San Antonio is gearing up for demolition work on a key exit ramp downtown as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) aims to rebuild and reopen the route KSAT reports. The Southbound I-35 exit to Brooklyn Avenue and McCullough Avenue has been closed owing to damage from a fire in June 2023 but will see construction crews starting demolition work today, with the goal of the ramp reopening by the end of fall 2024.
In day operations scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., crews will be laboriously cutting through the ramp's structure and columns instead of opting for explosives on the demolition. According to TxDOT spokesperson Jennifer Serold in a statement obtained by KSAT, "The demolition activities will start next week, Monday, June 3. It will take place during the day, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and demolition is expected to last two weeks." Reconstruction of the ramp will follow, with Serold expressing excitement about the prospect of making the ramp safe for public use again. During the demolition phase, there are no major lane closures anticipated, providing sighs of relief for daily commuters.
Adding to the traffic turmoil, another major infrastructure improvement on the upper levels of I-10 Westbound has shut down two lanes from West Poplar to Fulton Avenue, according to MySanAntonio. This project will potentially reduce traffic to a single lane around the clock, spelling extended delays and bottlenecks until at least the end of June.
The ramp's closure was a necessary one, with TxDOT voicing concerns about the integrity of the structure after last year's fire damage. The structure was damaged in a fire TxDOT explained in a post sourced by MySanAntonio. Measures intended to prevent similar damage to other ramps downtown include enclosures around the structures, which will be implemented on the newly reconstructed ramp. The temporary "bump" sign earlier placed by TxDOT, which prompted driver slowdowns, should soon be a thing of the past as rehabilitation work progresses.
