traffic is finally impacting me (San Antonio, Spring: apartment complexes, construction, schools)

[Austin97]

i live off yaupon and work at far west and mopac. My commute used to take about 10 minutes door to door. I could go yaupon to spicewood springs, go under 360 back to spicewood springs on the otherside and then take the mopac frontage to my office. There were only two lights - spicewood springs/mesa and spicewood springs/wood hollow. Most days I would never have to stop.

I generally would never hit any traffic. This year, spicewood springs rd has started to back up past yaupon. It feels like it happened overnight. Sometimes now it is taking me 10 minutes just to get to spicewood springs/360

Has something changed upstream of us? Last year the backup would never even go past spicewood country school and only right near 8:30 for a short time. Now it seems like it is backed up from 7:30-9:00. This may have only started to happen in the past few months.

[Westerner92]

The city is just getting more crowded. I have a reverse commute, and I experienced my first traffic shockwave on southbound 183 (around Duval) on Monday afternoon.

[mark311]

I drive fairly near there on 183 every morning and have noticed that 183 seems to be backed up a bit earlier in the morning as you approach Spicewood Springs Rd/Mcneil. Maybe people don't want to fight the 183 to MoPac thing now that MoPac is terrible with construction (the onramp from 183 to MoPac backs up even earlier in the morning now) so they cut through Spicewood Springs Rd? I've never been that way, but I imagine there are lights that make it not worthwhile.

On the bright side of things, we only have two more months until all the schools are out for the summer. I've been doing a similar drive for the past 9 years and from the middle of June until the middle of August is great for those of us that commute on a daily basis during rush hour. It easily shaves 15 to 20 minutes off of my 19 mile commute from Cedar Park.

[sojourner77]

It's bad out there. You can see the backup (red) on the 183 from the 45N all the way down to the Duval.

And the Mopac from Wells Branch all the way down to the 2222. Ouch.

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

the 183 from the 45N all the way down to the Duval.

And the Mopac from Wells Branch all the way down to the 2222.

California transplant!

I'm hopeful that it's in part construction related, and will ease when(if) the Mopac project eventually finishes.

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by Novacek

California transplant!

I'm the California transplant!

[orngkat]

I've been taking the same route for 15 years and noticed a startling change about 6-9 months ago. My former 15 minute non stressful commute has doubled in time and stress. Several very large apartment complexes have gone up along the way so I think that has added quite a few cars. Also people avoiding Mopac by driving down Burnet Road instead.

[eirenecat]

I've noticed that 183 is backing up for longer and longer periods of time. I get on 183 at Spicewood Springs/McNeil and get off on Braker (not a long drive) and it's always a parking lot up until Braker in the morning now. even if I leave for work relatively late at 9 AM or a bit after. It seems to be backing up earlier and earlier in the evening, too. 35 is pretty much always a traffic hell now, and I fear that 183 may be turning into that.

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by eirenecat

I've noticed that 183 is backing up for longer and longer periods of time. I get on 183 at Spicewood Springs/McNeil and get off on Braker (not a long drive) and it's always a parking lot up until Braker in the morning now. even if I leave for work relatively late at 9 AM or a bit after. It seems to be backing up earlier and earlier in the evening, too. 35 is pretty much always a traffic hell now, and I fear that 183 may be turning into that.

I-35 is a popular scapegoat - It doesn't look any worse than Mopac (Hwy 1 on the map).

[eirenecat]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

I-35 is a popular scapegoat - It doesn't look any worse than Mopac (Hwy 1 on the map).

That may be, but my in-laws live in San Antonio and I have personally experienced a lot more weekend traffic clusterfsck on 35 than Mopac. Even with the construction, it's often faster for us to take Mopac down to Slaughter and get on 35 there rather than drive through the hell of downtown, and I am talking Saturday afternoons or Sunday morning times.