SAN ANTONIO — Flanked by Gov. Greg Abbott, officials with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) gathered in San Antonio to mark the groundbreaking of Segment 2 of the highly anticipated Loop 1604 expansion project—which officials claim will reduce waiting time in traffic by up to 75%.
The overall project is expected to completely transform the intersection of Loop 1604 and I-10, adding eight flyover ramps and reworked access roads while bumping the number of lanes from two to five each way (including new HOV lanes). TxDOT officials say the project will cost $418 million, with construction expected to be completed by 2027.
Segment 1, encompassing the section of Loop 1604 between Bandera Road and I-10, is already under construction and should be done sometime in 2024. Segment 3, running from I-10 to US 281, should be completed in 2025.
Officials say the changes will improve mobility, safety and roadway connectivity at a crucial moment for Bexar County.
“It’s designed to meet the traffic demand now and in the future,” said Gina Gallegos, a San Antonio-based district engineer for TxDOT, who added that Loop 1604 sees more than 150,000 commuters now on a daily basis.
Gallegos said that number is expected to double by 2045.
Texas Transportation Commission Chairman J. Bruce Bugg called the 1604/1-10 intersection "one of the worst" in the city, adding he's glad TxDOT is ready to address it.
"It was designed when we did not have funding. We have a historic level of funding now," Bugg said. "We have the funding, now we need to execute. Now we need to give congestion relief."
Bugg said the new construction could increase traffic in the short run, but contractors will work to mitigate those issues when possible.
"It will be temporary," he added. "Every time we have construction on a major thoroughfare like 1604, we always try to come up with bypasses to navigate around that so we will have contingency plans for the local community."
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