Good and bad news for Potranco

If your commute involves Potranco Rd. (FM 1957) outside Loop 1604, then I have the proverbial good news and bad news for you.  The good news is that the Texas Transportation Commission approved a pass-through financing agreement with Bexar County last week that will allow the county to fund and manage the widening of Potranco from two to four lanes between Loop 1604 and SH 211 in far western Bexar County.  This agreement will allow the expansion work to get done much, much sooner than if it had to wait its turn for “traditional” (read: gas tax) funding, which is growing more scarce every year.  After the project is completed, TxDOT will reimburse the county for about 65% of the costs on a prorated basis over several years.  The Potranco widening is lumped-in with another much-needed project: the completion (finally) of SH 211.  I hear that developers in the area are picking-up the remainder of the tab on the two projects.

The bad news?  It looks like work won’t start for about two years as Bexar County finalizes the plans for the two projects.  So relief is still a few years away, but at least the ball has started rolling.