San Antonio: low bid on US 281 freeway conversion $192.3 million

[MaxConcrete]

http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/cmd/cserve/bidtab/02023001.htm

This is the first section of the long-awaited and long-embattled extension of the US 281 freeway north of Loop 1604 in far north San Antonio. This first section is about 3 miles.

This was slated to be a tollway until local opposition slowed the project, then then Texas political climate changed in 2015 with the departure of Rick Perry, who was replaced by anti-toll governor Abbott. So this is a big success for the toll opposition.

I don't have the schematics available, but I recall that this section is generally a six-lane freeway with frontage roads. However, most of the overall planned freeway (going much further north) will have only four freeway lanes (two each way) and two managed lanes. I can't remember exact details on where the managed lanes start.

[J N Winkler]

My scraper pulled in the construction plans a few weeks ago and I looked at them very casually.  (I am no longer systematically extracting pattern-accurate sign panel detail sheets--after getting over 16,000 of these from TxDOT, I finally decided to call it a day.)  I did notice that the US 281/Loop 1604 interchange is being upgraded to a design that stops just short of being a full Maltese cross stack because the northbound-to-westbound movement begins as a left exit.

[The Ghostbuster]

Will this new US 281 freeway conversion be built to Interstate Standards? Not that I'm advocating an extension of Interstate 37. That would be posted in Fictional Highways.

[Anthony_JK]

Will this new US 281 freeway conversion be built to Interstate Standards? Not that I'm advocating an extension of Interstate 37. That would be posted in Fictional Highways.

I'm pretty much assuming it will be, ultimately up to the Comal County line. And, there are plans (but no funding as of yet) to upgrade US 281 to freeway standards further north, too.

Hmmm....maybe not an I-37 north extension, but a potential I-x14 spur, perhaps?

[Bobby5280]

Since short-length 2di routes are popping up in other places (like North Carolina), why not call this road I-33? It's roughly 100 miles from Loop 1604 in San Antonio up Lampasas, where US-281 meets US-190 and a potential I-14 crossing. 100 miles is kind of long for a 3 digit Interstate spur. I've seen the US-281 corridor mentioned as a possible I-35 long distance relief route for Austin and DFW.

Either way, it would take a really long time to bring that much of US-281 up to Interstate standards without a major legislative push. For now, I can see US-281 getting upgraded to Interstate quality from Loop 1604 up to the junction with US-290 West of Austin.

[The Ghostbuster]

Are there any plans to upgrade the existing US 281 freeway north of Interstate 35 to Interstate Standards? Would such an upgrade be possible, given the freeway's surroundings?

[J N Winkler]

Will this new US 281 freeway conversion be built to Interstate Standards? Not that I'm advocating an extension of Interstate 37.

I'm pretty much assuming it will be, ultimately up to the Comal County line. And, there are plans (but no funding as of yet) to upgrade US 281 to freeway standards further north, too.

Hmmm....maybe not an I-37 north extension, but a potential I-x14 spur, perhaps?

The answer to Ghostbuster's question is a qualified Yes, so far as shoulder widths are concerned.  Shoulders are supposed to be 10 ft minimum for most of the length of US 281 covered by this improvement (Interstate standards call for 4 ft left/10 ft right minimum), but there is a segment at the south end that will be resurfaced only, with shoulders kept at existing widths that vary from 2 ft to 8 ft.  At the north end, US 281 is receiving some widening for new ramps and there the shoulders will be only 8 ft (I don't know at what point shoulders on ramps begin to count against the mainline shoulder requirements).  The more serious problem with extending I-37 along US 281 is that the direct path through the northern parts of San Antonio is comically far from meeting Interstate standards.  The typical sections in the plans are less than clear about shoulder cross-sections on Loop 1604, and it is hard to get a sense from StreetView imagery whether it could be used to bridge an Interstate designation to US 281 north of the interchange.

I haven't checked other aspects of geometric design such as horizontal or vertical curvature.  That is a green-eyeshades job and while I have a copy of the 2011 Green Book, I don't have a copy of the current version of the Interstate design reference.

[Bobby5280]

I think an Interstate-quality upgrade of US-281 from Loop 1604 to the Comal County Line is possible. There is sufficient right of way from Loop 1604 up to the Sam's Club at Marshall Road, with the exception of a couple properties still not bought or removed.

North of there it looks tricky in spots. There's a nice building (Mission Park Stone Oak) that was built about 10 years ago. It's right in the path of a freeway expansion. There's a few other businesses along the ROW that would have to be removed to make any expansion work. US-281 has freeway style exits at FM-1863 and TX-46. Any freeway built through that area would have to use the US-281 corridor. Any attempt to bypass US-281 and run parallel to it in that area would have to cut through some big hills encrusted with high priced homes.

Just after US-281 passes North of the Guadalupe River it widens out where the main lanes would be frontage roads for a future freeway. There is a post office built in the median at Spring Branch though. Bypasses would have to be built around the towns of Blanco and Johnson City.

[MaxConcrete]

I drove through the area with work in progress yesterday, and it is a massive construction zone, at least five miles long.

Right-of-way is cleared for the entire corridor, and actual construction is the most advanced on the south end near Loop 1604. The four direct-connection ramps at Loop 1604 are the furthest along and are well past 50% completion.

These photos start on the north end of the corridor and proceed southbound

[rte66man]

Nice to have an existing quarry just to the west of the construction.