SAN ANTONIO – A median project on Pleasanton Road intended to improve pedestrian safety has frustrated residents and business owners on the South Side.
They told KSAT that the tight medians and narrow turnarounds have caused accidents, damaged vehicles and reduced customer access even as city and state officials make adjustments.
The joint City of San Antonio and Texas Department of Transportation project, which stretches from East Southcross to Loop 410 and Moursund Boulevard, is nearly complete.
However, neighbors and business owners said the final design has created difficult U-turns, limited access to some properties and safety concerns for emergency vehicles.
Becky Ruiz, president of the Harlandale-McCollum Neighborhood Association, said drivers are frequently getting stuck on medians and popping tires.
In at least one case, Ruiz said, a vehicle was totaled.
According to Ruiz, emergency vehicles have also had trouble negotiating the new medians.
“A fire truck or an ambulance got stuck trying to do a U-turn,” she said, adding that signage and sight lines in some areas remain problematic.
Ruiz credited District 3 leaders with agreeing to some changes after residents raised concerns. She said the city agreed to shorten medians at certain intersections, taper curbs, widen some turnarounds and add more signage.
Ruiz said she is seeing improvements in parts of Pleasanton Road near Harlandale High School, where medians have been thinned to improve access.
However, some business owners said the project has hurt their customer traffic.
Ruiz pointed to restaurants and small businesses that have seen declines in customers since the work began.
“I know a lot of these business owners and their families. Everybody is rooted here, and they want to serve their communities,” Ruiz said. “Now we’re faced with challenges like this.”
Ruiz said the neighborhood association is pushing for another opening near Grosvenor Boulevard, which is just south of Southwest Military Drive. The city has agreed to solicit public input before making further changes.
Residents in the neighborhood have until Sept. 22 to submit their input.
City and TxDOT officials described the work as part of a broader effort to improve pedestrian access and safety along the corridor.
Residents and business owners said they support safer streets but would like revisions that restore access and reduce hazards created by the new medians.
KSAT reached out to the District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran’s office for a statement and rundown of the recent changes.
A district spokesperson shared a recent newsletter sent to residents on the project.
“The community shared concerns with aspects of Pleasanton Road’s median construction, and we are listening! TxDOT and our design consultants inspected the areas of concern and immediately had the contractor fix and correct inadequacies. We continue to meet with residents, stakeholders, and local leaders and will keep you informed with future updates. These potential refinements are part of our normal, responsive planning process—and they underscore our commitment to getting this right."
Some of the changes and things still in progress on the thoroughfare can be viewed below:
What’s new
- Southbound hooded left turn entrance to East Ashley Road: Opening has been corrected from 55’ to 60’ as per design.
- Southbound hooded left turn exit to East Ashley Road: Opening has been corrected from 33’ to 41’ as per design.
- Northbound hooded left turn entrance to West Ansley Street: Opening has been corrected from 48’ to 56’ as per design.
- Southbound hooded left turn exit to Saipan Place: Opening has been corrected from 36’ to 41’ as per design.
Still in process
- Southbound hooded left exit to Vestal Place: Opening was built as 27’ instead of the 30’ in the design. The opening will be corrected to be 35’. (5’ extra of opening is added to the original design.)
- Northbound hooded left turn entrance to West Burcham Avenue: Opening has been adjusted from 29’ to 37’.
- Signing and striping
More related coverage from this edition of Know My Neighborhood: