Location
Loop 1604 from I-35 to FM 78

Description
This project upgraded Loop 1604 at this location from a partial freeway to a full freeway. This included adding access roads between Kitty Hawk and FM 1976 and extending the existing truncated northbound access road between Kitty Hawk and Palisades; these new access roads disconnected the six "right-on, right-off" intersections along those stretches from the mainlanes and connected them to the new access roads instead. The new access roads are "stubbed" for a future extension of them over the railroad tracks at FM 1976/FM 78. The addition of the access roads  eliminated the southbound entrance from and northbound exit to FM 1976; motorists in both cases have to travel to Kitty Hawk and turnaround there.

The project also reconfigured entrance and exit ramps, added auxiliary lanes between ramps near Pat Booker, and reconstrucedt the Pat Booker overpass. (The widening of the Kitty Hawk overpass was included in early proposals but dropped from the final plan.) The mainlanes between Pat Booker and Kitty Hawk were reconstructed and shifted toward each other in the median with a concrete barrier built to separate them.

How this project will help
Traffic is increasing on this stretch of Loop 1604 and the "right-on, right-off" intersections pose safety issues for through traffic on 1604. These intersections have been moved to the new access roads. The addition of auxiliary lanes will help improve traffic flow and safety and the reconfiguration of the ramps brought this section in line with current design standards. Furthermore, future plans are to upgrade Loop 1604 south of FM 78 to a freeway, so upgrading this transitional section was a necessary precursor.

FAQ

• Why was the NB exit to FM 1976 and SB entrance from FM 1976 be removed?
  The "jug-handle" ramps there are obsolete and too dangerous for the expected traffic volumes in the area. The traffic counts for those movements were likely too low to warrant replacing those ramps.
  
  
• How will traffic that used to use the "jug-handle" ramps get to/from FM 1976?
  In both cases, that traffic will need to go north to Kitty Hawk and use the turnaround or find alternate routes on other nearby roadways.
  
  

Schematic
Below is the detailed schematic for this project from TxDOT with my own annotations added to help clarify and explain the various elements. Click on the image below to open the schematic in a new window that you can scroll and zoom. Note that the schematics used here were preliminary; the final plans included some minor changes that are noted in the annotations.

 (Note: the schematic below is somewhat large and may take a few seconds to open.)

TxDOT - Loop 1604 from I-35 to FM 78 Mobility Improvements http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/san-antonio/013117.html