San Antonio City Council voted to approve a construction contract for a planned bicycle and pedestrian-focused project for a stretch of roadway west of downtown.
According to city documents, the project plans to construct five-foot bike lanes and widen and reconstruct up to six-foot-wide sidewalks, where feasible, on both sides of North Frio Street.
The project’s boundaries are from Interstate 10 to West Houston Street and would serve major urban, health and social needs around Haven for Hope and VIA Metropolitan Transit’s VIA Centro Plaza. The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Downtown Campus and University Health’s Robert B. Green Hospital sit near the corridor.
On Thursday, council awarded the construction contract to San Antonio-based E-Z Bel Construction, LLC. A Capital Delivery & Public Works Department spokesperson said in an email to KENS 5 that the work will be completed in phases, with temporary lane closures anticipated as the work progresses. An Oct. 27 pre-construction meeting document shows three construction phases.
The spokesperson said no full roadway closures are anticipated at this time, and two-way traffic will be maintained throughout construction. Work is expected to start sometime in November and wrap up by December 2027.
North Frio Street project ‘will save lives,’ councilwoman says
In an emailed statement, District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo said the “investment to improve bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure on North Frio is a win for community and will save lives.”
“This project represents a critical first step towards the revitalization of Cattleman Square,” she said. “I want to recognize and thank the voters who supported funding for these improvements through the 2022 Bond.”
Revitalization of the Cattleman Square area on the near west side has been ongoing — both it and the North Frio project sit at the end of District 5. Earlier this year, several local nonprofits came together behind a multi-million-dollar plan to provide housing and ongoing services to the area’s population experiencing homelessness.
Pete Alanis — executive director of the San Antonio Housing Trust, one of the groups leading the revitalization plan — said that, at any given time, an estimated 115 to 169 people are considered homeless in the Cattleman Square area.
Initial funding for the work was authorized as part of FY 2023 budget discussions. The project was selected for additional funding from the AAMPO’s Transportation Improvement Program. The city documents said the remaining bulk funding, about 80%, came from TxDOT.
San Antonio’s Capital Delivery Department held a pre-construction meeting for the project earlier this week, which Castillo acknowledged in remarks at Thursday’s council meeting: “I know folks are very excited to see construction begin,” she said in part.