The City of San Antonio has completed what it calls the largest street improvement project in its history. The $74 million improvement project revamped nearly 3-1/2 miles of Hausman Road.
Hausman Road on the Northwest Side connects Interstate-10 to Loop 1604, and more than 17,000 vehicles travel it each day.
Tim Carrasco, who lives in a nearby neighborhood, says traffic would get backed up for miles when it was a two-lane road. “If there was an accident, you’d be waiting on Hausman Road for a long time,” he says.
Thanks to the 2012 bond program, Hausman has grown to four lanes. “Now you feel like you’re [in] more of an urban environment where you have nicer roads, safer roads, wider roads, and a faster way from point A to point B,” he explains.
There are five new bridges along the road that remove low water crossings and Richard Grochowsi, a city engineer, says rain water will be filtered away from homes. “As we’re finishing this project and we go through the process of remapping the flood plain, those over 70 properties and no longer have to pay that flood insurance,” he says.
District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg says major projects like this are necessary as the city’s population continues to grow. “It’s a word of warning to us, that if we continue to grow the way we are and not take care of the infrastructure we’re going to be faced with large projects just like this just to maintain the quality of life,” the councilman adds.
The project also includes connecting the Leon Creek Greenway Trails. The total cost was split between the city bond, Bexar County, the San Antonio Water System and CPS Energy.
