SAN ANTONIO — SAN ANTONIO — Major developments put a sea of orange in downtown San Antonio. As drivers navigate years of changing traffic patterns and growing congestion, many wonder how long it will take for the work to be done.
"It's a pain in the butt. It makes navigating a challenge," one driver complained.
The sights and sounds of construction are all too familiar downtown. Detours, congestion, and irritation as the Alamo City struggles to keep up with growth and aging infrastructure. Changing routes isn't the only impact from the ongoing work.
"More people are going to lose their jobs, more people are going to lose their dreams, their livelihood," Augustine Cortez Jr., a small business owner who was born and raised in San Antonio, explained.
Putting up roadblocks
He is one of several local business owners who said the city put up a roadblock to business. 17 Downtown projects are in the City's five year program.
"When you come to work overnight, there's an 8-foot fence in front of your front door and there's hardly any accessibility to your place, that's when everything went downhill," Cortez said.
The restaurant owner made it through the pandemic but he said it was construction that forced him to permanently close his Broadway barbecue joint.
"There was no way to get here because the fence stretched all the way to 35 and all the way down to almost Houston Street," Cortez explained.
Four years later, the work will wrap up this summer. New streets, sidewalks, utilities, underground drainage, and bike lanes will bring customers; but Cortez said there was no warning to give businesses time to prepare:
"I've got open statements from local city officials that told me we messed up, we should have warned and and reminded and talked to you about what was going to happen."
Ana Bradshaw, the Assistant Director of San Antonio's Economic Development, said Cortez was one of many who shared those concerns.
"That was a really key piece of feedback that we got was we're not finding out about these projects until there's construction equipment on our street," Bradshaw said.
Not making enough 'dough'
The sound end of downtown is a changing maze of cones for the South Alamo Bond Project.
"What's the best intersection has become the worst intersection to be at," Lori Horn, the Co-Owner of Dough Pizzeria Neapolitan, said.
Opening a pizzeria at Hemisfair was a dream for Lori Horn and her Husband Doug, but they weren't expecting this.
"He called me and said, Hey, Lori did you know there's a huge hole in front of your restaurant? It looked like a sinkhole," the co-owner added.
The plan the couple had to bring a taste of Italy to South Town literally hit a detour.
"It's forced us to close our business two days a week. People just don't want to deal with the hassle of trying to get here," Horn added.
Complications have now pushed the South Alamo Bond Project deadline to 2025.
"We thought it was going to end by the end of last year and into this year a little bit, but it keeps changing. I'm afraid that when we're in 2025, we are going to hear, it's going to go now until 2026," Horn said.
Razi Hosseini the Director of San Antonio's Public Works said most projects take one to two years, but what they dig up and the weather can change those timeframes.
Resources for business owners
"If it is delayed because of the contractor not having resources, we have a meeting, we charge them liquidated damage per day, but if the project is late because of an unknown condition we didn't know, the contractor didn't know, then we work with the contractor and provide them additional days," Hosseini said.
Online tools like the Construction Resource Toolkit and the City's new project dashboards point businesses towards resources and updated timelines. The City is also providing website assistance to impacted businesses.
"We also have a signage program for our small businesses where we work with local small businesses to produce signs for the businesses," Bradshaw said.
Horn said road signs are a good start but added the City needs to do more to re-route customers.
"We need help not only with signage but social media, with campaigns, advertising campaigns," Horn added.
New QR codes pull up paths around construction, but businesses wonder it it's too much of a hassle.
"I was driving down Alamo Street, and when I got to the corner of Alamo and Commerce in Alamo on Market, there's a huge sign that says road closed. I know how to maneuver around it, but I thought about the people that don't know that: the convention attendees, exhibitors, the visitors. They see a sign that says we're closed. Why would they walk down that street?," Horn said.
The City is trying to help—rolling out additional funds to help impacted businesses.
"Businesses located within 500 feet of these long-term city initiated projects lasting at least 12 months. They have to be currently operating and meet other criteria, but then based on their losses, would be able to qualify for up to $35,000 in funds," Bradshaw said.
Those extra funds weren't enough for some businesses who were forced to close due to construction.
"I feel for the people closed. I mean, we got very, very close ourselves," Horn said as she looked at the torn up street out the front windows of her Hemisfair business.
Downtown drivers will have to continue to wait with several projects in the City's five year plan, but how long can business owners?
"It's not just the business that's hurting. What about their personal home? What about their personal life? What about their employees?" Cortez wondered.