SAN ANTONIO – After nine years of planning, the City of San Antonio is no longer part of the project to transform one section of the Broadway corridor.
The city has already been working on the lower section of the corridor and will continue to do so. That is the section the city owns, from the I-35 overpass down to Houston Street downtown.
However, the 2.2-mile upper section of the project has been a point of contention between the city and the state. That section runs from that same I-35 overpass up to Burr Road at the Alamo Heights city limits.
For years, the City of San Antonio and the Texas Department of Transportation have been at odds about that upper section.
During the planning process, the state turned over control of the road to the city, but then arguments began over the city’s vision to reduce lanes of traffic to make way for bike lanes.
In January of this year, the state regained control of the roadway.
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On Tuesday, the city’s Public Works Department confirmed to KSAT that they are no longer involved in that section of the project, saying it was “because TxDOT rescinded a previous turnback agreement. It was not the City’s decisi on to pause or alter this project.”
The city emphasizes that the lower section of the project it controls is still on track to finish this fall.
The issue now is what to do with the $82.5 million the city has set aside for the upper section of the project that it just stepped away from.
The funds that remain are:
In its statement Tuesday, the city said, “It has not yet been determined how these funds will be reallocated.”
As for TxDOT, the agency would not respond directly to the City of San Antonio no longer being a part of the project.
However, it sent a statement Tuesday laying out the plan for the upper section.
The full statement reads:
“TxDOT is set to begin work on SL 368 (Broadway) from Roy Smith to Casa Blanca on September 4, 2023. The work to be done includes milling, overlay, base repair and restripe work. The contractor, Texas Materials is expected to complete this work before the end of the year.
“The section between Casa Blanca to Burr Road is anticipated to go out for bid in December 2023. The 18-month project will focus on safety, maintenance, and operational enhancements to repair the roadway, add ADA accessibility to intersections, and improve sidewalks and curbs.”
Below is the full statement released Tuesday by the City of San Antonio:
“The Upper Broadway (IH-35 to Burr Road) project is now a Texas Department of Transportation project because TxDOT rescinded a previous turnback agreement. It was not the City’s decision to pause or alter this project.
“The City of San Antonio was committed to fulfilling the Upper Broadway project as originally designed. Ownership of the roadway has changed and TxDOT has decided to go in another direction. It was not the City’s decision to alter this voter-approved 2017 bond project
“The City of San Antonio’s plans for the Upper Broadway project included a reduced number of traffic lanes, wider sidewalks, and protected bike lanes. TxDOT has its own plan to maintain the roadway moving forward.
“The funds that remain for this portion of the Broadway Street Corridor project include $7.3 million in 2017 bond funding; about $38.3 million in Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization funding; and about $36.9 million in Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) funding. It has not yet been determined how these funds will be reallocated.
“The Lower Broadway project funded in the 2017 bond is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2024. This project will reconstruct the roadway and improve pedestrian amenities for Broadway from East Houston Street to IH-35.
“For more information, visit SASpeakUp.com/LowerBroadway.”