TexDOT today began construction on major improvements to Highway 281 north of Loop 1604, which is the most congested stretch of highway in San Antonio, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Bruce Bugg says it is great that improvements are fianly underway.
"We are going to take this all the way to the Comal County line," Bugg said. "It is a half a billion dollar project, but it is an important project for San Antonio."
The project, the second segment of the overall U.S. 281 expansion effort, will add four new lanes (two northbound and two southbound) as well as two High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes – one in each direction – between just north of Stone Oak Parkway and Borgfeld Drive on the Comal County line. In all, this stretch of U.S. 281 will grow from four to 10 lanes.
None of the project will involve toll lanes, a major departure from ten years ago, when the entire US 281 expansion project was conceived as toll-based.
"Three general purpose lanes in each direction, going all the way from Loop 1604 to the Comal County line," Bugg said.
The current construction on the south end of 281 is in the 15th most congested stretch of highway in Texas. That project, which started in 2017, is set to be completed in 2020. The project begun today is set to be completed by 2022.