SAN ANTONIO – Culebra Road has been described as one of the most dangerous roads in San Antonio. Now, the city will receive help from the U.S. government to improve a stretch of Culebra Road on the West Side.
Resident Veronica Salas said driving or riding a bike along the road is a risk.
“Seeing sirens and ambulances, you know that somebody’s been injured on this street,” Salas said. “I live two blocks away and just constantly hear the fire trucks.”
District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda agrees. The councilwoman said there are about 50,000 drivers and 20,000 non-motorists on Culebra Road each day.
“That road is a large artery, and it’s terribly unsafe,” Cabello Havrda said. “Sixteen fatalities in the last several years and 600 very serious injuries. So, that’s a lot of San Antonians, and we’re trying to protect all of our city.”
Cabello Havrda hopes an $8 million federal grant will help increase safety for everyone traveling on Culebra Road.
The money will come from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant Program, or R.A.I.S.E. The funds will be used to improve Culebra Road from Loop 410 to General McMullen Drive.
“We have an opportunity here to be bold and creative and not just repair a road but reimagine it,” Cabello Havrda said.
Now, the city wants to know what stakeholders — those who use Culebra Road — would like to see.
“Flashing lights. Just, like, school zones,” Salas said. “Utilize these things to make us safe. You know people are getting hit every day.”
Cabello Havrda said adding dedicated bike lanes and improving sidewalks are possibilities in plans, something Salas, a cyclist, said would change her daily life.
The councilwoman said community input meetings will be held before a construction timeline is set.
“It’s a big investment into Culebra, so I think other funding organizations or even the state might say, ‘OK, we have this $8 million in federal funding. Maybe we can offer some funds to leverage that to make it more impactful,’” Cabello Havrda said.