SAN ANTONIO – Drivers on San Antonio’s Northeast Side could see some relief from years of construction and congestion as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) advances major highway projects, including the final segment of the Loop 1604 expansion and elevated express lanes on Interstate 35.
TxDOT broke ground on the last phase of the Loop 1604 North expansion project on Thursday. The sixth and final segment of the project will run from Judson Road to the 1604 and I-35 interchange. The entire project extends from State Highway 16 Bandera Road near Helotes to the far Northeast Side. It will expand 1604 to ten lanes both directions with dedicated HOV lanes.
The agency also gave KSAT an exclusive look at work underway on the I-35 NEX project, including access to the top of the new elevated express lanes that is still under construction.
The tour coincided with a visit from Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster, who said the size of the project underscores its potential impact.
“The size and scale of the project really highlights the amount of impact it’s going to have on the local community,” McMaster said.
TxDOT officials said the elevated express lanes will run from the Schertz area to Loop 410 near Brooke Army Medical Center. McMaster said it’s important for federal officials to see the work firsthand, and he described the scope as striking outside Washington, D.C.
“It’s important to get out of Washington, D.C. We have these one-size fits all approaches historically in the government, but when you get on the ground, you see the impact to the community and size and scale of these projects, otherwise it can just be a number on a page,” McMaster said.
McMaster also said the San Antonio region is critical for freight movement, including consumer goods traveling north from the Port of Laredo.
TxDOT officials said about 200,000 vehicles travel through the corridor daily, and the agency expects that figure to reach 400,000 over the next 20 years.
TxDOT said the first major portion of the I-35 NEX project is expected to open early next year, allowing drivers to use an elevated express lanes at Schertz Parkway on I-35 South to directly connect to Loop 1604 and Loop 410.
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