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San
Antonio Area Freeway System
Interstate
35 North (North
PanAm Freeway) |
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| This
page last updated December 14, 2012 |
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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
Overview
This
freeway
serves the northeast corridor and provides access to Fort Sam Houston,
Splashtown water park, the AT&T Center and Freeman Coliseum,
San
Antonio Military Medical Center (formerly 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 "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 the Loop 410 South
Cutoff interchange or the 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 410 South Cutoff
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 410 South
Cutoff 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. Six of the top 10 traffic
counts in the city are in this corridor.
Chronic
congestion occurs between Schertz Pkwy. and Loop 1604 as
well as on the approach to 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 leading to the chronic congestion in that area.
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| AVERAGE
ANNUAL DAILY TRAFFIC |
| LOCATION |
1990 |
2000 |
2006 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
'01-'11
% CHG |
| Guadalupe Co. line |
53,000 |
105,000 |
143,000 |
130,000 |
149,000 |
184,000 |
+68.81% |
| Pat Booker Rd. |
58,000 |
107,000 |
162,000 |
141,000 |
150,000 |
174,000 |
+62.62% |
| O'Connor Rd. |
98,000 |
141,000 |
193,000 |
173,000 |
182,000 |
206,000 |
+41.10% |
| Thousand Oaks |
120,000 |
169,000 |
214,000 |
191,000 |
200,000 |
222,000 |
+27.59% |
| N of Walzem Rd. |
111,000 |
161,000 |
184,000 |
199,000 |
182,000 |
204,000 |
+23.64% |
| S of Walzem Rd. |
115,000 |
162,000 |
178,000 |
181,000 |
176,000 |
197,000 |
+20.12% |
| S of Rittiman Rd. |
127,000 |
169,000 |
188,000 |
193,000 |
181,000 |
202,000 |
+18.13% |
| Binz-Engelmann Rd. |
75,000 |
108,000 |
111,000 |
118,000 |
107,000 |
126,000 |
+15.60% |
| Salado Creek |
95,000 |
131,000 |
141,000 |
137,000 |
130,000 |
148,000 |
+13.85% |
| N. New Braunfels
Ave. |
111,000 |
158,000 |
160,000 |
152,000 |
151,000 |
168,000 |
+6.33% |
| McCullough Ave. |
90,000 |
190,000 |
187,000 |
186,000 |
190,000 |
202,000 |
+9.78% |
Media
gallery
Click
here
for photos and video of this
freeway.
Construction
projects
- Judson
Rd.
to FM 3009: Click here
for
details on this project.
- Loop 410 NE to Loop 410 South: Click here
for
details on this project.
Click
here
to view information for all projects
in this corridor.
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 conjunction
with an expansion of I-35 between Loop 410 NE and Loop 410 South.
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 and again during 2012.
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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