During a May 20 presentation to The Chamber (Schertz-Cibolo-Selma Area), Marco Galindo, an alternative project delivery supervisor for TxDOT, said the project is anticipated to be completed by fall of 2027.
The $1.5 billion project looks to add capacity to I-35 by constructing elevated lanes between main lanes and frontage roads, Galindo said. Project limits are between I-410 North in Northeast San Antonio and FM 3009 in Schertz, impacting 9.5 miles of I-35.
Construction on the I-35 NEX Central project began in June 2022 and has made the following progress on bridge elements for the elevated lanes:
- Bridge foundation is 70% complete
- Bridge columns are 75% complete
- Bridge bent caps, bridge beams are 58% complete
- Steel bridge girders are 26% complete
- Bridge decks are 7% complete
Bridge bent caps on the project are half pre-cast off-site and half traditionally done on-site, Galindo said. Pre-cast caps are brought over to the project site and placed overnight, whereas some caps are too big to be shipped to the project, one of the main transportation issues the TxDOT crew faces.
Equipment breakdowns or issues with beam delivery can cause delays, which impacts traffic. To mitigate these impacts, TxDOT workers have been trying to place beams over the weekends, Galindo said.
“Right now, the biggest challenge with this and [next steps] is trucking, now that we have more projects online ... getting that coordinated availability of resources to get these elements out to the projects,” Galindo said.
What else?
Galindo has been working with the contractor on better strategies for getting in and out of future construction sites, as well as finding a balance between frontage road and mainlane closures.
