SAN ANTONIO – Crews will soon start construction on yet another major San Antonio roadway, hoping to make our third most dangerous street a little safer.
The project is now scheduled for a three mile section of Bandera Road, from just south of Evers Road to just north of Culebra Road.
That stretch of Bandera has been the scene of 846 car crashes since 2021, along with ten fatalities, eight of those were pedestrians.
TxDOT says many of the accidents are being caused by drivers making unsafe U-turns and left turns.
Pedestrians have also been hit attempting to cross the busy lanes mid-block.
So, TxDOT has come up with a $4 million solution.
A series of raised center medians, with only a few selected openings for turns, and pedestrian crossings.
“I think it’ll definitely help prevent the accidents and make the roads safer right here on Bandera,” said Terrance Campbell, who drives that section of road frequently.
The 13-inch-high median will replace the current middle turn lane. The additions will not reduce any lanes of traffic.
Drivers who often use this part of Bandera seem to like the idea.
“Because cars tend to cross where they’re not supposed to and a median there will keep them from doing that,” said driver Rosalie Martinez.
“This is TxDOT’s project, so we can’t tell them no even if we wanted to,” said District 7 Councilmember Marina Alderete Gavito.
Gavito says the city has no authority over the changes because Bandera Road is a state highway.
“I would love to have done more community engagement. There are a lot of small businesses up and down Bandera Road. The raised medians are really to prevent unsafe left turns and unsafe U-turns but in that, it’s going to be a lot harder to get in and out of small businesses,” Gavito said.
Gavito pushed for trees and landscaping on the medians and TxDOT’s plan does include “aesthetic treatments” in certain areas.
The agency says traffic lanes will remain open during construction. Work is scheduled to begin early next year and finish early in 2028.