If your daily commute takes you anywhere near the airport, get ready for some route changes in the name of progress.
The Texas Department of Transportation is about to embark on a $156 million project to improve Loop 410 — one of the most congested roadways in the state — and U.S. Highway 281 in North Central San Antonio.
Construction on the highways and roadways near the San Antonio International Airport is anticipated to begin this fall and be completed by 2029.
On Thursday, agency representatives will give an update on the project during an open house at the Walker Ranch Senior Center, 835 W. Rhapsody Dr. The meeting starts at 5 p.m.
The project is meant to make the roadways safer in an area that sees heavy traffic and a high number of crashes, according to TxDOT.
The agency estimated that, without improvements, morning commutes in the area could double by 2045 and evening commutes could take up to four times longer than today’s drive home.
From 2014 to 2018, the area saw an average of 3.7 vehicle accidents a day, a rate higher than the statewide average for interstates and highways.
The upgrades cover a 4.3-mile section of Loop 410, from West Avenue to Broadway Street, and a 2.7-mile section of Hwy. 281 from Loop 410 to East Nakoma Drive.
The project also comes out of a multi-year planning process that included a feasibility study and public input to help shape the final design.
TxDOT completed its interchange study in 2018, analyzing traffic conditions and compiling input from residents and business owners in the area as well as transit service providers and the general public.
Improvements to Loop 410 include removing ramps, building new ones, and rebuilding and reconfiguring others. TxDOT also plans to build auxiliary lanes and concrete median barriers, widen and realign frontage roads and improve intersections.
Loop 410 will retain its four to six mainlanes with two- to four-lane frontage roads along with intermittent, non-continuous auxiliary lanes, according to the plans.
Direct connectors and ramps will provide access to major intersecting roads.
More detail about the changes, which also affect McCullough and San Pedro avenues, can be found at the TxDOT website.
On Highway 281, improvements include removing and reconstructing ramps, adding auxiliary lanes, restriping roadways and building a southbound collector-distributor.
The proposed improvements also include partial reconstruction of the Rhapsody Drive bridge over southbound Hwy. 281 mainlanes and the planned southbound collector-distributor.
At the airport, work on the curb-front roadways for Terminal C began in March, with a second stage expected to start at Terminals A and B later this year.
Future plans also call for improving the roadways that enter and exit airport grounds.
TxDOT expects the upcoming Loop 410/Hwy. 281 project could affect routes to and from the airport as new and relocated ramps are installed.
