"We're opening the 281 North to Loop 1604 East and Loop 1604 West direct connector, so it's two of the four connectors we've been building." said Leroy Alloway, Director of Community Development for the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority.The last two connectors, which will connect both directions of Loop 1604 to U.S. Highway 281 South are scheduled to open in the beginning of
2013."They have to be open by February 7th or there's a $5,000 a day penalty that's assessed towards the designed builder. So we know they'll be opened before February 7th, but there's still very much a fluid target on exactly what date they'll be open," said Alloway. The other two connectors still require quite a bit of work including the laying of asphalt, which is a little more difficult to set now that the temperatures are getting colder.
"After they do open we still have bridges that we're widening at Huebner, Redland, and Gold Canyon. There's still resurfacing work to be done, new ramps that were installing in the Bitters-Stone Oak area on westbound 1604, dark sky compliant lighting that's being installed along the corridor, and sidewalks that are being put in. So, there's still some auxiliary work that will be going on until the end of May," said Alloway.
Thursday's opening of the two connectors are a left lane exit off northbound Highway 281.
Give it a couple of days so we can get traffic used to this new way to drive," said Alloway, "It should be a much needed relief for the community, because we'll take 25,000 vehicles out of the traffic lights and put them onto these connectors."
By: Marissa A. Wagner and Johnny Shannon
