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San Antonio Area Freeway System
Interstate 35 North (North PanAm
Freeway) |
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This page
last updated
November
25, 2011 |
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This
page covers Interstate 35 north of downtown San Antonio
from the I-10 West interchange to FM 482 in Schertz.
For information on I-35 continuing north, see the San Antonio-Austin Corridor
page. For details on I-35 south of downtown, see the
I-35 South page.
Length:
20 miles
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On this
page:
Description
This freeway
serves the northeast corridor and provides access to Fort Sam
Houston, Splashtown water park, the AT&T Center and Freeman
Coliseum, Brooke Army Medical Center, the headquarters for IT
services company Rackspace, Randolph AFB, Retama Park racetrack,
the Forum shopping center, and the cities of Kirby, Windcrest,
Live Oak, Converse, Universal City, Selma, and Schertz.
The route is entirely urban and suburban and the majority of the
adjacent land use consists of warehouse, light industry, and
heavy commercial development. This route is also the
southern continuation of the San
Antonio-Austin Corridor and is part of the so-called
"NAFTA Superhighway".
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There
are two interchanges with Loop 410 along this
corridor. Loop 410 North intersects north of
Walzem at the Fratt Interchange, and Loop 410 South
intersects south of Rittiman at the BAMC Interchange,
also known as the "410 South Cutoff". Loop 410
is concurrent (multiplexed) with I-35 in between. |
Roadway details
| LANES |
- 10
lanes double-decked (6 lanes on the upper
levels; 4 lanes on the lower level) from I-10 West to
I-37/US 281
- 6
lanes from I-37/US 281 to Loop 410 North (Fratt
Interchange)
- 8 lanes from Loop 410 North
to Pat Booker (SH 218)
- 6
lanes from Pat Booker to FM 482
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| ACCESS
ROADS |
- No
traditional access roads from I-10 West to I-37/US
28. However, Elmira St. functions as a
southbound access road and Quincy St. functions as a
northbound access road.
- Continuous
access roads along most of route north of downtown
except:
- Northbound
access road does not continue through Loop 410
South (BAMC) interchange or Loop 1604 interchange.
- Northbound
access road through-traffic requires a left turn
at Binz-Engleman Rd. and at Randolph Blvd.
- Southbound
access road through-traffic requires two left
turns at Loop 1604.
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| EXITS |
 Click here
for a list of I-35 North exits
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| SPEED
LIMITS |
- 60 mph
from I-10 West to Loop 410 North (Fratt Interchange)
- 65
mph from Loop 410 North to Forum Pkwy
- 70
mph from Forum Pkwy to FM 482
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| SPECIAL FEATURES &
NOTES |
- Double-decked
freeway northbound and southbound between I-10 West
and I-37/US 281
- TransGuide
coverage along entire route
- Southbound
left exit to southbound Loop 410 at BAMC
Interchange
- VIA
Metropolitan Transit Randolph Park & Ride
located adjacent to Fratt Interchange
- Carpool
parking lots at following locations:
- Shin
Oak Dr. (southbound side)
- Olympia
Pkwy. (southbound side)
- Evans
Rd. (under freeway)
- Four
miles of Loop 410 concurrent (multiplexed)
from BAMC Interchange to Fratt Interchange
- US
81 was concurrent (multiplexed) over I-35 in
Bexar County before it was decommissioned south
of Ft. Worth in 1991
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| TRAFFIC |
| Heavy
to extremely heavy along entire route. The third
through sixth busiest freeway segments in the city are
located in this corridor with the segment at Rittiman
being the busiest in the corridor.
Chronic
congestion occurs on the southbound approach to Loop
1604, as well as on the approach Loop 410 South (410
South Cutoff) due to a left-hand exit. Regular
morning and afternoon peak-period congestion can be
found between O'Connor and Rittiman. Additional
afternoon peak period congestion occurs northbound
approaching I-37/US 281, from Splashtown to Rittiman,
and from Loop 1604 to Schertz Pkwy.
Over
the past decade, the northern half of the corridor has
seen strong traffic growth, with the counts at Pat
Booker nearly doubling during that period. Traffic
counts outside 1604 continue to increase rapidly as
well, leading to chronic congestion in that area.
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| AVERAGE ANNUAL DAILY
TRAFFIC |
| LOCATION |
1990 |
1998 |
2000 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
'98-'08
% CHG |
| Guadalupe
Co. line |
53,000 |
82,000 |
105,000 |
143,000 |
139,000 |
139,000 |
+70% |
| Pat
Booker Rd. |
58,000 |
89,000 |
107,000 |
162,000 |
155,000 |
148,000 |
+66% |
| O'Connor
Rd. |
98,000 |
129,000 |
141,000 |
193,000 |
186,000 |
181,000 |
+40% |
| Thousand
Oaks |
120,000 |
157,000 |
169,000 |
214,000 |
210,000 |
198,000 |
+26% |
| N of
Walzem Rd. |
111,000 |
144,000 |
161,000 |
184,000 |
184,000 |
198,000 |
+38% |
| S of
Walzem Rd. |
115,000 |
147,000 |
162,000 |
178,000 |
179,000 |
194,000 |
+32% |
| S of
Rittiman Rd. |
127,000 |
156,000 |
169,000 |
188,000 |
185,000 |
207,000 |
+33% |
| Binz-Engelmann
Rd. |
75,000 |
93,000 |
108,000 |
111,000 |
113,000 |
132,000 |
+42% |
| Salado
Creek |
95,000 |
120,000 |
131,000 |
141,000 |
137,000 |
154,000 |
+28% |
| N.
New Braunfels Ave. |
111,000 |
141,000 |
158,000 |
160,000 |
158,000 |
174,000 |
+23% |
| McCullough
Ave. |
90,000 |
169,000 |
190,000 |
187,000 |
195,000 |
203,000 |
+20% |
Photos
 Click here for photos of this
freeway.
Construction projects
 Judson Rd. to FM 3009: Click
here for details on this
project.
Click here for the latest status report on
these projects.
Future
plans
A Major
Investment Study (MIS) of the corridor conducted in 1996 for the
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) suggested the addition
of barrier-separated express, truck, and/or HOV lanes to this
freeway. In addition, a "Basic Improvements Package" was
also recommended including signal improvements, better signage,
ramp modifications, expansion of the TransGuide system, addition
of pedestrian facilities and bicycle routes, improved bus
service, and operational improvements to both Loop 410
interchanges and the Loop 1604 interchange. The signal,
signage, and TransGuide improvements have already been completed
as have the operational improvements southbound at the Loop 410
South (BAMC) interchange. No timetable has been announced
for the express/truck/HOV lanes or interchange improvements,
although these lanes have been proposed as a possible
toll project. A
fully-directional "stack" interchange is proposed at Loop 1604
as part of the Loop 1604 tollway project.
In October
2011, the city of San Antonio received federal funding as part
of a program to assist communities impacted by military base
expansions. The project selected for funding was the
conversion of the southbound I-35 left exit to Loop 410 to a
right-hand flyover. That project is expected to begin in
2014.
In late 2011,
TxDOT and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority began work on a
new long-range plan for the I-35 corridor from downtown to FM
1103 including Loop 410 near Kirby. Public meetings to
solicit input were held in November 2011. Additional
meetings will be held in early 2012 once plans have progressed.
History
I-35
designation authorized on October 1, 1959. Named PanAm
Freeway because it is the US extension of a segment of the Pan
American Highway. Was originally called the "Northeast
Expressway."
The first
section of this route, from present-day I-10 West to Broadway,
was completed by 1957. By 1961, it had been extended to
Artesia Rd. (now AT&T Center Parkway), and the section north
of Fratt was also open. The remainder of I-35 North was
completed by 1964. The section from Loop 410 North (Fratt
Interchange) to Loop 1604 was expanded from four to eight lanes
in the early '80s and the Fratt interchange was rebuilt.
The section from I-10 West to I-37/US 281 was double-decked in
the late '80s. The section from Loop 1604 to FM 3009 was
widened from four to six lanes during the early '90s, and the
segment between FM 3009 and FM 482 was widened from four to six
lanes in 1999. TransGuide coverage was added to the
section from I-10 West to New Braunfels Ave. in 1995, from New
Braunfels Ave. to Walzem in early 2000, from Walzem to Starlight
Terrace in August 2000, from Starlight Terrace to the Guadalupe
County line in April 2003, and from the Guadalupe County line to
Austin in 2008.
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