Special to the Northwest Weekly

On July 21, motorists on Loop 410 traveling to Bandera Road found themselves exiting on a new ramp. The permanent exit to Bandera Road is wider and longer. This will allow crews to complete the remainder of the west/north connector ramp in the same location of the temporary exit ramp.

Another improvement on the project is the westbound frontage road that has been opened to two lanes from Baywater Drive to Evers Road.

Crews are now concentrating on the two bridges (Bandera and Evers roads) on westbound Loop 410 and on the elevated structures on Bandera Road itself.

In addition, a temporary entrance ramp from Bandera Road to westbound Loop 410 was opened. Crews have also opened new turnaround on Bandera Road and closed the old crossover. The closure of the old crossover will allow crews to complete the retaining walls and complete the tie-in from the connectors to Bandera Road.

Crews will also be installing an underground drainage structure across the westbound frontage road just west of Sea Island Restaurant. The work was scheduled to begin in late July.

The Loop 410 at Bandera Road project began in September 2005 and is slated for completion in mid-2009. The $75 million project expands Loop 410 to 10 lanes and adds new bridges at Evers and Bandera roads and a traffic management system.

Two elevated ramps will be built, to and from Bandera Road north of Loop 410. Both ramps will be placed in the center of Bandera Road. Each ramp will begin and end close to Rue Francois, bypassing the heavily traveled intersection of Wurzbach and Bandera roads. The existing exit ramp to Bandera Road will remain.