SAN ANTONIO – Drivers will see a major traffic shift at Loop 1604 and Blanco Road as the city’s first diverging diamond interchange is set to open Monday, following a full weekend closure of Blanco Road at the intersection.
Starting Friday evening, Blanco Road will be closed in both directions at Loop 1604 and will remain closed through the entire weekend. Drivers are being directed to use Bitters Road to Huebner Road as an alternate route. The Loop 1604 mainlanes will stay open.
RELATED | WEEKEND CLOSURE: Loop 1604 frontage roads at Blanco Road for March 20-23 work
At 5 a.m. Monday, the interchange is scheduled to reopen with a new traffic pattern as the diverging diamond configuration goes into effect. TxDOT says the design is safer than a traditional interchange and could reduce crashes by up to 60%.
In the words of TxDOT, “There’s really no way to get it wrong.”
Under the new pattern, drivers will cross over to the left side of the road after the first traffic light, then cross back to the right side at a second set of lights.
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For drivers traveling through on the Loop 1604 frontage road, the route is designed to bypass the signals: motorists will stay in the far left lane and pass underneath without going through any lights.