Weekend drivers on the Northeast Side of San Antonio are no strangers to construction woes. Sky-high highway lanes in the middle of the buildout tower over hurdles of orange cones and sudden lane merges. And the highway headaches are only intensifying this weekend as a busy stretch of Loop 410 shuts down for nearly 12 hours.
The eastbound lanes of Loop 410 between Harry Wurzbach Road and Starcrest Drive (basically where Austin Highway and Loop 410 converge) will be shut down from 9 p.m. Friday, September 18, until 7 a.m. the next morning. Drivers will be pushed off the highway and onto the frontage road to continue their journey.
It’s not a day-ruiner, fortunately, since it’s a less busy time to be on the road. Unless, of course, you’re heading to a late-night flick at the Santikos Galaxy or to boot and scoot at Cowboy’s Dancehall.
The closure is part of the sweeping overhaul of I-35 and a small chunk of Loop 410, which is slated to run well into the next year and beyond. This phase, known as the I-35 Northeast Expansion Central phase, is drawing $1.5 billion from state coffers and spans I-35 from Loop 410 to FM 3009. On Loop 410, from just west of Nacogdoches Road, this means improvements and new elevated lane access points to reach I-35.
The biggest change is the introduction of towering lanes above I-35, which should reduce traffic congestion caused by drivers entering and exiting the highway.