A three-mile stretch of Bandera Road is at the center of an upcoming $2 million Texas Department of Transportation public safety project.
From Evers Road to Cincinnati Avenue, Bandera Road is a busy, three-lane corridor with two-way center turning lanes to access nearby apartments, clinics, restaurants and businesses.
Within the past four years, TxDOT identified an issue with that area — there have been 46 pedestrian-involved car accidents, several T-bone collisions and eight fatalities.
The new project seeks to add a continuous raised center median along three-miles of Spur 421, more commonly known as Bandera Road.
At an open house on Tuesday, engineers and TxDOT staff answered the community’s questions and explained the project and how it would improve public safety.
It was a casual setting— no powerpoint presentations or announcements— rather, people walked in, looked at a large map that spanned across several tables, and asked questions at their own pace. They could add sticky notes to the map with questions.
Since TxDOT communicated the project in December 2023, they’ve heard from area residents and business owners that many pedestrians frequent this part of the Bandera stretch, and that some jaywalk, making it dangerous for them and for drivers.
TxDOT worked with VIA Metropolitan Transit to identify where it could add protected crosswalks at the bus stops that pedestrians use the most.
“This crosswalk is much needed. Thank you,” read one public comment posted near the intersection of Zachry Drive and Bandera Road. “This bus stop … needs more seating space — the sidewalk is too narrow,” read another sticky note.
Other comments highlighted residents’ concerns about the project.
“Raised medians act as a deterrent to traffic for businesses along the corridor,” said one note. “Add tall trees to mitigate speeding, reduce heat island effects, and add color,” and “Slanted crosswalks. … Are crosswalks allowing enough time to cross?”
Orlando Gallegos, TxDOT’s traffic engineer for the San Antonio district, said business owners along the affected area are already asking that the duration of construction not take too long. TxDOT estimated construction will last 10 months, for now.
Businesses won’t be impacted by the continuous raised median, Gallegos said, but will be impacted short-term due to the construction.
“The public wants us to restrict construction hours, as well as the length of the roadway the contractor can work at once. That can significantly add more time to the duration of the schedule,” Gallegos said.
“But it would impact them less to have shorter construction in front of their business or property, rather than have that ongoing construction a little longer. Even though the duration of the project might be longer, the perception of that particular location will be different,” he said.
There is no estimated date when the project will start, it’ll depend on public involvement comments that could change plans, said Laura Lopez, spokeswoman for the transportation agency’s San Antonio district.
Don Ríos, president of the Culebra Park Neighborhood Association, attended the open house on Tuesday and filled out a comment form on his way out. Even though the Culebra Park neighborhood doesn’t border Bandera Road, it’s a part of a larger concern his neighborhood has regarding traffic and safety in the community, he said.
“I think the concrete medians are a simple approach to try to redirect traffic and to provide additional pedestrian safety, however it is also a proposal that doesn’t go far enough in my opinion,” he said.
Ríos said the proposal is contrasting compared to what TxDOT has proposed outside of Loop 410, which include a “more dynamic” traffic-calming plan, like bike lanes, additional tree planting and mixed-use protected sidewalks, he said.
“It’s very shocking that this one does not and it shows a lack of consideration, and to be blunt, a lack of infrastructure equity. … It’s a good effort, but I think a little more needs to be done,” he said.
There are no plans for landscaping in the medians, considering impacts to pavement structure, irrigation in Central Texas, and the fact that the medians won’t remove existing greenery, TxDOT said.
Next, TxDOT will go through the anticipated environmental clearance for the project, and will complete the final design later in the fall.
At least one representative from the City Council District 7 office attended to gather community feedback.
“My team and I have been working to provide feedback to TxDOT and have received a commitment to focus on the needs of both residents’ and business owners’ concerns,” District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito said in a statement to the San Antonio Report. “This is important because the city does not have ownership over Bandera Road – as it is a state highway.”
