The 1604 boondoggle. (San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Boerne: contractors, live in, to move)

[Azure110]

My point still applies to rate of development to the south side regardless of what areas the article addresses. Heck, my point applies to all of San Antonio.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by txtea

No, they are not talking about expanding 1604 on the west and south sides. Has nothing to do with Somerset, Poteet, etc.
They are talking about adding lanes from Bandera road to interstate 35 EAST bound on 1604, and a multi story interchange over 1604 and 10 on the NORTH side.
" Build the highways and they will come "?? Since when does that happen in SA? It's the other way around.

https://www.bexar.org/2055/Loop-1604...tal-Assessment

Huh. I never would have guessed.
Six new additional lanes on the northside? Isn't it already 3 or 4?

[Remington Steel]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

Huh. I never would have guessed.
Six new additional lanes on the northside? Isn't it already 3 or 4?

No...only 2 lanes per direction.

[txtea]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

Huh. I never would have guessed.
Six new additional lanes on the northside? Isn't it already 3 or 4?

That's why they left such a wide median in the middle when they expanded it years ago. They knew they would eventually need to add more lanes later. A rare example of forward thinking around here.

[Remington Steel]

Originally Posted by txtea

That's why they left such a wide median in the middle when they expanded it years ago. They knew they would eventually need to add more lanes later. A rare example of forward thinking around here.

Yeah...I always looked at all that space and asked why they just didn't do 4 lanes each direction...there is plenty of room.

[txtea]

Originally Posted by Remington Steel

Yeah...I always looked at all that space and asked why they just didn't do 4 lanes each direction...there is plenty of room.

Oh you know their usual excuse..... Didn't have the financing to do it right the first time. We'll just wait a few years and tear it up again. Years of more construction coming up, folks. Tighten your seat belts.

[Remington Steel]

Originally Posted by txtea

Oh you know their usual excuse..... Didn't have the financing to do it right the first time. We'll just wait a few years and tear it up again. Years of more construction coming up, folks. Tighten your seat belts.

Exactly

[supfromthesite]

I think it's better for the growth of the city that they didn't built the lanes back then. Or maybe they didn't have the money. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, against my better judgement.

[TXStrat]

Originally Posted by Azure110

Investigative journalism like SA Current will always tend to get some people riled up. In this case (and I did read the article), I feel they are pretty much spot on with the information they reported from the two watchdog groups.

It is very easy to attack such articles as "alarmist" but the issues outlined are very valid concerns IMHO. Anyone who lives in San Antonio and has done so for the past 30 years will see how much benefit (little) is achieved from all the highway construction that has taken place so far.

I get that the growth of San Antonio can't not be avoided but the road construction to tackle the issue seems to be very reactive rather than proactive.

It isn't investigative journalism, it is liberal opinion disguised as journalism. I have lived here for quite some time, and living on the NW side, outside of 1604, I can tell you that the construction of the third general purpose lane, and additional HOV lane in each direction on I-10 outside of 1604 has had a tremendous effect on congestion in the area. If you claim otherwise, you're either unfamiliar with driving in that area, or are being willfully dishonest.

For at least the last 10 years, the NW side has seen the most growth. While the entire area is seeing some growth, it has been concentrated primarily in the NW side. As a result of this growth, coupled with never ending consecutive construction projects, the commute in I-10 into, and out of SA has been horrible for over a decade. The results have been modified traffic patterns for some drivers seeking to avoid congestion delays, while actually being the cause of the same. As an example, until the HOV lane project was completed, during the evening rush, 60-70% of drivers would weave off and on I-10 to the frontage roads and back to get out of slowed traffic, and avoid red lights at intersections. The result of this was all of this traffic cramming back onto I-10 just before Dominion Drive thus causing the very slow down they were cleverly trying to avoid. Since the HOV lanes opened around a month ago, there is zero congestion in the area, in either the morning, or evening rush hours. Prior to the 2 additional lanes opening, on the morning commute, if you weren't on the road by 6:15 AM, you were in a parking lot from roughly Boerne Stage Rd. to 1604. Now, you can drive through there at any time and not even hit the brakes. Same with the evening commute from 1604 to Ralph Fair Rd. Anyone that lives in the area is quite familiar that from around 3:30 PM to 7 PM, that area was a parking lot during the evening rush.

While I don't normally travel 1604 during my commute, I do travel that route for entertainment purposes from I-10 to 281 and back on weekend from time to time. It is a mess. It's often faster to get to your destination by staying on the frontage road, and waiting at the multiple stoplights than it is to use the main lanes. There is little doubt there is a massive congestion problem. Don't take my word for it. Open Google Maps any day and turn on the traffic layer. 1604 in the length of the proposed construction projects is generally red, amber at best. Any proposed expansion is certainly better than the status quo, even for those environmentally minded folks. What is better, traffic proceeding smoothly from point a to point b, or traffic sitting at idle for extended periods of time.

Finally, before anyone hurls any of the expected counter proposals, I am in a VIA vanpool for work. Five of us meet at a central location every morning, and ride in the van to and from work, so we are taking 4 additional cars off the road, thus eliminating the associated carbon emissions, and reducing traffic load.

[Remington Steel]

Originally Posted by TXStrat

It isn't investigative journalism, it is liberal opinion disguised as journalism. I have lived here for quite some time, and living on the NW side, outside of 1604, I can tell you that the construction of the third general purpose lane, and additional HOV lane in each direction on I-10 outside of 1604 has had a tremendous effect on congestion in the area. If you claim otherwise, you're either unfamiliar with driving in that area, or are being willfully dishonest.

For at least the last 10 years, the NW side has seen the most growth. While the entire area is seeing some growth, it has been concentrated primarily in the NW side. As a result of this growth, coupled with never ending consecutive construction projects, the commute in I-10 into, and out of SA has been horrible for over a decade. The results have been modified traffic patterns for some drivers seeking to avoid congestion delays, while actually being the cause of the same. As an example, until the HOV lane project was completed, during the evening rush, 60-70% of drivers would weave off and on I-10 to the frontage roads and back to get out of slowed traffic, and avoid red lights at intersections. The result of this was all of this traffic cramming back onto I-10 just before Dominion Drive thus causing the very slow down they were cleverly trying to avoid. Since the HOV lanes opened around a month ago, there is zero congestion in the area, in either the morning, or evening rush hours. Prior to the 2 additional lanes opening, on the morning commute, if you weren't on the road by 6:15 AM, you were in a parking lot from roughly Boerne Stage Rd. to 1604. Now, you can drive through there at any time and not even hit the brakes. Same with the evening commute from 1604 to Ralph Fair Rd. Anyone that lives in the area is quite familiar that from around 3:30 PM to 7 PM, that area was a parking lot during the evening rush.

While I don't normally travel 1604 during my commute, I do travel that route for entertainment purposes from I-10 to 281 and back on weekend from time to time. It is a mess. It's often faster to get to your destination by staying on the frontage road, and waiting at the multiple stoplights than it is to use the main lanes. There is little doubt there is a massive congestion problem. Don't take my word for it. Open Google Maps any day and turn on the traffic layer. 1604 in the length of the proposed construction projects is generally red, amber at best. Any proposed expansion is certainly better than the status quo, even for those environmentally minded folks. What is better, traffic proceeding smoothly from point a to point b, or traffic sitting at idle for extended periods of time.

Finally, before anyone hurls any of the expected counter proposals, I am in a VIA vanpool for work. Five of us meet at a central location every morning, and ride in the van to and from work, so we are taking 4 additional cars off the road, thus eliminating the associated carbon emissions, and reducing traffic load.

This^^