Construction and closures Roads Safety Travel: Hurricane Alex hurricanes storms
by Patrick
Comments Off on Hurricane Alex delivers blow
Hurricane Alex delivers blow
Latest radar from National Weather Service.
Hurricane Alex is grinding into a Mexican coast, its tails whipping South Texas and spitting out tornadoes. Winds are blowing more than 100 mph.
Though the brunt of the storm wandered south, it was powerful enough to drive both Texans and Mexicans away from their homes to find safer shelter, the Associated Press reported. A slew of tornado, flooding and wind warnings are in place in South Texas, including a flood watch in Bexar County, the National Weather Service says.
Officials closed the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge in South Padre Island due to winds and State Highway 87 in Galveston because of flooding, the Texas Department of Transportation announced. More than 100 TxDOT workers and 200 pieces of equipment will move in tomorrow to open roads and fix traffic signals and signs.
Helpful links:
- National Weather Service
- Weather Channel
- Statewide road conditions, or call (800) 452-9292
- TxDOT hurricane page
Bicycling to downtown San Antonio on a summer day
Augusta Street bridge, San Antonio
My wife and I spent some five hours out and about on our bikes yesterday, heading downtown from our house near Red McCombs Ford outside Loop 410 to the King William district. Altogether it came to a trip of 22.35 miles, mostly along San Antonio’s old main thoroughfares, San Pedro Avenue and Fredericksburg Road. We set of around 8:00 AM, when it was only 80 degrees and got back just before 1:00 PM, when it was well over 90. more »
History Passenger rail Railroads Uncategorized
by Hugh
Comments Off on Good things from the Union Pacific in San Antonio
Good things from the Union Pacific in San Antonio
UP at TTM
I am delighted to be able to be able to share a positive story about the Union Pacific railroad, an organization which rarely gets much in the way of good press in these parts. Today the UP came to the rescue at the Texas Transportation Museum here in San Antonio like knights in shining armor. more »
Where you don’t want to be this weekend
Live traffic cam from TransGuide. Image refreshes every few minutes or so.
Workers closed all main lanes of westbound Loop 410 at Starcrest for the weekend.
Motorists must exit at Harry Wurzbach and re-enter past Broadway. The busy stretch of highway is sure to coagulate into a nightmare shortly after sunrise.
Crews are putting drivers through the hoops so they can place rebar onto a Nacogdoches Road bridge deck. The work is part of a $119 million construction project, the city’s largest, to widen that part of the freeway to 10 lanes.
The job so far is on schedule and should end before the year’s out, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
“Everyone will reap the benefits,” an official said.
Also bogging down this weekend is eastbound Loop 1604 at U.S. 281. Workers there will close a lane through 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday to repair a bridge joint.
Click map for options.
SPID is false advertising!
Continuing on Hugh’s Corpus Christi theme from yesterday, my recent Memorial Day weekend vacay (actually it was a pre-Memorial Day weekend vacay) took me to Mustang Island. To get there, we took SH 358, the main drag through Corpus Christi, also known as South Padre Island Drive. However, “SPID”, as it’s known to locals, is a misnomer of sorts because it actually leads to North Padre Island, not South Padre Island, which is a good 120 or so miles south.
So then, why is it named South Padre Island Drive?
The road is actually just Padre Island Drive. The “South” in South Padre Island Drive comes from the fact that there are two halves of Padre Island Drive (although they’re nowhere equal in length): the southern half and the northern half, just like there is North Staples St. and South Staples St. According to Google Maps, it looks like Bear Lane is the dividing line for Padre Island Drive, so there actually is a short section of North Padre Island Drive between there and I-37. The rest of 358 (which is by far the bulk of it) is South Padre Island Drive.
That said, given the possible confusion this could (and probably does) cause, I propose that city leaders in Corpus Christi consider changing the name to “Padre Island Drive South”, although I suppose that PIDS doesn’t have quite the ring to it that SPID does.
Automobiles History Passenger rail Railroads Roads Travel: Corpus Christi
by Hugh
Comments Off on Going to Corpus Christi, then and now
Going to Corpus Christi, then and now
The main road to Corpus Christi, circa 1910
A wee trip to the coast, a fine way to spend a hot and hazy Sunday. While I’m still stuck in bachelor mode – decide to go, jump in the car and away – my wife needs, shall, we say, a little more, um, preparation. Providing my ipod is loaded and charged, I am sorted. She, on the other hand, loaded our vehicle like the old days when we were carrying a baby. Blankets, pillows, books, a lap top for heaven’s sake, towels, changes of clothes, the works. more »
Construction and closures Roads: Alamo Regional Mobility Authority Braun Road Loop 1604 SH 151 superstreet Texas Department of Transportation
by Brian
1 comment
Loop 1604 “super-street” previewed
Late last month, the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority held a public meeting to show plans for a super-street and other related improvements on Loop 1604 West. (My vacation started immediately after the meeting, thus the reason I’m just now getting around to writing this.) At this time, the plans include super-street intersections at New Guilbeau and at Shaenfield and ancillary improvements at Braun and at SH 151 (with work on the former now underway.) Here are the details of those planned improvements.
Automobiles History Travel Uncategorized
by Hugh
Comments Off on Actually, they are all divas
Actually, they are all divas
I had small, jolly close to subtle, magnetic signs made for the Texas Transportation Museum’s 1924 Model T truck that simply say, “The Diva.” This is because while the old girl runs pretty well on our unimproved roads and neighboring streets, it acts out badly during show time. Oh well!
Here is a link to a set of snaps taken at the recent fourth annual Ford Model T Show here in San Antonio. It is a joint project with the local Model T club, the “T Fords of Texas,” and sponsored by the Red McCombs Automotive group.
http://www.txtransportationmuseum.org/WE.htm
It was during this event that I arrived at the surprisingly conclusion that all Ts are divas. That’s why they are still here. Someone was just too crazy about each one to let it go. So far this year I have had the pleasure of touring both Medina and Caldwell Counties in this persnickety old machines and I fully understand the devotion. Now all I have to do is get the one I am looking after for future generations to run right! Having said that she did come through in spades during the Flambeau Parade, so she makes all the effort worthwhile!
Goin’ round the Bend
Feeling the need to get away from it all, I just returned from a long Memorial Weekend in Big Bend. I had the great good fortune to go with Anton Hajek, a local lawyer of some note but, more importantly, a man who has been visiting the area for many years, since, in fact, he was a teenager. Since then not only has his led many scouts through the vast National Park, the biggest yet least visited in the lower forty-eight, he is a leading member of the “Friends of Big Bend” plus a Master naturalist to boot. more »