SAN ANTONIO – Where are drivers who use State Highway 16 also known as Bandera Road going? Answering that could help engineers figure out a plan to tackle the congestion problems along that corridor.
According to TxDOT, Bandera Road is one of top 100 most congested roads in the state. That 6.5-mile stretch of road between 410 and 1604 has been studied by TxDOT seven times since the 1990s. Another study is currently underway.
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Part of that study has revealed that a lot of the congestion is due to drivers trying to get across from the Northwest Side of the city toward the Medical Center. The study shows Bandera Road is a connecting point for those going from Grissom Road to 410 and I-10.
It’s also a crossing point for those traveling from Mainland Drive and Gilbeau Road towards Eckhert Road. Those along Prue Road use it to head towards 1604.
TxDOT spokesperson Laura Lopez says knowing this can help engineers come up with a plan with the help of the community.
“A lot of data that’s been obtained of where the people traveling to? Where’s the public traveling from or to? What changes can be made to their destinations, how to get from point A to point B,” she explained.
A survey of about 850 found that the majority of drivers use the road to run errands and about half of them use it to travel to and from work and home.
TxDOT is working with the City of Leon Valley and City of San Antonio to come up with a solution. The solutions will come after long and lengthy community meetings Lopez said. Proposals of an elevated highway and making Bandera Road into a boulevard are all still being considered.
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“It’s not off the table, but it’s something that will be considered as part of our study,” she said. The study will be complete by 2022.
The first community meeting to discuss the study so far is planned for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Brandeis High School, 13011 Kyle Seale Parkway in San Antonio.
The second is slated for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 11 at the Leon Valley Community and Conference Center, 6427 Evers Road in Leon Valley.