SAN ANTONIO – A large metal plate about an inch off the ground going across Interstate 10 is catching drivers off guard as they head out of Downtown north of the Finesilver Curve.
Alejandro Salazar owns a tire shop at the Culebra Road Exit off I-10, it’s the first exit drivers come to after they go over the bump. He says some of those drivers have ended up at his shop after busting their tires.
“If the tires don’t have a lot of meat on them and, they’re driving that fast, it’ll probably pop or something,” he said.
It caught him off guard the first time he drove across it. There are signs warning drivers to slow down for the bump ahead. “I didn’t notice it. And I just try to slow down as much as I can without causing an accident,” he recalls.
He says drivers with low treads and vehicles that are low to the ground should be very cautious. Tire and bumper repairs can cost anywhere from $800 to $1,200 he says.
The work is to replace the bridge joints on I-10 in both directions from Walsh Street to Hildebrand Road. TxDOT says the joints are not to current standards and require maintenance. A steel plate will cover the construction areas.
The work is done overnight to avoid peak traffic hours. Each joint is expected to take a few weeks, but the replacement for both directions will not be done until the end of 2024.
Bridge joints will also be replaced on I-35 on the upper level between Laredo Street and Camden Street in the near future.