SAN ANTONIO – Relief is coming soon for residents in a Northwest Side neighborhood who have been looking for a safer way to get around.
The city is creating a new shared-use path on Braun Road. That’s a path for bikers, walkers and joggers.
The new path will run from Bandera Road to Tezel Road. It also provides a safer connection to nearby O.P. Schnabel Park.
“I’ve been living here about 20 years and it’s gotten more dangerous every year. it’s getting more dangerous,” said Alfredo Calderon, who frequently bikes in the area. “This sidewalk’s going to save my life, it’s going to keep us out of trouble.”
It’s a small step toward closing a big gap in parts of San Antonio when it comes to sidewalks. The new path will be on the border between Council Districts 7 and 8. While District 8 has a sidewalk gap of 83 miles, District 7 has a gap of 239 miles, according to the City of San Antonio. District 3 has the largest gap at 288 miles.
Council members are discussing infrastructure needs as they come up with the city’s budget for the next fiscal year.
“All over the district people want sidewalks, they want to be able to move safely,” said Ana Sandoval, Councilwoman for District 7. “We need to dedicate the funding. That means we’re going to have to give up something else or when the bond time comes, we’re going to have to prioritize that. But it’s not going to happen without a concerted effort on our part.”
The budget for the Braun Road project will run about $1.5 million. It’s scheduled to be completed in March 2022, according to San Antonio Public Works. The consultant for this project is Garcia and Wright, and the contractor is Davila Construction.
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