The San Antonio City Council has backed a significant overhaul of Zarzamora Street, a notorious hotspot for traffic accidents. Two agreements were approved on Thursday, including one with VIA Metropolitan Transit, aimed at the Zarzamora Corridor Pedestrian Improvement Project, which is responsible for contributing funding towards the street's rehabilitation. The council also agreed to a $5 million payment to a contractor taking charge of the imminent construction work, San Antonio Report detailed.
The enhancement initiative for the 7-mile stretch is years in development, with an end goal to make the street safer and more navigable, particularly along a corridor beset by a history of pedestrian incidents and fatalities. From 2016 to 2020, Zarzamora Street has been the scene of over a dozen deaths and 43 serious injuries. The city projects that, the proposed upgrades will cut these accidents by half, according to the San Antonio Report.
A recent City Council decision has also greenlit the execution of the Safe Streets & Roads 4 All (SS4A) grant, granted by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This grant, totaling $4.4 million and spanning the next five years, is aimed at implementing crucial safety measures. Coupled with an additional $1.1 million from City General Funds towards Vision Zero projects, the funding will foster the creation of pedestrian-friendly mid-block crossings and support educational campaigns for traffic safety, as reported on the city's official website.
Accompanying the street's overhaul are advancements like sidewalks, driveway approaches, traffic signal upgrades and dedicated bike lanes that promise to reshape Zarzamora Street from Fredericksburg Road to Southwest Military Highway. A specific focus is on creating bus lanes and bike paths to ease the flow of traffic and secure safer passageways for the local populace, a significant part of which relies on public transportation due to high poverty rates, "It is very densely populated and a lot of people here don’t have vehicles," Susana Segura, program coordinator at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, told the San Antonio Report.
Work on the Zarzamora project is expected to take off in spring 2024 and reach completion by winter 2025. As recorded deaths and injuries from pedestrian accidents mount, this project signals a critical change for the community. Mayor Ron Nirenberg affirmed the city's commitment to safety, stating, "The SS4A grant helps San Antonio meet the challenges of its growing population and creates safeguards for some of our most vulnerable residents as they walk, bike, or drive to their destinations along Zarzamora Street," as reported on the city's official website.
