SAN ANTONIO – The view from Iowa Street is spectacular, but neighbors in Denver Heights said speeding on the street is a growing problem.
The mile-long stretch of road in the East Side neighborhood is what Cesar Chavez Boulevard becomes after heading east on Cherry Street.
Recommended Videos
“You have to drive very defensively on Iowa Street,” Aubrey Lewis, who grew up in Denver Heights, said.
Over the years, Lewis said he has witnessed some close calls. He is worried for his older neighbors.
“I just held my breath because I said somebody is going to come through and T-bone [my neighbor] one of these days,” Lewis said.
In 2024, San Antonio Police Department data showed that officers responded to 22 accidents along the mile-long stretch of road. Fourteen of them were considered “major” accidents with five taking place near Iowa Street and Palmetto Street, a street that runs from north to south.
A woman who lives near the intersection said she has seen several accidents, including some that ended up in her front yard.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told KSAT that the City of San Antonio needs to act. She also worries for the people who play at nearby Pittman-Sullivan Park.
“Nobody cares,” said Lewis, who said complaints to the city have fallen on deaf ears for years.
“What has the city told you?” KSAT asked Lewis.
“‘We’ll look into it,‘” Lewis said. “In fact, I spoke to one of the SAFFE (San Antonio Fear Free Environments) officers, and he was going to set up some type of monitoring.”
As of his interview with KSAT, Lewis said he has not seen that happen.
Lewis believes there are a couple of potential fixes: dropping the speed limit from 35 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour.
He also mentioned a simpler solution.
“The bare minimum is a stop sign,” Lewis said. “If they want to set up radar out there … with the motorcycle officers — that’s fine. That’s beautiful.”
The City of San Antonio told KSAT there has not been a speed study started or completed on Iowa Street.
A spokesperson told KSAT they would file a 311 ticket to look into a potential speed study.
