Location
Loop 1604 from I-35 to FM 78

Description
This project will upgrade Loop 1604 at this location from a partial freeway to a full freeway. This includes 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 will disconnect the six "right-on, right-off" intersections along those stretches from the mainlanes and connect them to the new access roads instead. The new access roads will be "stubbed" for a future extension of them over the railroad tracks at FM 1976/FM 78. The addition of the access roads will eliminate the southbound entrance from and northbound exit to FM 1976; motorists in both cases will have to travel to Kitty Hawk and turnaround there.

The project will also reconfigure entrance and exit ramps, add auxiliary lanes between ramps near Pat Booker, and reconstruct 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 will be 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 will be moved to the new access roads. The addition of auxiliary lanes will help improve traffic flow and safety and the reconfiguration of the ramps will bring 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 is a necessary precursor.

FAQ

• Why will 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.
  
  
• Will a sound wall be built along the NB access road between Kitty Hawk and Palisades?
  TxDOT will study this and determine if that location meets the criteria for a sound wall.
  

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