): Medical/Babcock plans
• UPDATE (11/18/10): Express-News story about Blanco

TxDOT announced today that work will start next week on the first of three phases to finally complete the Wurzbach Parkway.  Crews will begin November 1st on the section from Wetmore to Jones-Maltsberger, with completion expected in early 2014.  A month later, on December 1st, work is scheduled to begin on the segment from Blanco Rd. to West Ave.  That section should be done about a year sooner, in early 2013.

That leaves the final section from West Ave. to Jones-Maltsberger.  That stretch is scheduled to go to bid in May of next year.

All three sections will feature a four-lane divided parkway similar to that already in-place east of Wetmore.  Despite earlier uncertainty over costs, it appears now that the projects will include overpasses at Blanco, West Ave., US 281, Jones-Maltsberger, and Starcrest.  However, there still are no plans at this time for a full interchange at US 281.

The total cost of all three segments is expected to be around $130 million and is being funded with Proposition 12 funds approved by the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) about a year ago.  Officials had originally hoped to get federal stimulus funds for the project, but when that didn’t materialize, the TTC took advantage of new Prop 12 funds authorized by the Legislature.  The Wurzbach project was the largest single Prop 12 project approved last year.

Meanwhile, work began last month on a long-awaited (or maybe long-feared) project to widen De Zavala between Babcock and Cogburn.  The project will widen the road to five lanes (two each way plus a center left-turn lane) and add sidewalks, curbs, and updated traffic signals.  The $17 million project is expected to be completed in mid 2012.

That said, no improvement is ever perfect.  There are always trade-offs, and this project is no exception.  The folks coming from east of US 281 in the mornings are probably the ones inconvenienced the most by these changes.  Hopefully, the benefits for everyone will outweigh any drawbacks.  Time will tell.

If you use US 281 regularly, please post a comment about whether the superstreet has helped!  I’ll be headed out there this afternoon to see for myself.

Meanwhile, after weeks of rain, crews were finally able to complete work on the second of four super-street intersections on US 281.  The Marshall Rd. intersection was completed this past weekend leaving the Stone Oak/TPC Pkwy. and Evans Rd. intersections left to do.

Related links:

• Second ‘superstreet’ gets feds’ clearance (MySanAntonio.com)
• Loop 1604 West “Super-street” (TexasHighwayman.com)
• ARMA news release

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

There’s also a good John Branch cartoon:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/cartoonists/Latest_cartoons_from_John_Branch.html?c=n#1

What effect do you think this will have, if any?

That intersection– at Encino Rio– will actually be different than the other intersections in the project in that traffic coming from Encino Rio will still be able to make the left turn onto 281.  In the other intersections (Evans, Stone Oak/TPC, and Marshall), traffic on those streets will have to turn right, then make a U-turn in order to turn left.  But at Encino Rio, since there’s very little traffic that makes the left turn onto Encino Rio from southbound 281 relative to traffic turning left from Encino Rio onto 281, it was decided to eliminate the left turns from 281 onto Encino Rio and into the Martin Marietta quarry and instead increase the left turn capacity from Encino Rio onto 281 southbound by adding a third left turn lane.  This combination of changes will provide the time-savings and signal phase reductions that will improve traffic flow on 281 itself.

However, this last dash to the finish line will have an appreciable pain factor– there will be major lane closures all weekend at Encino Rio as crews transform the intersection, finish the traffic signal installation, repave all the lanes, and mark them.  So I strongly advise everyone to avoid the area completely this weekend.

The remaining intersections will be completed in the same fashion one-at-a-time moving north (i.e. Evans is next) starting the weekend following Labor Day.  This means completion of the project, which is about a month behind schedule due to unusually heavy rains earlier this year, will be in late September.