SAN ANTONIO — A major infrastructure project is underway in San Antonio’s rapidly growing south side, with plans for the South Texas Parkway, a state roadway stretching from I-35 to I-37.
The project, estimated at $1.5 billion, aims to enhance mobility in the area, which has seen significant growth with developments like the Toyota plant and Texas A&M San Antonio.
Art Reinhardt, Director of Engineering and Operations Alamo Regional Mobility Authority noted, “How do we take a vision for a corridor, a parkway, and move it forward? And so the RMA has recently taken action on that, as of last week.” The proposed parkway would provide a crucial new route, connecting major highways and alleviating congestion. “There’s really not a lot of major mobility options in this area,” he said. “This will basically provide an additional option right in that middle area.”
Funding for the project remains a key question, with a coalition seeking federal and state highway dollars. Rebecca Viagran, President & CEO of South Texas Business Partnership, stated, “I know that the coalition will look for federal highway dollars, state highway dollars. This will come from all different sources.”
District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran emphasized the project’s potential impact: “I feel like it’s lessons learned that we’ve seen and we want to bring this parkway here so that people, their commute and those moving from the east to the west isn’t time consuming.” She added, “This is going to mean a faster way to get around, an easier way to get through traffic.”
The 15-mile project is a top priority for stakeholders, who believe this time will be different, aiming to finally bring the long-discussed plan to fruition.