SAN ANTONIO -- It is the fastest growing part of town, and it is known for terrible traffic jams.
If you drive on Loop 1604 on the Northwest Side, you are used to stop-and-go traffic and leaving extra early to get to work. There is a plan in the works, however, to make the commute easier.
The plan will be officially unveiled later this month, but News 4 WOAI's Leila Walsh got a look at it this week. It calls for a superstreet on Loop 1604, one that's similar to the plan for a superstreet on US-281.
People who travel along Loop 1604 between Braun Road and Highway 151 say traffic is a problem seven days a week. Officials are hoping the proposed superstreet will fix that problem. The biggest change with the superstreet is that no traffic will cross Loop 1604 at Shanefield and New Guilbeau. Drivers coming off those streets will only be able to turn right onto Loop 1604. If they need to go left, they will need to take a turnaround.
Supporters say the superstreet could cut travel times roughly in half.
"The superstreet concept is something that when I saw it, I jumped on it immediately, because it gives immediate relief," explained Bexar County Commissioner Paul Elizondo.
Elizondo pushed for a study of the plan which would also mean some improvements at Loop 1604 at Braun Road and Culebra.
The county is estimating changes to commute times down to the minute. For example, the afternoon drive from Bandera Road to Culebra Road would drop from fourteen minutes to just six.
Drivers News 4 WOAI talked with liked the idea but wondered about the cost. The county puts the price at $6.5 million and hopes to pay for it with federal stimulus money.
The county and the Metropolitan Planning Organization are expected to vote on the plan within the next month or so. If it is approved, some of the work at Braun Road would start in May. Officials say they could finish it all by August of next year.
News 4 WOAI also learned about a second project to help cut down on congestion in that area. The Texas Department of Transportation has plans for an underpass at Highway 151 and Loop 1604. Right now, no money has been set aside for that $21-million underpass, but TxDOT hopes to put the project up for bid in December of 2011.
