SAN ANTONIO – Southtown neighbors who live on St. Mary’s Street say construction outside their homes has been disruptive and takes place late at night and early in the morning.
KSAT followed through on Anthony Carlisle’s concerns about the project after he reached out in the comments of a previous story about VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Green Line.
Carlisle said that while he is excited for the rapid bus service, he did not expect the scale of disruption that the project has caused.
“We never expected to have work crews showing up at 5 o’clock in the morning working,” Carlisle said. “We certainly didn’t expect work crews to stay past 10 o’clock at night.”
The noise and inconsistent schedule have been difficult to manage for people who live in his community, Carlisle said, while neighbors juggle working from home, taking children to school and running their businesses.
Carlisle described crews as “inconsiderate,” and said they have used profanities toward him and his husband and at one point placed a portable restroom “basically outside our front door.”
Carlisle said he tried to bring his concerns to VIA but did not receive a response.
“There is generally a lack of engagement and communication from VIA,” he said.
In an email to KSAT, VIA said some overnight work is done to prevent impacts to traffic and is allowed under city ordinance. VIA also said it is “committed to working with businesses and property owners.”
According to its website, current construction projects on that stretch of the Green Line are expected to be completed by December. The entire project is slated to be complete in April 2028.
Carlisle said he is concerned about whether that timeline is realistic.
“I’m just really concerned about how long this is going to take to actually complete,” he said. “In our opinion, we’ve only seen very little progress in the past seven months.”
A spokesperson for VIA also said not all projects in the Green Line corridor are theirs, and may be managed by other utilities or city departments. Read VIA’s full statement below:
“The City of San Antonio (COSA) permits construction during designated hours under its ordinances, and VIA is adhering to those hours. Activity observed outside that window involves crews removing barriers and traffic control devices. This is done overnight, in accordance with COSA ordinances, specifically to avoid disrupting daytime traffic and to protect the safety of both workers and motorists.
“VIA understands that construction along the corridor can be disruptive and takes concerns seriously. When issues are brought to our attention, our teams work to address them as quickly as possible. Construction staging and traffic control measures follow established agreements, and VIA remains committed to working with affected property and business owners to minimize impacts wherever we can. Anyone with questions or concerns about the Green Line is encouraged to call 210-362-2590, email keepsamoving@viainfo.net or visit VIA’s ART Project Office located at 7067 San Pedro Ave.”
VIA Metropolitan Transit
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