Texas Govenor Gregg Abbott visited San Antonio on Wednesday for the groundbreaking on a $418-million expansion of the I-10/Loop 1604 interchange on the far Northwest Side.
It’s Phase 2 of the multi-billion-dollar expansion of Loop 1604 into ten lanes from Bandera Road to I-35, including one HOV lane in each direction.
Phase 1 is already well underway between Bandera Road and the interchange. It will take a few years for the entire multiphase project that covers 23 miles to be completed.
The Texas Department of Transportation reports 150,000 vehicles travel on 1604 across the North Side every day. Two decades from now, that number of vehicles on the freeway is expected to double.
Abbott said that 40 years ago when he was dating Cecilia, the San Antonio woman he later married, 1604 seemed to be a two-lane road in the middle of nowhere.
“And I remember thinking, who built this and why because no one is ever going to be using this road ever,” he said to laughter. He said his most recent memories of Loop 1604 include being stuck in traffic like everyone else.
Abbott said the Texas economy, which would be world’s ninth largest if the state were a country, is growing fast and that means more traffic.
Transportation chairman Bruce Bugg of San Antonio said it was Abbott that made transportation a priority in Texas beginning with his 2014 campaign for governor.
Bugg, who was appointed chairman by Abbott, also said voter-backed initiatives helped pump billions into projects to clear the most 100 congested roads in the state.
The work on 1604, including the interchange, is expected to reduce travel times by 75%.
Abbott faces Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke for re-election. His campaign released a statement with a different take on the governor’s record on transportation:
“It’s nice to see the governor finally do the bare minimum and accept bipartisan federal funds to address the fact that Texas has the most congested highways in the entire nation. Under his leadership, Texas ranks number one for the worst commercial trucking bottlenecks in the country–costing the economy nearly $4 billion every year,”the statement began.
“While TxDOT highway projects are plagued by inefficiencies and delays, the agency currently spends just 1% of its $26 billion budget on public transportation projects that could ease traffic and make transportation more affordable and accessible. Greg Abbott has done nothing to protect Texans from skyrocketing highway fees and tolls while failing to improve rail networks that are critical for trade,” the statement continued.
“He has also left major transportation routes through rural counties with a $28 billion backlog in maintenance projects. As Governor, Beto will increase the share of TxDOT’s budget spent on public transportation, improve TxDOT’s public bidding processes to make sure Texas contracts with more efficient construction companies, and ensure the $35 billion in federal infrastructure funding earmarked for Texas flows equitably to urban, suburban, and rural communities alike,” the statement concluded.