SAN ANTONIO – A construction project will close the main lanes of Loop 1604 from Friday night until Monday morning. The project is the next step in construction to connect Loop 1604 West to 281 South.
The main lanes of Loop 1604 from the US 281 ramp to the entrance ramp east of 281 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
Drivers in the area say there's constant congestion -- even without a major closure.
"It takes me 20 minutes to go four miles," Sidney Carroll, who lives and works nearby said.
Carroll's already planning ahead to get to work Saturday morning.
"It's going to be congested up in this area. It might make me a little late, make me have to leave earlier," she said.
The closure is necessary for the next step of the project to connect Loop 1604 West to 281 South.
Workers plan to place four beams over the roadway in what will eventually be a flyover Each beam is more than 200 feet long and weighs more than 100 thousand pounds.
Despite the headache, drivers are already looking forward to the days when all of the projects are complete.
"Hopefully when it's all done, it'll ease up all that congestion. People can shoot straight downtown from here, up north," Andrew Perez said.
It won't all be finished until June 2013.
There are several other weekend closures scheduled over the next couple months.
The Alamo Regional Mobility Authority said it hopes to fit four or five more weekend projects in before Fiesta.