The 1604 boondoggle. (San Antonio, Austin, Hondo: apartment, how much, homes)

[elnina]

The Texas Department of Transportation is reviewing plans to expand a 23-mile stretch of 1604 look between Highway 16 and Interstate 35. The six additional lanes, new frontage roads and five-level interchange would be built over the aquifer's recharge zone. Construction is expected to begin next year.

However, a report says $1.4 billion expansion of San Antonio's 1604 one of most wasteful U.S. highway projects that is not going to solve congestion.

https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/...ghway-projects

[Remington Steel]

"The project, slated for a mid-2020s completion". Yeah...good luck with that.

"The scientists flat-out tell us the fewer people living out there the better," Peace added. Because of the construction damage to the aquifer?

People will still move where they want to. I doubt this will deter the expansion of SA population. And I don't see how it won't solve congestion...with an additional 2 lanes per route, the stretch of highway should solve the everyday congestion, but at the rate of the SA population growth, it might be kinda iffy.

I guess next, the people opposed to this project could find an "endangered spider" which will halt construction for a few years......lol

[TXStrat]

When reviewing anything from the SA Current, I would offer the old adage "consider the source". It isn't so much a news source, as a hard left opinion section dressed up as a newspaper.

The two sources cited in the study are both dubious. The first, TexPIRG Education Fund claims to "serve as counterweights to the influence of powerful special interests that threaten our health, safety or well-being". However, one of their primary focus areas is "changing our transportation priorities", which means cars are bad, buses are good. Of course this group will oppose any highway expansion. To their view, anything that allows for less congestion is a bad thing. We should leave things as is, and force everyone into buses.

The second, The Frontier Group, is an environmental activist group that includes this gem in their "about" section. "Modern material abundance has erased many of the hardships of the past. But our world’s prosperity is accompanied by linked crises of waste, pollution, the ravaging of land and species, and the fraying of our social fabric – crises that are exacerbated by the continued quest to grow the economy in the same old ways. As we move through the 21st century, these crises are only intensifying." Of course, anything involving a highway expansion is going to be a bad thing to this group. Even though the expansion is occurring within the existing ROW, at most, the expansion requires 15-25' of additional ROW.

[ashbeeigh]

Aren’t there supposed to be restrictions on development when over the recharge zone? The recharge zone is vast and even impacted the construction of the mopac express lanes and the expansion of a high school in far south Austin. As a long term, San Antonio resident I always thought that these restrictions really limited the growth of things that would impact the water quality. Has that changed that much in five years?

[TXStrat]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Aren’t there supposed to be restrictions on development when over the recharge zone? The recharge zone is vast and even impacted the construction of the mopac express lanes and the expansion of a high school in far south Austin. As a long term, San Antonio resident I always thought that these restrictions really limited the growth of things that would impact the water quality. Has that changed that much in five years?

No, all of the restrictions for the recharge zone are still in place. We were looking around a homes in the recharge zone a few years ago, and there are strict limits on things like impervious cover, etc.

The problem with the "study" the article cites, are that these are mentioned simply in terms of what-aboutism. "What about storm water runoff treatment? What if it isn't controlled/treated?" Well, of course it will be controlled/treated as there is an existing legal requirement. The story, and the study are both baseless, alarmist, anti-car traffic hit pieces.

[Azure110]

Investigative journalism like SA Current will always tend to get some people riled up. In this case (and I did read the article), I feel they are pretty much spot on with the information they reported from the two watchdog groups.

It is very easy to attack such articles as "alarmist" but the issues outlined are very valid concerns IMHO. Anyone who lives in San Antonio and has done so for the past 30 years will see how much benefit (little) is achieved from all the highway construction that has taken place so far.

I get that the growth of San Antonio can't not be avoided but the road construction to tackle the issue seems to be very reactive rather than proactive.

[supfromthesite]

Are they talking about on the south side of town?

I have mixed feelings. It is nice driving down 37 or 35 and getting to 410 and it's like you are in the country. You get to 1604 and you are practically in the middle of nowhere. This is not the case on the northside, and it makes it a lot easier to get down south conveniently.

Obviously, as soon as this development starts, there will be brand new neighbourhoods popping up all over this area, and most of them will probably be lower class. People are not going to move out to the country if the commute is too far. Once you build the highways, they will come.

As far it not helping congestion, there isn't much congestion there in the first place. Yet.

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

Obviously, as soon as this development starts, there will be brand new neighbourhoods popping up all over this area, and most of them will probably be lower class. People are not going to move out to the country if the commute is too far. Once you build the highways, they will come.

There already are a lot of new apartment and "cookie cutter" homes being developed around 410 and highway 16 near the Toyota plant over the last 5 years. Although "lower class" isn't the term I would use, the homes are definitely cheaper than northside homes.

I have been seeing the area change from first working in the area back in 2006 until now and it has grown a lot and will continue to do so. To avoid all of this, you will have to go further out near Somerset or Poteet which is still relatively unchanged.

[supfromthesite]

The rate of growth will exponentially increase when this highway is built.

Somerset will start to resemble a suburb. You are right about Poteet, which is way down south, but you will no longer be able to live there and commute to San Antonio because there will be horrible traffic as soon as you are near 1604.

You can hardly commute from Hondo anymore unless you work near Lackland or wake up at the crack of dawn (maybe covid has changed things a little).

[txtea]

No, they are not talking about expanding 1604 on the west and south sides. Has nothing to do with Somerset, Poteet, etc.
They are talking about adding lanes from Bandera road to interstate 35 EAST bound on 1604, and a multi story interchange over 1604 and 10 on the NORTH side.
" Build the highways and they will come "?? Since when does that happen in SA? It's the other way around.

https://www.bexar.org/2055/Loop-1604...tal-Assessment