SAN ANTONIO – After navigating downtown street construction during this month’s NCAA Men’s Final Four celebrations, some potential Fiesta-goers are expecting more of the same when the celebrations begin next week.
>>ALSO READ: Community urged to plan ahead to avoid DWI arrests, crashes during Fiesta
Currently, the City of San Antonio has several projects underway around the downtown area that could have drivers going out of their way as they attempt to have a good time.
One such project has traffic down to one lane on South Alamo Street near La Villita, the sight of Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA) events.
Crews are also working on nearby streets that intersect with South Alamo Street, including East César E. Chávez Boulevard, Market Street and Nueva Street.
The project, comprehensively known as South Alamo Street, involves installing a gas main in one area and improving accommodations for pedestrians.
It is scheduled for completion next spring.
At Market Square, the site of Fiesta De Los Reyes events, cones and work crews have lanes and streets shut down on nearly every side.
That work is part of a project called Zona Cultural, which will add streets, bridges and sidewalks to the area by this summer.
“It’s just, like, finding the little routes to try to get in between it all. It’s ridiculous,” Joshua Robles said. “Last week, I had to jump over a bunch of things, barricades, just to get through.”
Robles said he has to put in work every day just to get to his job at a bar along the River Walk.
When it comes to partying downtown, though, Destiny Garbiso may decide to make other plans.
After fighting through traffic for the Final Four events earlier this month, Garbiso told KSAT she is still on the fence about attending any downtown Fiesta celebrations.
“It was very crowded, hard to find parking, especially with the construction,” she said. “You had to keep doing U-turns, all these weird turns. You had to go to the streets, and it’s just longer. We missed some of the concert because of it.”
Nicholas Olivier with the City of San Antonio’s Public Works Department said the work near Market Square will continue during Fiesta.
However, Olivier said crews will be cleaning up their work sites and moving around barricades to make the area safer and more accessible for pedestrians.
Olivier suggests that Fiesta patrons plan ahead and take advantage of alternate forms of transportation.
If Garbiso decides to head downtown, she said she will definitely leave her car at home.
“Maybe get an Uber here instead of driving down here,” Garbiso said.
