SAN ANTONIO — Two major arteries leading into San Antonio's hospital district are down to one lane in each direction, causing a traffic nightmare.
Now that class is back in session, families are getting caught in a gridlock.
KENS 5 witnessed the chaos unfold after the final bell rings at a small charter school in the Medical Center.
Right now, many parents who wait in the pickup line for their children are choosing after school care options or walking 10 minutes to avoid the headaches.
"Last year it was not like this," said Poongodi Ahangerasu, whose son attends BASIS San Antonio Primary's Medical Center Campus. "They have to get back home for their other classes. We couldn't take the kids to the other classes because of the traffic."
BASIS San Antonio Primary - Medical Center Campus is located at the intersection of Floyd Curl and Hamilton Wolfe.
Currently, each street is down to one lane with two-way traffic. The construction is part of a 2022 Bond Project for road and sidewalk improvements.
"Now the problem is they blocked all four roads," said parent, Chandra Mohan. "The worst part is they opened the road on Floyd Curl. They changed the lane. The thing is, previously it was two lanes. After the construction again it is two lanes. I thought they were gonna change it to three lanes for school, but again it's two lanes so nothing's changed."
Laashmi Sandadi, whose children also attend BASIS in the Medical Center, shares those same sentiments.
"We thought they should have done this during the summer when there's no school," said Sandadi. "Now, it's really hard for us. Every parent is facing so much traffic right now and kids are getting tired."
While Hamilton Wolfe's closure will last three weeks, Floyd Curl's project will be through Spring 2025. Caught in the middle is BASIS, which began school August 12. Should Floyd Curl close completely, there will only be one way in and out of the school.
"It's five minutes from my office to school, but it took me around 43 minutes to reach this point," said Mohan. "In previous years, in 20 to 30 minutes I'd be able to come and pick up my kid. Now it's nearly two hours."
"I started from home at 2:50...then picking up my kids and going home, it's 4:10 or 4:20 sometimes," said Sandadi.
It's not just BASIS parents trying to get through the intersection. There's others passing through, too, including patients trying to access hospitals for appointments.
"The general public is now frustrated now because of us," Mohan added.
What's made this week even more hectic is the start of classes for NISD.
"Many of the cars are going in the wrong way," said Poongodi Ahangerasu, who walks to BASIS to pick up her son.
She's right.
We witnessed multiple cars driving the wrong way trying to pass the pickup line. Parents say that's a disaster waiting to happen.
"We park the car over at a friend's home. We walk. We will save at least two hours by walking 10 minutes," said Ahangerasu. "It just takes 10 minutes to walk, but in car it takes more than two hours to get our kids back home."
District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez, whose district covers the South Texas Medical Center, told KENS 5, "Safety has always been my number one priority and I want to assure parents that school administrators, SAPD, and the City of San Antonio are all aware of this significant safety issue. Our office is actively working to facilitate discussions between these parties to discuss and implement potential solutions."
We reached out to the City of San Antonio's Public Works Department to learn if any traffic control is planned.
In a statement, they wrote, "Construction has shifted from the northbound lanes of Floyd Curl Drive to the southbound lanes, which are nearest to the school. Two-way traffic has been moved to the northbound side of Floyd Curl Drive. Drivers still have full access to the school. Traffic control is managed by the contractor working for the City and it consists of barrels and signage. The City remains in contact with the school."
Administrators of BASIS San Antonio Primary - Medical Center Campus declined to comment.
In the meantime, BASIS parents are petitioning for city council to establish this intersection as a school zone.
"The lack of a designated School Zone for our school has led to numerous near-miss incidents involving our students," the petition writes. "Our school was established in 2017 and San Antonio has experienced an exponential rate of growth not only in the Medical Center but our greater San Antonio community. We need the city officials to recognize this pressing issue and take immediate action."