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San
Antonio Area Freeway System
Wurzbach Parkway |
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This page last updated February 27, 2017 |
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This page covers the Wurzbach Parkway in North San
Antonio.
Length: 12
miles
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On
this page
Overview
There
are no true east-west arterials between Loop 410 and Loop 1604 in
North San
Antonio. As a result, Loop 410, Loop 1604, and many of the
zig-zagged arterials in the area are overburdened trying to facilitate
east-west traffic. The Wurzbach Parkway
is a new
east-west "super-arterial" across northern San Antonio
connecting
I-10 to I-35. It was intended to help reduce the load on both
loops
as well as arterials in the vicinity by facilitating many of the
shorter-distance
east-west trips across the northside, although it can and is often used
for longer journeys.
The
parkway
was developed
under the now-retired Principal
Arterial Street System (PASS) program and carries a TxDOT
route number
of PA-1502. Prior to 2014, this route number was
not signed, but has been signed now at several
locations. (Technically, the "PA" in the route number is
short
for Principal Arterial, not Parkway, although that works, too.)
The
route passes through
a variety of urban land uses. The eastern end of the route
passes through a
light commercial and industrial area before entering the former
Longhorn
Quarry, which was redeveloped as an entertainment area with an
amusement park,
high school football stadium, and soccer complex including the home
stadium for
San Antonio's professional team. The parkway then passes
through the
commercial,
residential, and light industrial areas around Perrin-Beitel and
Nacogdoches
before passing over an active quarry near Wetmore Rd.
Continuing west,
the parkway passes through mostly undeveloped land near the
airport
before passing into a light industrial and commercial area.
Approaching 281, the parkway passes over the wooded Salado
Creek bed for a short distance.
West of 281, the route continues through a mostly undeveloped
area before passing over a flood control basin. Near Blanco,
the route traverses residential areas before bisecting Hardberger
Park. Commercial and residential
development
line the route at the far western end where it merges into the
pre-existing Wurzbach Road.
Roadway details
The
parkway features four
and six lanes divided by a raised island and/or a concrete
divider. There
are no continuous access roads along most of the route.
Connections to
local streets and
driveways is
limited and there are overpasses at most major
intersections. The route is technically
classified as a "super-arterial" rather than a freeway and, as such,
the road
is a hybrid between a major street and a minor expressway with the
general
appearance and function of a narrow expressway.
The right-of-way is
generally 120 feet wide along the route and 220 feet wide at
interchanges. The route
includes bike lanes, aesthetically-pleasing structures, and noise
abatement
walls.
The
parkway has
overpasses and interchanges at Blanco, West Ave., US 281,
Jones-Maltsberger, Starcrest, Wetmore, Nacogdoches,
Perrin-Beitel, Thousand Oaks. The interchange at
Wetmore is a partial
cloverleaf; the others
are diamonds. There is a short stretch of frontage road in
both directions between US 281 and West Ave.
While
most of the
parkway is controlled-access (i.e. expressway), the eastern and western
ends each have two at-grade, signalized intersections; these are
intended to
provide a controlled transition from expressway to the signalized
surface roadways that the parkway connects to on either end. At the
far eastern end, the parkway crosses
Weidner at a
signalized, at-grade intersection and terminates at a signalized
intersection
where it merges with the pre-existing O'Connor Road.
Through traffic can then
continue east on
O'Connor to I-35. The
western end meets NW Military and Lockhill-Selma at
signalized, at-grade
intersections before tying-into the pre-existing Wurzbach Rd.
where through traffic can continue west to
I-10 and
beyond. Improvements were
made to that
section of Wurzbach to support the anticipated increases in traffic
from the
completed parkway and additional improvements are being considered.
Most
of the parkway has a designated bike lane in each direction.
The section between Lockhill-Selma and NW
Military has a
landscaped and lighted pedestrian trail in the median, and part of the
Salado Creek Greenway passes under or alongside of the parkway between
US 281 and Starcrest.
There
are currently no direct connectors to US 281. Instead,
traffic destined to US 281 exits the parkway and uses the US 281 access
roads. Traffic wanting to make a "left turn" from the parkway
onto US 281 proceeds right onto the US 281 access road, then makes a
U-turn at the next downstream turnaround (Bitters or Nakoma).
Initial plans looked at two possible interchange designs
including an elevated roundabout or a mixed direct-connect and
cloverleaf interchange, but funding limitations and additional
restrictions caused by the proximity to San Antonio International
Airport's runways caused those plans to be shelved. TxDOT has
indicated they may study them again at a future date.
EXITS |
EASTBOUND (from Lockhill-Selma):
- FM 1535/NW Military Hwy (At-grade
signalized intersection)
- FM 2696/Blanco Rd
- Vista Del Norte Dr (at-grade turn-off)
- West Ave
- US 281
- Jones-Maltsberger Rd
- COSA Brush Recycling Center (at-grade turn-off)
- Starcrest Dr
- Wetmore Rd
- Nacogdoches Rd
- FM 2252/Perrin-Beitel Rd
- Thousand Oaks Dr
- Turnaround
- Weidner Rd (At-grade signalized
intersection)
- Parkway ends at O'Connor Rd/Crosswinds Way
(At-grade
signalized intersection)
WESTBOUND (from
O'Connor/Crosswinds):
- Weidner Rd (At-grade signalized
intersection)
- Thousand Oaks Dr
- FM 2252/Perrin-Beitel Rd
- Nacogdoches Rd
- Wetmore Rd
- McAllister Park (at-grade turn-off)
- Starcrest Dr
- Jones-Maltsberger Rd
- US 281
- West Ave
- Vista Del Norte Dr (at-grade turn-off)
- FM 2696/Blanco Rd (At-grade
signalized intersection)
- FM 1535/NW Military Hwy (At-grade
signalized intersection)
- Parkway ends at Lockhill-Selma and becomes
Wurzbach Rd (At-grade
signalized
intersection)
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SPEED LIMITS |
- 60 mph between
Blanco and Weidner
- 50 mph between
NW Military and Blanco
- 45 mph east of Weidner and west
of NW Military
After
completion, sections were initially signed at 45 mph because
of
TxDOT engineering policies for roadways that include curbs, sidewalks,
and bike lanes. Speed studies were subsequently
performed and supported an increase to the current limits.
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SPECIAL FEATURES &
NOTES |
- Bike lanes WB
from Perrin-Beitel to Jones-Maltsberger and from West Ave. to
Lockhill-Selma; EB from Lockhill-Selma to Blanco, along Vista Del Norte
from Blanco back to Wurzbach Parkway, then from Vista Del Norte to West
Ave. and from Starcrest to Perrin-Beitel
- Walking trail in median between
Lockhill-Selma and NW Military
- Hike/bike
trail under parkway at US 281 and adjacent to EB
parkway between Jones-Maltsberger and
Starcrest
- Sidewalk
adjacent to WB parkway between Wetmore and Starcrest
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TRAFFIC |
Relatively
light along the completed segments. Traffic counts
have grown substantially over the past decade along the eastern half of
the eastern segment while dropping appreciably along the western half
of the eastern segment. It is anticipated that the route will
carry 40,000 vehicles a day now that it is completed. |
AVERAGE
ANNUAL DAILY TRAFFIC |
LOCATION |
1990 |
2005 |
2010 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
'05-'15
% CHG |
Weidner Rd. |
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11,500 |
15,800 |
15,879 |
14,334 |
16,337 |
+42.06% |
Perrin-Beitel Rd. |
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18,500 |
29,000 |
19,316 |
16,926 |
19,293 |
+4.29% |
Nacogdoches Rd. |
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28,820 |
31,000 |
20,100 |
18,507 |
21,086 |
-26.84% |
Wetmore Rd. |
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33,020 |
29,000 |
23,115 |
20,738 |
24,800 |
-24.89% |
Media
gallery
Click
here
for video of this
freeway.
Construction projects
Future plans
The
section between NW
Military and Blanco bisects Hardberger Park and the
city has proposed to construct a "land bridge" over the
parkway connecting the
two
sections of the park.
TxDOT
and the City of San Antonio are considering additional improvements at
the western end of the parkway, particularly at the intersection of NW
Military, which sees recurring peak period congestion. An
alternative intersection design is being evaluated. The city
is
also looking into possible additional improvements along Wurzbach Road.
History
This
route was originally
proposed in the late '80s as the aptly-named "East-West Parkway" and
was
eventually named Wurzbach Parkway because it connects to Wurzbach Road
in
northwestern San Antonio. Wurzbach Road is named for William
Wurzbach who
owned a ranch around what is now I-10 and Wurzbach Road. He
built a road
through his property and eventually deeded the road to the
county. Wurzbach
also served as a county judge and county attorney.
The
first section of the
parkway from Wetmore Rd. to Nacogdoches Rd. was completed in
1996. The segment
from Nacogdoches to O'Connor was completed in September 1999.
The route
between Lockhill-Selma and NW Military was completed in late March
2000. The
section between NW Military and Blanco Rd. was completed in July 2002.
Work on the project then stalled due to a lack of funding.
The
missing section of the parkway
from Wetmore to Blanco and an interchange at US 281 was
considered for a
possible tollway project;
however it was
determined in early 2007 that this was not feasible.
In
late 2009, the Texas Transportation
Commission allocated funding to complete the missing middle
segments. The first of those segments-- from Blanco to West
Ave.--
opened on
January
1, 2014, although a pavement issue delayed the opening of the
overpass at
Blanco until April 2. The section from Starcrest to
Jones-Maltsberger opened in April 2015. The eastbound lanes
from
West Ave. to Jones-Maltsberger opened on September 15, 2015, followed
by the westbound lanes on September 23, 2015.
After
a spate of head-on
collisions caused by drivers jumping the raised center island, a
concrete
center
barrier was installed in early 2010 between Wetmore and
Weidner. Sections
of the parkway
built thereafter included a center barrier instead of raised island.
The
original sections of the parkway were designed and posted for a 45 mph
speed limit. After
public
complaints, a speed study was conducted and
the speed limit subsequently raised on the
original segments to 60 mph ca. 2000.
When the final segments were opened in 2014 and 2015, they,
too, were
posted at 45 mph as per design policies. A speed study
conducted shortly after the
final
section opened supported an increase to 60 mph and signs were changed
on November 4th, 2015.
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