SAN ANTONIO — With San Antonio growing so quickly keeping the highways in tip top shape is not an easy process. However, one recent temporary addition to the highway near downtown is a mess for motorists.
We're talking about a metal traffic plate that TxDOT said is installed 1 inch above the roadway to allow room for construction until a bridge joint is replaced. It is just past the Finesilver curve north of I-35. And it is catching many drivers by surprise.
We decided to take a drive to check out this traffic plate ourselves. We came up to downtown from the south on 35, and just before downtown saw two signs saying "Bump On Road, IH 10 West Upper Level." Then we saw one more warning sign, for a total of three, right before the highway splits into the upper and lower levels.
With the plate approaching, it was our turn to cross the bump on the bridge. Even at 20 mph, that was still quite a bump.
We reached out to TxDOT to find out how long this might be there.
"This construction project involves the replacement of bridge joints on several areas of I-10 and I-35 in the downtown area and is estimated to be completed in 2025. Currently, bridge joints are being replaced on the upper level of I-10W near Frio St. Work will move to other areas as the project progresses," TxDOT said.
TxDOT said at that specific location, there are hundreds of joints so there's no set timeline for that specific temporary plate. But, we can expect more of these to pop up on the highways downtown into 2025.