SAN ANTONIO – A new interchange at Loop 1604 and Blanco Road on San Antonio’s North Side is changing the way drivers move through one of the area’s busiest intersections.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) completed the diverging diamond interchange on Saturday, Aug. 22.
The diverging diamond interchange (DDI) is a design that temporarily shifts drivers to the opposite side of the roadway before returning them to the correct side. The setup can make it feel like motorists are driving on the wrong side of the road.
“Just driving through it the first time for me was pretty confusing, and it felt a little scary,” Kayla McConnell, a person born and raised on the North Side, said.
Another North Side homeowner, Sharaf, said the confusion nearly caused a crash.
“This is very, very risky, very confusing,” Sharaf said.
TxDOT said Loop 1604 and Blanco Road is one of the most heavily traveled areas in north San Antonio. The new design is intended to reduce delays and improve traffic flow through the intersection.
“The DDI was constructed as part of Segment 3 of the Loop 1604 North Expansion project. Segment 3 began construction in fall 2021 and is expected to be complete by the end of 2026,” a TxDOT spokesperson told KSAT.
The estimated cost for Segment 3 is $279 million, according to TxDOT.
McConnell told KSAT that drivers now move through the intersection faster, despite the initial confusion.
“There is good signage, so you can follow the lanes a little better,” McConnell said. “It feels a little less chaotic now compared to when the cones were there. It just felt like mayhem.”
McConnell shared information about the interchange on her social media, where thousands of people responded with similar concerns and questions about the reason for the design.
The interchange is one of seven diverging diamond interchanges in Texas, according to a TxDOT spokesperson. TxDOT plans to begin construction on another diverging diamond interchange in San Antonio in the coming months at Interstate 37 and SL 13 (Southeast Military Drive).
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