SEGUIN, Texas – A proposed project to expand Interstate 10 between Loop 1604 in San Antonio and State Highway 130 in Seguin is getting mixed reviews from residents.
On Thursday, drivers got a chance to weigh in on the proposal to expand the 27-mile stretch of interstate. Most agreed the highway needs to be upgraded to accommodate the increasing population.
"With the accommodation of more vehicles brings quality of life, and with that quality of life, people will want to be here, and that's what people are looking for,” said resident Trina Eastwood.
Laura Lopez, with the Texas Department of Transportation, said the changes will help accommodate the increasing population.
“They’re improvements that are definitely going to be beneficial to the growing population,” Lopez said.
Some of the possible changes include adding direct connector lanes, turnarounds and a main lane in each direction. For large trucks, there are plans to increase bridge clearances. Frontage roads will be converted to one-ways. Numerous exits could change under the current plan.
Some people who went to the public hearing to weigh in on the proposed $1.2 billion project expressed concerns that some of the changes will make commutes more difficult.
"The concerns we had for Freudenburg (Road) exit is that it now makes us exit about 2.5 to 3 miles prior to the (Loop) 1604 exit to get all the way to our property,” said driver Odie Davis.
Resident Marshall Fein has similar concerns.
"(It will be) more difficult, more timely, more expensive and (I will be) wasting fuel,” Fein said when referring to the possibility of having to get off at a completely different exit to avoid having to drive extra miles to a turnaround, as the current plan shows.
Others were worried about increased traffic bringing more noise.
"I really wish there was some kind of noise mitigation. We were told they do not plan on erecting any walls on the highway to try to mitigate the noise levels," said Eithne Goetz, who lives near the interstate.
State highway officials said they do plan to review all of the concerns and make changes to the plan as needed to create the best outcome for all drivers and residents.
The project is scheduled to start in 2021 and will be done in phases, starting with the section of I-10 at Loop 1604.