The Loop 1604 construction woes aren’t letting up anytime soon. Weekend commuters heading to coffee shops and shopping spots on the far Northside of San Antonio should brace for a major switch-up that may put a damper on those off-duty plans, as major shutdowns are underway.
As part of this sweeping overhaul of Loop 1604 – a $1.4 billion, multiyear effort – the Texas Department of Transportation continues to tug on the emotional patience of San Antonio drivers. Now, they’re coming for the weekend plans of drivers on the Far Northside, particularly those looking to access the shopping center at Loop 1604 and U.S. 281. That’s where Main Event, Best Buy, The Toasted Yolk and other frequent weekend destinations are. Not only is TxDOT closing the Redland Road exit from eastbound Loop 1604, but there’s going to be a mishmash of two-way traffic on both sides of the highway.
Because there are so many neighborhoods lining the largest state loop in Texas (Loop 1604) between Redland Road and U.S. 281, TxDOT is turning small slivers of the access roads into two-way streets – a feature likely unusual to newer city slickers but a fading memory for more rural travelers in Texas.
Between Gold Canyon and Redland roads, traffic can go both ways from 9 p.m. Friday, July 24, until noon Saturday morning while crews work on bridge joint repairs. With the exit closed, drivers heading in either direction on Loop 1604 will need to take the next exit, make a U-turn at either U.S. 281 or Bulverde Road, and continue to their neighborhood or local shopping hotspot.
It’s all very confusing – as Loop 1604 construction closures tend to be – but everyone will still be able to get home and to their local shops. Just brace for detour signs, a potentially surprising merge or two, and plan for a little extra travel time. It’s all part of a bigger plan, though, that’s slated to transform one of Texas’ most congested highways into a 10-lane haven from the Far Northwest Side all the way to the Far Eastside.
“It’s one of the most congested corridors in the state,” TxDOT Public Information Officer Jennifer Serold previously told MySA. “Over the next 20 to 25 years, the amount of daily drivers is expected to double. So, this expansion project is to prepare for future growth but also to give benefits to drivers in the next few years … It’s bringing a lot of congestion relief to drivers by giving them more lanes to travel on. And then, of course, when you reduce congestion, you increase safety for the drivers.”