TxDOT, City of San Antonio planning for more rainy weather after floods damage frontage roads

Highway 90 frontage roads at Leon Creek remained closed Wednesday as assessment continued

SAN ANTONIO – The water has receded, but the damage was done on the U.S. 90 frontage roads at Leon Creek after heavy rains Tuesday triggered massive flooding.

The high waters damaged asphalt and even bent a guardrail out of shape. The westbound lanes of the frontage road remain closed as of Wednesday evening, as the Texas Department of Transportation continues to assess the damage.

With more rain expected later this week, crews are preparing in case more flooding occurs, including on roadways like the lower levels of Interstate 10 and Interstate 35.

“We make sure that the pump stations have been cleaned. And because of debris that gets in those pump stations...it has a potential chance of clogging up,” said Laura Lopez, a spokeswoman for TXDOT’s San Antonio district. “And so, we want to make sure that we have addressed those areas before the heavy rain comes our direction.”

The City of San Antonio Public Works Department is also monitoring conditions. Officials encourage residents to report any “malfunctioning traffic signals, trees that have fallen on sidewalks or across roadways, or debris that is in a creek or waterway” to 311. They also advise that potholes will likely become an issue in the coming weeks, so residents should report those as well.

Both TxDOT and the city are urging drivers to heed the message of “turn around, don’t drown” when encountering flood waters on roadways.

“Definitely, you want to stay informed by looking at the weather conditions and just be extremely careful when driving in rain and also especially at night when it’s definitely harder to see,” Lopez said. “And if your vehicle does, unfortunately, if it does stall in deep water, leave it and move to a higher ground to do so if you can do safely.”

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About the Author:

Samuel King anchors traffic during GMSA and reports on transportation and mobility issues across the San Antonio region. He joined the KSAT 12 news team in 2020 from KUT in Austin. Samuel was born in Queens, spent time growing up in South Alabama and graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.