I-10 expansion between San Antonio and Houston

[Bobby5280]

I don't mind the service plazas in the median all that much. But I would prefer the more elaborate design where the plaza is built over the highway and has exits and parking areas flanking the left and right of the main lanes of the Interstate. No left exits with that approach.

The I-44 service plaza near Vinita is fairly unique. At one time it had what was considered the world's largest McDonald's location. The recently re-built plaza has handful of restaurants in it along with a convenience store and tourist info stuff.

[Rothman]

I don't like plazas where you can't reverse direction.

[MaxConcrete]

Bids were opened today for the next section to be upgraded to a minimum of 3x3. This section is from east of the Colorado River, westward to SH 71, including a new interchange at SH 71. Pulice Construction won't sleep well tonight knowing they underbid the next bid lowest bid by $105 million.

This project includes a new 8-lane bridge over the Colorado River on a new alignment. About 1 mile of existing alignment immediately east of the Colorado River will be abandoned (although I don't know the eventual plan for it).

For many years - actually decades! - there has been a need to widen I-10 from Houston to the SH 71 split. With this project, it will finally get done.

County:   COLORADO   Let Date:   05/03/24
Type:   WIDEN ROAD - ADD LANES   Seq No:   3201
Time:   0 X   Project ID:   F 2B24(075)
Highway:   IH 10   Contract #:   05243201
Length:   1.727   CCSJ:   0271-01-083
Limits:   
From:   COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE   Check:   $100,000
To:   US 90 (ALLEYTON RD SOUTH)   Misc Cost:   
Estimate   $469,969,329.15   % Over/Under   Company
Bidder 1   $439,895,580.53   -6.40%   PULICE CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Bidder 2   $545,355,544.63   +16.04%   WEBBER, LLC
Bidder 3   $551,244,651.17   +17.29%   WILLIAMS BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.

[thisdj78]

Bids were opened today for the next section to be upgraded to a minimum of 3x3. This section is from east of the Colorado River, westward to SH 71, including a new interchange at SH 71. Pulice Construction won't sleep well tonight knowing they underbid the next bid lowest bid by $105 million.

This project includes a new 8-lane bridge over the Colorado River on a new alignment. About 1 mile of existing alignment immediately east of the Colorado River will be abandoned (although I don't know the eventual plan for it).

For many years - actually decades! - there has been a need to widen I-10 from Houston to the SH 71 split. With this project, it will finally get done.

County:   COLORADO   Let Date:   05/03/24
Type:   WIDEN ROAD - ADD LANES   Seq No:   3201
Time:   0 X   Project ID:   F 2B24(075)
Highway:   IH 10   Contract #:   05243201
Length:   1.727   CCSJ:   0271-01-083
Limits:   
From:   COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE   Check:   $100,000
To:   US 90 (ALLEYTON RD SOUTH)   Misc Cost:   
Estimate   $469,969,329.15   % Over/Under   Company
Bidder 1   $439,895,580.53   -6.40%   PULICE CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Bidder 2   $545,355,544.63   +16.04%   WEBBER, LLC
Bidder 3   $551,244,651.17   +17.29%   WILLIAMS BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.

Any indication of how different the intersection with SH71 will be?

Also, I wonder why the need for new alignment east of and over the Colorado River.

[Anthony_JK]

Found this link to TxDOT which includes the schematics:

https://www.txdot.gov/projects/hearings-meetings/yoakum/archive/092518.html 

[DJStephens]

Bids were opened today for the next section to be upgraded to a minimum of 3x3. This section is from east of the Colorado River, westward to SH 71, including a new interchange at SH 71. Pulice Construction won't sleep well tonight knowing they underbid the next bid lowest bid by $105 million.


County:   COLORADO   Let Date:   05/03/24
Type:   WIDEN ROAD - ADD LANES   Seq No:   3201
Time:   0 X   Project ID:   F 2B24(075)
Highway:   IH 10   Contract #:   05243201
Length:   1.727   CCSJ:   0271-01-083
Limits:   
From:   COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE   Check:   $100,000
To:   US 90 (ALLEYTON RD SOUTH)   Misc Cost:   
Estimate   $469,969,329.15   % Over/Under   Company
Bidder 1   $439,895,580.53   -6.40%   PULICE CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Bidder 2   $545,355,544.63   +16.04%   WEBBER, LLC
Bidder 3   $551,244,651.17   +17.29%   WILLIAMS BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.

That does seem quite bizarre.  Why the first two bids are so far apart.  Know an individual who is employed by Pulice, maybe could get some inside information.   Maybe.     

[longhorn]

Why the change of right of way?

[Bobby5280]

The new 8-lane bridge over the Colorado River will need bigger, heavier duty piers and foundations. That kind of thing can't just be patched into the existing ROW over/near the existing piers. The new bridge would have a much wider footprint. Replacing bridges in place might put new piers too close to existing piers. There has to be enough separation for the soil and bedrock to remain stable.

[webny99]

Why the change of right of way?

In addition to what Bobby5280 mentioned, the original bridges don't look wide enough to reconstruct in phases that would allow four lanes to remain open throughout the project, so it may have made more sense logistically to use a totally new alignment. The current alignment also has a pair of curves that could be more or less eliminated by shifting the bridge slightly south.

[Bobby5280]

Another nice thing about building the new Colorado River bridge on a new alignment is the whole thing could be built both faster and better. The bridge project wouldn't have to inch along, having to work around existing traffic. There wouldn't be nearly as much shifting traffic back and forth from one set of lanes to another.

Has a final alignment been chosen for the Colorado River bridge? The 2018 schematic posted earlier showed 2 preliminary design alternatives. I-10 goes from a 2x2 configuration to newly widened 3x3 build around 15 miles East of the TX-71 interchange in Columbus.

Even though the new Colorado River bridge is proposed to have 8 lanes it could end up being like the I-10 bridge over the Brazos River a little farther East. It has 8 lanes, but the outer lanes are dotted rather than striped to warn of the lane drop at the next exit.

[Chris]

Huge distribution centers are popping up along I-10 west of Houston. It's not surprising that truck traffic will surge with developments of this scale.



Ross Stores opened a mega distribution center, a rough estimate puts it at around 3,000 parking spots for trucks/trailers. Their employee parking is probably over 1,500 spots. They say that it is now the largest employer in Waller County.




Also, Fulshear was named the 11th largest gaining city in the country from 2022 to 2023. It's located west of Houston in the same area.





https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/subcounty-population-estimates.html