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Texas Highwayman Pages > San Antonio Freeway
System > Northwest Interchange
TxDOT is in the midst of a
six-year, $134 million project to replace the outdated and overburdened
two-level modified cloverleaf interchange with a four-level directional
(or "stack") interchange. When completed in mid 2007, the new
interchange will have the capacity to handle 600,000 vehicles per day
and dramatically improve traffic on both Loop 410 and I-10 in the
northwestern part of the city. The interchange project will also remove
the left-hand exits and entrances, add additional main lanes on Loop 410
and I-10, and provide continuous access roads on both freeways through
the interchange.
This project is part of the overall
Loop 410 Expansion
Project.
Details
The diagram below shows the
interchange design and phasing. If you'd like to see the full-sized
diagram (334KB), click
here. For renderings of what the completed interchange will look
like, click
here.
Cherry Ridge is
at upper left; Fredericksburg is at lower right; Crossroads is at upper
right; Callaghan is at lower left. The building within the ramps to the
right of the center of the interchange is the TransGuide operations
center.
(Courtesy: TxDOT)
This will be a four-level
interchange:
- Level 1 (bottom): Loop
410 mainlanes and continuous pass-through access roads (this level
will be about 30 feet below the current ground level)
- Level 2: I-10
mainlanes and continuous pass-through access roads
- Level 3: Ramps from
Loop 410 to I-10
- Level 4: Ramps from
I-10 to Loop 410 (this level will be about 100 feet above Level 1)
The Loop 410 and I-10 access roads
will not intersect at-grade.
No additional right-of-way was required for this project.
Status
Phase 1 started on January
3, 2000 and was completed in early 2003. The first of the new elevated
ramps, from I-10 inbound to Loop 410 east and westbound, opened to
traffic on June 7th, 2002. The ramp from eastbound 410 to outbound I-10
opened on November 12, 2002.
Phase 2 began in Fall 2003
and is about 97% complete (March 2007). Construction is expected to be completed
in the first quarter of 2008. The ramp from westbound Loop 410 to I-10 westbound opened on
May 7th, 2005. The ramps from both directions of Loop 410 to
inbound I-10 opened on December 17th, 2005. The ramps from
outbound I-10 to both directions of Loop 410 opened on November 8th,
2007.
Click here to see construction photos.
Current long-term closures
- Fredericksburg entrance to
eastbound Loop 410: Closed for the duration of the entire
interchange project. A new entrance to Loop 410 eastbound will built
late in Phase 2.
Recommended detour: Follow the access road around to
Crossroads. Take the turnaround under I-10 and enter I-10 westbound. Then exit onto Loop 410 eastbound.
- Westbound (outbound) I-10
exit to Callaghan: Closed for the duration of the entire
interchange project. A new exit will be built late in Phase 2.
Recommended detour: Exit at Medical and turnaround.
Project history
Originally built in the late '50s
and early '60s, this interchange carries over 350,000 vehicles daily and
is the most congested in the San Antonio area. It is well beyond its
design life and is constantly overloaded.
To solve the chronic congestion
problems, TxDOT proposed a five-level interchange in the late '80s as
the preferred solution. The final proposal, however, was the four-level
interchange now under construction. The four-level design was chosen
over the previous plan for several reasons:
- Savings of ~$20 million in
construction costs.
- Reduction of construction
time by approximately three years.
- One less construction
project.
The extra level would have been
for the I-10 and Loop 410 access roads to intersect. The current
design places the access roads at the same level as their parent freeway
and therefore they will not intersect.
Additional information
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