TxDOT describes Loop 1604 North and the I-35 Northeast Expansion as the two largest transportation investments in the San Antonio region. Together they add up to nearly $5 billion. The two projects meet in Selma and Live Oak, and that meeting point is the last section to break ground and the last scheduled to finish.
Meanwhile the City of Selma has started its own rebuild of Lookout Road. So for the next few years, Selma has three projects run by two levels of government, each on a different clock. Taken in order, they show a plain pattern. Drivers farther south on I-35 will likely see new lanes open before the stretch at Selma's front door is done.
The smallest project is the one closest to home
The city's September/October 2026 community magazine said work on what it called "the long-awaited reconstruction of Lookout Road" was scheduled to begin September 14, 2026. The project covers Lookout Road from about 2,500 feet southwest of Evans Road to the Selma–Live Oak city limits. It includes rebuilt vehicle lanes, on-street bike lanes, a 10-foot-wide multi-use sidewalk and drainage improvements. Funding comes through the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. KENS 5 covered the start in a short segment, Lookout Road in Selma undergoing reconstruction.
The city plans to keep two-way traffic open throughout. That's a big promise for a road that will end up with a different cross-section: car lanes, bike lanes and a sidewalk wide enough for strollers and cyclists to share. In AAMPO's FY 2025–2028 Transportation Improvement Program, Lookout Road between a point just northeast of Loop 1604 and Evans Road carries a programmed cost of $5,093,800. That's a planning figure, not a contract amount. Set it beside the highway numbers below and Lookout is a rounding error.
The city hasn't published a completion date. It says updates will go out on its website and social media as work moves along, and questions go to the Development Services Department at (210) 651-7829.
The first highway relief lands south of Selma
I-35 NEX Central runs 9.5 miles from I-410 North to FM 3009. It's a $1.5 billion project that started construction in June 2022, and TxDOT estimates completion in late 2027. The plan stacks elevated lanes above the existing interstate: two main lanes and one HOV lane in each direction, with direct connections to I-410 North and Loop 1604 West. Entrance and exit ramps and frontage roads are being reconfigured along the way.
The first visible payoff is close. KENS 5 reported this summer that TxDOT expects the first elevated lanes to open in early 2027. That depends on crews finishing the southbound section of I-35 from Schertz Parkway to Loop 410. The station toured a ramp that will eventually carry two lanes of traffic from I-35 to Loop 1604. I-35 NEX Program Manager Marco Galindo told the station another set of elevated lanes is planned at the I-35 and Loop 410 interchange to carry westbound traffic.
The same KENS 5 report warned that drivers should expect continued impacts while the elevated lanes are built, including closures during the morning commute. Galindo put it this way: "We never anticipate for any closure to go later than planned, but things do happen."
The geography matters for Selma. The opening milestone depends on southbound work between Schertz Parkway and Loop 410. Selma's own exits, Olympia Parkway and Forum Parkway, Retama Parkway, Evans Road and Lookout Road, sit right next to the I-35 and Loop 1604 junction. TxDOT's I-35 NEX traffic impacts page has listed overnight closures touching those same approaches, along with a note that schedules depend on weather and can change.
Segment 6 ties it all together, and it finishes last
On July 30, 2026, TxDOT and the Federal Highway Administration held a ceremony to mark the start of construction on Segment 6 of the Loop 1604 North Expansion. That's Loop 1604 from Judson Road to I-35. It's a $182 million project, and TxDOT calls it the final segment of the $1.4 billion expansion. Once it's done, Loop 1604 North connects to the $3.5 billion I-35 NEX. TxDOT's release says Pulice Construction, Inc. will be awarded the construction contract and puts expected completion in 2029. KSAT covered the groundbreaking alongside a tour of the I-35 work by Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster.
That 2029 date has already moved once. In May 2025, Community Impact reported on a TxDOT update to The Chamber, which serves the Schertz-Cibolo-Selma area. At that point Segment 6 had no funding source yet, carried an estimated $203 million price tag, and was expected to start in late 2025 and finish in 2028. TxDOT's segment schedule now shows a late-2026 start and a 2029 finish.
TxDOT's corridor plan for Loop 1604 North takes the existing four-lane expressway to ten non-toll lanes. That's two added general-purpose lanes plus one HOV lane in each direction. The plan also reconfigures ramps, adds direct connectors and converts signalized frontage-road intersections to continuous-flow designs. That scope is described for the corridor as a whole, and it dates back to TxDOT's 2020 public hearing materials. Treat it as the planned direction for Segment 6, not a ramp-by-ramp blueprint of what changes at Selma's cross streets.
Put the three timelines side by side:
| Project | Run by | Where it touches Selma | Expected finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lookout Road reconstruction | City of Selma, AAMPO funding | Southwest of Evans Road to the Live Oak city limits | No date published |
| I-35 NEX Central | TxDOT | Exits from Olympia Parkway to Lookout Road; first elevated lanes depend on work from Schertz Parkway to Loop 410 | First elevated lanes early 2027; full project late 2027 |
| Loop 1604 North Segment 6 | TxDOT | Judson Road to I-35, through Selma and Live Oak | 2029 |
The I-35 and Loop 1604 junction at Selma's edge is where the two biggest programs connect. By TxDOT's own schedule, that's the last section to wrap up. Drivers on the southern end of I-35 NEX may be using elevated lanes in 2027 while Selma drivers are still a year or two from the end of Segment 6.
What the next stretch looks like hour by hour
The schedules point to a predictable pattern for Segment 6, at least. KENS 5 reported that major construction was expected to begin this fall. To limit the impact on drivers, most lane closures will happen overnight, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday. TxDOT San Antonio spokesperson Tanya Brown told the station, "Just be patient. Stay informed of those closures so that you can prepare your commute or the routes that you travel prior to getting on the road."
I-35 NEX doesn't come with the same overnight-only expectation. KENS 5's elevated-lanes report says morning-commute closures remain possible and can be set off by crashes in the work zone, equipment problems or material deliveries, not just planned work.
Each project posts updates in a different place:
- Loop 1604 and I-35 closures statewide: DriveTexas and its mobile app, the tool TxDOT points drivers to.
- I-35 NEX weekly closures by exit: TxDOT's I-35 NEX traffic impacts page, which lists closures by approach, including Forum Parkway to Olympia Parkway, Evans Road and Retama Parkway.
- Loop 1604 lane closures and traffic switches: TxDOT's Loop 1604 traffic impacts page, where the project team posts notices.
- Lookout Road: the City of Selma website and city social media, or Development Services at (210) 651-7829.
Lookout Road is the one project here that Selma runs itself. When it's finished, the part of town along the Live Oak line gets a wider sidewalk and bike lanes, while the interchange next to it stays under construction.
If you're thinking about selling or buying near Lookout Road, Loop 1604 or one of the I-35 exits while this work goes on, Melissa Boehringer can walk you through how buyers and appraisers handle a home next to an active construction corridor. Schedule a free consultation and bring your street address.