San Antonio improves Harry Wurzbach Intersection to offload traffic

San Antonio finally completed a 2017 bond-financed upgrade to an intersection near Alamo Heights that the city says will eliminate traffic problems for decades. According to a press release, the Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) at the intersection of Austin Highway and Harry Wurzbach will be fully open to the public on Tuesday, January 17th.

City officials say the upgrade will make it easier for drivers to navigate the intersection. SPUI, in essence, will make it easier to manage traffic for people trying to get on or off the Austin Highway from Harry Wurzbach using traffic lights. The 2017 bond committed $3 million to this joint project with TxDOT.

You can watch an example of SPUI in the video from TxDOT below..

SPUI eliminates waiting for left turn signals and now allows drivers traveling in opposite directions to turn left at the same time. Traffic lights will also allow more time for green light than for red.

“Anyone who has lived in San Antonio for any significant amount of time knows how difficult it was to drive from the Austin Highway and try to access Harry Wurzbach,” San Antonio City Manager Eric Walsh said in a press release.

The Austin Highway will now also be a flyover, allowing vehicles from the north and south on the Harry Wurzbach to pass freely under it, eliminating the traffic-light waiting time most drivers have been accustomed to for decades. This will be the first SPUI in San Antonio.