SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A decision made by San Antonio city councilmembers in August to change the name of a major road that runs through downtown is coming to fruition now.
SA City Council votes unanimously to change César E. Chávez Boulevard back to Durango Boulevard
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On Monday, crews began taking down street signs bearing the name of the late labor leader and political activist, Cesar Chavez, and replacing them with those that say Durango Boulevard.
The street had been called Durango Boulevard for decades until then-City Council members voted to rename it after Chavez in 2011.
After news reports recently came to light that Chavez was accused of sexual misconduct, the current city council voted unanimously in favor of removing his name and changing it back.
“If he behaved that way, then yes, I think that it was appropriate,” said Alicia Martinez, whose family home sits on a stretch of that street on the city’s West Side.
Martinez grew up in the neighborhood and remembers fondly the days of living on Durango Street.
She said she not only supports the change but welcomes it.
“For memories’ sake and growing up, it feels good in my heart,” she said. “I think many (neighbors) have been here most of their lives so I don’t think it’s going to be a major upheaval.”
Just down the street, though, Richard Puente had found out the news from another neighbor and was not too happy about it.
“He came over and he said, ‘They already changed it.’ I said, ‘No. I haven’t seen a change. Sure enough, I looked at it and I said, ‘Come on!,” Puente recalled.
With the street being renamed, he said he expected people, including his postal carrier, to have trouble finding him.
“Now we have to go to the bank. We have to go to change our driver’s license. Who’s going pay for that?,” Puente said.
The city’s plan calls for replacing about 80 signs along the street, which runs from the city’s West Side through downtown to the near East Side, according to Nicholas Olivier, a spokesperson with Public Works.
Crews are expected to finish the job by the end of the month.
Olivier said the Texas Department of Transportation will be handling the job of changing out highway signs, and that could take up to a year.
As crews work to replace the signs, some areas have the new name while others still have signs naming it Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
Marcella Rodriguez, who was visiting the area from the Hill Country, is concerned the conflicting signs could cause confusion for people, particularly those who are not familiar with the city.
“For tourists and younger people, it might be an issue,” Rodriguez said. “Google maps or whatever apps they’re using, if it’s not changed, that could be confusing.”
The cost of the city’s renaming work is estimated at about $375,000.
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