Ahead of a booming weekend of concerts, parades and festivals in San Antonio, a scaffolding failure has caused an emergency closure on a major downtown road.
According to San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) officials, crews received a report of “weakened” scaffolding on East Commerce Street that “looked like it was about to collapse” on Friday, October 24. The sidewalks and streets were cleared, and nearby buildings, including the Bill Miller Bar-B-Q headquarters, were evacuated.
Over the next 12 to 15 hours, engineers will stabilize and dismantle the scaffolding – part of construction of a brick veneer on the AC Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk – from the top down, officials said. The closure impacts Commerce Street from Soledad to Flores, as well as Main Street from Commerce to Houston, according to officials.
Nobody was hurt.
SAFD officials said locals traversing the downtown area this weekend should use Google Maps to check for traffic information and alternate routes. Folks can also check the city’s website for closures.
The closure comes right at the onset of a massive, events-filled weekend for San Antonio – with the Day of the Dead River Parade snaking through the city on Friday, October 24 and Paul McCartney playing the Alamodome on Saturday, October 25, and Muertos Fest kicking off for three days at Hemisfair.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This article originally published at Emergency street closure hits downtown San Antonio as more than 100K expected.