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Construction on Santa Rosa Street, between Dolorosa and Houston Streets, will continue through the end of the year, according to an update from the City of San Antonio.
That stretch of Santa Rosa remains open only to pedestrian and event traffic.
Merchants at Market Square wanted the project done around Thanksgiving to take advantage of the entire busy Christmas shopping season. City officials point out the market itself is accessible to pedestrians and those who find parking nearby.
The Santa Rosa Street project has taken more than three years so far but has reached a few milestones this year.
Santa Rosa's intersections with Cesar Chavez, Nueva, and Dolorosa are now open. It's also possible for vehicles to cross over Santa Rosa from Commerce and Houston Streets.
Hugo Flores, who operates the Texas Hats shop at Market Square, was interviewed by TPR in late September. He said the city originally told merchants the street work, started in the winter of 2022, would end this past spring. That got pushed back to October and then November.
He said the long-term construction has taken a toll on his bottom line. Business has been down.
"Honestly, it's been down like 75%," he said. "We've really been in the red. We feel we're going to have to close the doors. I've had to fire our employees. I'm not making enough to pay them, much less pay rent."
Flores said the city has helped him stay in business with grant money and rent relief, but he still wants things to return to business as usual.
Michael Shannon, director of the city's Capital Delivery Department, told TPR in late September, that the project to improve Santa Rosa Street, from Cesar Chavez to Martin, has been time-consuming because underground work on utilities had to be done before work on the surface level streets and sidewalks could begin.
And the work was delayed by some unforeseen underground utilities issues.
"It's run a little longer ... we were hoping to be done in the spring of this year, " he said. But you know, some of that underground utility work, we ran into a few things unexpected, unforeseen that caused some delays. Things that had to be redone."
Millions of dollars have been spent on the street work as part of a bond program approved by voters. The improvements include new street paving, new lighting, new crosswalks, and shade trees.
