TxDOT’s 1604 closures continue. Here’s what sections to avoid this week

So, you survived the major weekend closure of the interchange of Loop 1604 and I-10. We hope some of our alternate routes saved you from a highway headache. Unfortunately, the $1.4 billion project to revamp Loop 1604 on the Northside is far from done, and there’s more closures happening every night this week.

That’s right, there’s more, y’all. But luckily, this won’t be some week-long closure during peak traffic hours. Instead, the section of Loop 1604 from Blanco Road to Stoke Oak Parkway will be completely closed to traffic from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. all week, starting Monday, January 29.

It’s a short but mighty stretch of highway considering the Stone Oak area has seen rapid growth and a traffic boom over the past decade.

“As part of the Loop 1604 North Expansion Project, TxDOT will fully close the Loop 1604 westbound main lanes from the Stone Oak Parkway exit ramp to the Blanco Road entrance ramp for barrier setting and striping,” a TxDOT alert reads. “The full nightly closures will begin Monday, January 29, 2024, through Friday, February 2, 2024, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weather permitting.”

While it’s certainly not ideal, this is the latest section of the major San Antonio highway TxDOT is reworking as part of a major overhaul of the stretch of Loop 1604 from Bandera Road all the way to the intersection with I-15. It’s like 23 miles of highway, y’all.

Major work has already been underway from Bandera Road to the intersection with I-10, which is also getting a major facelift as it’s going from a four-leaf clover to a series of stacked highway connectors. There are some nightly closures going on further west as a result as well.

Both directions of Loop 1604 from Bandera Road to I-10 will see alternated closures on both the main lanes and frontage roads every night this week during the same time window. So, don’t be surprised when you have to move over for construction crews if you’re taking a nigh trek down that section of highway on the Northwest Side of the city.

What’s more, where the 1604 frontage road intersects with Hausman Road, Kyle Seal Parkway, Babcock Road, Chase Hill Boulevard, and La Cantera Parkway will all be fully closed come nighttime during the week. Find an alternate route if any of those are one of you major routes after 9 p.m. or before 5 a.m.

There’s also a pretty significant ramp closures happening every night this week. The exit ramp to La Cantera Parkway for westbound Loop 1604 traffic will be closed, and traffic heading east on Loop 1604 won’t be able to hop on the I-10 East exit ramp at all come nightfall.

Further, both ramps from I-10 connecting traffic to the westbound lanes of Loop 1604 will be closed every night this week. You’ll have to exit early and take the frontage roads to head that direction on Loop 1604 if you’re coming from I-10.

It’s all a lot to deal with for now, but the expansion of Loop 1604 to a 10-lane highway is supposed to future-proof the oft congested San Antonio highway, reducing traffic congestion by nearly 80%, according to TxDOT officials. Plus, the improvements are slated to accommodate a growing population for decades out, so no need to worry about whether it all needs to be expanded again as soon as it’s done.

“It’s one of the most congested corridors in the state,” TxDOT Public Information Officer Jennifer Serold previously told MySA. “Over the next 20 to 25 years, the amount of daily drivers is expected to double. So, this expansion project is to prepare for future growth but also to give benefits to drivers in the next few years … It’s bringing a lot of congestion relief to drivers by giving them more lanes to travel on. And then, of course, when you reduce congestion, you increase safety for the drivers.”