Interchange work starts in face of controversy Ruling is still pending on environmental group's suit to stop 1604/281 project.

A giant drilling rig turning up soil along Loop 1604 on Wednesday morning left little doubt that work had begun on a contentious interchange project in one of the city's most congested traffic corridors.

Minutes before the drill came to life, officials gathered in the parking lot of a nearby strip mall to throw the switch and celebrate construction of the $130 million interchange, which will connect the loop to U.S. 281. If all goes according to plan, it should open by summer 2013.

But the groundbreaking ceremony — replete with balloons, smiling elected officials and members of the Reagan High School Band — betrayed no signs the project remains entangled in a federal suit that threatens to delay construction.

In August, environmental group Aquifer Guardians in Urban Areas filed the suit against several entities, including the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, the agency building the interchange.

Workers from Williams Construction watch as a drilling rig digs into the ground off Loop 1604, the first step in construction of an interchange at U.S. 281. Workers from Williams Construction watch as a drilling rig digs into the ground off Loop 1604, the first step in construction of an interchange at U.S. 281. Photo: Vianna Davila/Express-News Photo: Vianna Davila/Express-News Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Interchange work starts in face of controversy 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The lawsuit charges that the interchange threatens the Edwards Aquifer, its recharge zone and endangered species habitats.

AGUA filed a motion for preliminary injunction in December that, if approved, would force the RMA to halt construction until the case is resolved, though design work could continue.

Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued an advisory in the case last month, and said he hopes to rule on the injunction within six months.

Because the judge hasn't ordered construction stopped, the RMA moved forward, Board Chairman Bill Thornton said.

“We are operating within the legal guidelines given us,” Thornton said.

AGUA Attorney Enrique Valdivia said Wednesday that his organization continues to work through the legal system and wants only to ensure the project is put through a thorough environmental review.

“They (the RMA) are just trying to change the facts on the ground and hope that by the time the judge rules it will be too late to do anything about it,” Valdivia said.

“This is basically a highway expansion,” he continued, “and there's going to be more traffic and we know these are gonna be hazardous material routes as well.”

The new project includes aquifer protections that haven't existed, RMA officials say, including a runoff filtration system that will purify more than 90 percent of pollutants before the water returns to the aquifer, said RMA Director of Community Development Leroy Alloway.

But the project has mainly been designed to alleviate chronic traffic problems that plague the area.

Improving the city's transportation system will become increasingly important as more people move to San Antonio, Mayor Julián Castro said, citing recently released U.S. census numbers.

“That's why I count this as real progress,” said Castro, who was at Wednesday's ceremony.

A proposal to toll a portion of U.S. 281 north of the interchange also has stirred controversy. That project has been indefinitely shelved pending the outcome of an environmental impact study.

The 1604/281 interchange is not a toll project and was partly paid for by federal stimulus dollars.

If the judge grants the injunction, Alloway said, the delay could cost the RMA up to $30,000 a day.