Traffic fixes for congested Loop 1604 still a long ways off

Projects for North, Northwest sides of San Antonio still in idea phase

SAN ANTONIO – For Mazi Enti, rush hour on Loop 1604 can mean the lack of a rush at his restaurant, Scuzzi's Italian Grill.

"People try to eliminate, you know, sitting in the traffic for hours before they get to our establishment," he said.

He's hoping for a fix.

"It can be better. It can be a lot better," Enti said.

Improvements in the Culebra Road area of Loop 1604 have made traffic easier for those on that side of town, but the rest of the loop on the North and Northwest side up to Highway 281 is still a big question mark. While there are plans in the works to fix the traffic problem, they aren't coming soon.

District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg represents much of the congested area.

"I think what you're seeing out there is the influx of growth," he said.

His office says there is already a plan to improve the intersection at Northwest Military. Otherwise, plans for the loop in that area are still being developed by the Alamo Regional Mobile Authority.

Nirenberg said an environmental impact study must be completed before they can decide on what projects to fund.

The preferred plan, the councilman said, would include new lane construction, redesign of on and off ramps, flyovers to the major highways, and also some managed lanes.

"So we're not just doing the same things we've done over and over again, because that's the definition of insanity," he said.

The ideas proposed aren't going to appear anytime soon. Nirenberg's office said they aren't final, but they hope to start construction sometime in the next five years.

The NW Military Highway intersection improvements are scheduled to start in fiscal 2020.

Even once the fixes are done, new problems will likely arise as the population grows. By 2040, the Alamo City is expected to add another million people.

The planning commission will vote Wednesday on whether to adopt SA Tomorrow's plans into the city's master plan. The planning effort, which Nirenberg co-chairs, has three separate focuses, one of which is transportation.


About the Author:

Garrett Brnger is a reporter with KSAT 12.