SAN ANTONIO – Velma Pena said orange cones at one West Side intersection bring her a sigh of relief.
“We’ve been waiting a long time,” Pena, the Westwood Square Neighborhood Association president, said.
For three years, KSAT has covered safety concerns at Castroville Road and Dahlgreen Avenue, where neighbors have reported crashes and speeding.
Now, construction is underway for a permanent four-way traffic signal, and the City of San Antonio said it should be completed this spring.
“We don’t want anybody to get hurt,” Pena said. “We just want to make sure that hopefully it gets done as soon as possible.”
The Pedro Romero Pedestrian Bridge used to stand next to this intersection. It was originally built to help families get over the Castroville Corridor. In February 2023, a dump truck crashed into it, and the city began to demolish the bridge.
For a temporary solution, city crews installed a light over the crosswalk, called a pedestrian hybrid beacon. Now, three years later, a permanent solution is being constructed.
A spokesperson for San Antonio’s Public Works Department said the full traffic signal “will further improve safety at this location when complete.”
Last spring, KSAT covered a community meeting where additional safety options for the corridor were discussed with neighbors. However, the spokesperson for Public Works said these options have not been funded to date and will be considered as funding becomes available in the future.
On Monday, District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo told KSAT in an emailed statement that her office “will remain in close communication with Public Works to ensure the traffic signal project stays on track and is completed as soon as possible.”
Now, neighbors wait for the signal construction to be completed.
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