281 Superstreet Project – Will it help Stone Oak?
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Stone Oak traffic is so bad, they don’t even report it anymore.
It amazes me that despite the congestion on northbound 281 outside Loop 1604 out towards the Stone Oak area, you never really hear about it traffic reports. Its one of those things that residents of San Antonio talk about and just accept as fact. Of course, with all the construction that keeps taking place out that direction, the traffic is becoming more and more of an issue every day it seems. Plans are constantly spoken about, but most die off before they can ever come to fruition.
Perhaps those days are coming to an end with the recent discussion of the “Superstreet” concept. At this point, any relief would be a help and since it doesn’t look like they’ll be building overpasses anytime soon, this may be the best idea we have on the table. The idea of a superstreet is that traffic on the main road (in this case 281) is allowed to continue to flow without the interruption of cross traffic from intersecting streets. Streets like Evans and Stone Oak Parkway (and the new TPC Parkway side) would no longer be able to cross 281, but instead all cars would have to make a right turn and then if they wished to go the opposite direction, would need to make a turn around at the next available location (I hope they put U-turn lanes in and don’t just direct traffic to the next light to make them). The concept is pretty simple and would cost much less (about $7.6 million) than the larger projects that have been passed around before.
Estimates for the reduction in traffic delays run from 40 to 60% with this seemingly simple change. They also predict less accidents (although I’d like to see what data supports this claim). Average speeds on the morning commute could be raised to 26 mph (from the current 17 mph) and evening estimates are up to 27 mph (from the current 15 mph). Overall, backers of the plan say it could cut traffic delays from 1604 to Marshall Rd. by more than 50%.
So what do you think? I think anything that helps relieve the congestion up there needs to be seriously thought of. For such a beautiful part of town with so much land under development, traffic is a huge drawback and prevents some people from wanting to live there. A good plan could also ease the burden as development continues and at least help future projects get a handle on it now, before its too congested to even begin to think about.
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Comments
Why in the world do they allow ravaging of the trees all up and down 281 but a few big mouths can stop a road for the last 10 years? I will give up my beer and cigarettes to pay for a road to get me home 40 minutes faster every day – what a waste of time.
Thank you. I have a lot more to say, of course.
Claire – It will always be a battle I guess between progress of building/growth and environmental issues. There will always be the “not in my backyard” side of things as well as the protection of various plant and wildlife species. I think the biggest obstacle when it comes to growth is that we (as people, not just San Antonio) never plan for enough growth. We build a road only to realize by the time its finished that its inadequate for our needs 10 years down the line.
I love to see more trees and plants throughout any major city; they’re important I think, but we always need to consider the human side too. The length of time those cars spend idling on 281 isn’t exactly doing wonders for the environment either. Speeding up the traffic movement, might actually help the environment in that sense (of course I’m not an environmental scientist either).
Hopefully the new 281/1604 interchange will help with some of the traffic as you won’t have people entering 281 just north of 1604 via the access road like you do now.
Thanks for stopping by and voicing your thoughts.
I don’t understand why we would return to a method that didn’t work and is the reason we have lights now. There were too many accidents and deaths occurring with turn arounds which caused an action of putting in lights. I’m not sure there will ever be an answer until we add more lanes and overpasses. Let’s get it done! We’ve wasted more money by extending this along….
Susan – From what I understand, this project keeps the lights, but makes it so that there is no more left turns or cross traffic from the side streets. Of course, I can see where this could be come messy with everyone making right turns instead.
I do agree that at some point in time without overpasses and lane expansion 281 will become even more of a mess than it is now. Even in real estate we see the effects. I have several buyers that would love to live out there, but won’t because of the traffic. So instead, they’re looking elsewhere.
It looks like they will be pulling funds from the stimulus plan to complete this project.
Thanks for your comments.
I think the members of the regional mobility district should drive from 1604 out to Marshal rd and back every afternoon on thier way home and I’m sure they would get the idea something needs to be done. I think the problem with this new plan is once you turn right onto 281, is getting across the lanes in order to make the turn around. Good luck leaving HEB and making the Encino Rio turn around at 8:00am.
Brian – Good point. Currently, a great example of lane shifts like that (on a smaller scale) is occurring at southbound Bandera making a right to get onto 410. Every morning I narrowly avoid a collision with someone who insists on turning from the second lane and just pushing their way into mine.
I would love to see what would happen if everyone making the decisions had to drive it everyday.
Thanks for adding to the conversation.
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