TxDOT outlines scope of Cibolo road projects

Road projects around Cibolo will involve construction for years to come, according to TxDOT officials who briefed city council on its highway expansion plans.

Jonathan Bean, Texas Department of Transportation deputy district engineer for the San Antonio district, was joined by Will Lockett, TxDOT transportation engineer, at the council’s June 23 meeting, where they addressed three major projects underway or about to launch.

Already underway is the widening of Interstate 10 to three lanes in both directions. Coming soon will be the expansion to five lanes of nearly four miles of FM 1103. On the drawing board is an elevated express lane that will run from the 1103 area into downtown San Antonio.

Bean told council that TxDOT expects to select a contractor in January 2021 to begin the much anticipated and long overdue expansion of FM 1103, to four lanes with a center turn lane, from its Interstate 35 intersect to a point 800 feet past Rodeo Way, across from Steele High School.

“We’re very excited, we’ll move forward with a letting in January 2021,” Bean said. “We anticipate construction to begin in spring 2021.”

The 3.83-mile expansion will include a five-lane undivided roadway, with 5-foot-wide bike lanes, 6-foot-wide sidewalks, and curbs on both sides of the roadway.

The estimated $24 million includes $7 million procured from Cibolo, Bean reminded council. The construction will include a traffic light at Turning Stone, a busy intersection along FM 1103 just over a mile from I-35.

Lockett briefed council on maintenance along FM 1103, which has been deteriorating with evident potholes, cracking and grade shift.

“We plan to come through with some level-up, to fix some potholes. It’s not going to be the prettiest repair, but it will ride better than what it does now,” Lockett said.

He said maintenance crews were slated to arrive Monday or Tuesday and would work from the road’s FM 78 intersection and work northward.

“Currently we have about six or seven utility crews working up and down 1103 now,” Lockett said. “There are water lines, moving power poles, moving fiber optic lines and gas lines. You name it, it’s getting moved on 1103. So I’m a little cautious about bringing our maintenance crews out there as well.”

Bean added, “We know there are maintenance issues that we do need to tackle, and we’ll get to those in a safe manner.”

TxDOT’s I-10 East project goal, Bean said, is to reach to Houston with an expansion to six lanes. He said I-10 construction between Loop 410 and Loop 1604 will be completed in late 2021.

Construction between Loop 1604 and Graytown Road will continue through a 2023 completion date.

“We have a segment between Graytown and the Bexar-Guadalupe County line that will begin this fall,” he said. “The next segment, from the Bexar-Guadalupe county line to FM 465, that segment falls within the city of Cibolo. I know it’s very important to you and we plan to begin that in the winter of 2021-2022 time frame.”

All two-way frontage roads along I-10 will be converted to one way “and we will place (entry/exit) ramps in a more favorable consideration,” he added.

Bean said the long-term I-35 Northeast expansion project — with elevated lanes stretching from the AT&T Parkway area of I-35 north to FM 1103 — will proceed in three phases, as money becomes available for each phase.

The plan is to add three elevated express lanes in each direction, two for general-purpose travel and one designated as a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. Entry and exit ramps will include the Loop 1604 and Loop 410 interchanges.

“This will be very impactful to this region, bring a lot of much-need improvement to the region,” Bean said.

With a total price tag of about $12.5 billion and with $1.3 billion currently in place, the project will be constructed in three phases: South, Central and North phases.

The central portion, a nine-mile stretch from Loop 410 North to FM 3009, will come first and take about six years to complete. The south portion will likely follow, from its southern-most point at the I-35 AT&T Parkway area to 410 North, where it will meet up with the central portion.

The north piece, from FM 3009 to FM 1103, will be the final phase to reach construction. “With the order of magnitude, I’m thinking probably four years for that phase to be completed,” Bean said. “But it’s all based on funding becoming available.”

He said the project is in the design/build procurement stage. TxDOT hopes to execute a contract in the summer of 2021.

“There will have to be lane closures to get that done. We have to make space,” Bean said. “We’ll try to do as much at night. But there will be some expansion pains, is all I can say.”