San Antonio drivers, brace yourselves for a traffic headache starting this Friday night, as officials announced a shutdown of Loop 1604 at the I-10 interchange, set to last the entire weekend. The closure kicks off at 9 p.m. Friday, April 26, and isn't expected to let up until the early hours of Monday morning, said officials in a statement obtained by KENS 5. While the Interstate 10 will remain open during the construction, drivers are advised to plan alternative routes to avoid delays.

But the weekend disruptions are just the tip of a iceberg when it comes to reshaping San Antonio's transport landscape. Earlier this week, a new phase of the Loop 1604 expansion project officially began, targeting four miles of the road between Highway 281 and Redland Road. This $218 million effort will transform the main lanes from a modest four-lane expressway to a 10-lane behemoth, complete with HOV lanes, improved intersections, and safety accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists on the frontage roads, as detailed in a report by KSAT.

The work on Loop 1604, stretching from Bandera Road past I-10 to Hwy. 281, is a significant chunk of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative, envisioned to slice through the thicket of traffic congestion plaguing the state's highways. Since 2015, the initiative has fronted projects designed "to relieve congestion on highways across the state while improving mobility and safety," as per a Texas Department of Transportation press release.

"The Loop 1604 North Expansion is a transformative project that will bring the improvements needed to increase mobility and reduce congestion now and in the future," J. Bruce Bugg, Chairman of Texas Transportation Commission, was quoted saying according to a KSAT interview. With an anticipated completion date set for 2027 for this segment, and continued work through 2028 on remaining parts, the full six-segment project promises a 76% cut in commute times—a significant boon for the San Antonio area's growing population and its bustling economy.