East Commerce Street reopens after ‘weakened’ construction scaffolding

SAN ANTONIO – A portion of a downtown street reopened Monday following an emergency closure caused by a “weakened” construction scaffolding.

East Commerce Street, between North Flores Street and Soledad Street, had been closed since Friday afternoon as crews deconstructed the scaffold from top to bottom.

San Antonio police said the bottom portion of the 10-story building, surrounded by scaffolding on every level, began collapsing on the East Commerce Street side. Workers inside were prompted to evacuate.

During a Friday news conference, SAFD Battalion Chief Wesley West said fire officials responded to reports of scaffolding that was about to collapse. He added that the structure had “weakened” scaffolding.

No injuries were reported.

The closure of the prominent downtown road coincided with a busy weekend in San Antonio, as the city hosted Paul McCartney at the Alamodome and Muertos Fest at Hemisfair.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

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