SAN ANTONIO – Some drivers are concerned that an ongoing road project might cause major delays when two North Side schools open their doors Monday.
According to the city of San Antonio Transportation and Capital Improvements Department, the work is being done to eliminate a low-water crossing on Jones Maltsberger Road near Redland Road, which is part of a larger county project. The intersection has been closed all summer after work officially began in April.
TCI spokeswoman April Alcoser-Luna said the project was first set for completion on Aug. 14, but has been delayed numerous times due to rain. She said the new target date for completion is Sept. 4 or sooner.
Classes are set to begin Monday at Clara Driscoll Middle School, which is located on Jones Maltsberger Road. The new school year got underway last week at another school down the street at Great Hearts.
With the ongoing work, drivers who need to access that stretch of Jones Maltsberger have only one entry point, off Autry Pond. Some people fear that with the additional cars and buses now traveling to and from the schools, the area will be a driver's nightmare.
"Chaos!," said one woman, who identified herself only as "Moe." She lives in the Redland Ranch at Elm Creek subdivision, next door to the construction zone. She said her neighbors have expressed fears about the back-to-school traffic.
"My neighbors are already going to go to work between 6:15 and 6:30, early, just to try and get past," Moe said. "I'm glad I don't work anymore because I don't want to come out here. It was bad enough when it used to be just one school. Now you've got two schools and only one direction in and out."
Parents of students at Driscoll have concerns, too. Patrick Kelly is dreading having to drive through the congestion to bring his child to school.
"We try to avoid this area because of that. We kind of, go around everything," he said. "I'm sure the first week of school, at least, will be quite interesting. It's going to be a huge mess."
Alcoser-Luna said the city is taking every possible measure to ease the pain for drivers. She said San Antonio police officers will be stationed at several surrounding intersections to direct the flow of traffic. More officers will be added, if necessary.
"We've had a plan in place for months," she said. "We've been communicating with (North East Independent School District) and the HOA from the subdivision."
The most recent delay, Alcoser-Luna said, couldn't be avoided because work crews need at least 10 consecutive days of dry weather in order to lay down asphalt. As of Friday morning, the area was still a muddy mess due to rain that fell earlier in the week.