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Antonio Area Roads
Cibolo Parkway |
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last updated January 21, 2020 |
In
2007, TxDOT completed a
study on a possible future extension of FM 1103 in Cibolo
south to
I-10. However, it was determined that issues with right-of-way
acquisition and funding precluded such an extension for the foreseeable
future.
In
2015, with explosive development in the FM 1103 area continuing, the
Cibolo city council instructed
city staff to investigate options to build the extension themselves and
a Blue-Ribbon citizens committee was formed to study the
matter. In 2016, the committee recommended partnering with
the Texas Turnpike Corporation (TTC) to build a six mile, four-lane expressway from FM 1103 at Weil Road south to I-10 at Zuehl Road and to fund the project by tolling the new road. The project would include
an overpass over the Union Pacific railroad with an interchange at
FM 78 as well as overpasses and interchanges at Lower Seguin Road and
Bolton Road and at each end. In
2017, the city council approved an agreement with TTC to move
forward with the project. While
the City of Cibolo would own the road, TTC would finance the design,
construction, maintenance and operation of the estimated $100 million project. In exchange, it would collect
tolls-- currently planned at 20 cents a mile-- from roadway users for
50 years. TTC completed
a feasibility study for the road in February 2018. In mid
2018, the plans for the new road were changed to a
two-lane roadway after updated studies showed insufficient traffic to warrant the originally planned four-lane divided highway. Initial
proposals indicated that the project could also include two
toll-free express lanes in
the center of a planned widening of FM 1103 between Weil and I-35.
Possible future toll-free "enhancements" to FM 1103 are still included
in recent plans.
It
is important to note that this project is being undertaken solely by
the City of Cibolo and its partner TTC, which is a private company.
TxDOT's own planned expansion of FM 1103
pre-dates this proposal and TxDOT
is not directly involved in the planning or development of this
project; their role is limited to approving any connections to state
highways (i.e. FM
1103, FM 78, and I-10), assuring that the road meets state highway standards,
and coordinating a federally-required environmental study necessitated
by the proposed road's connection to I-10. The project is included in
the Alamo Area Metropolitan
Planning Organization's (AAMPO) regional plans because of the required
environmental study, but it has no
state or federal funding associated with it.
As of mid 2019, the project was in the project development phase, which includes the environmental
study, advanced planning, engineering, and design, and financing. As
with every toll road project in the San Antonio area, this project had
become controversial and grassroots efforts emerged in an effort to
stop to it. In January 2019, the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court
passed a resolution rescinding their previous support for the
project and asking the AAMPO to remove the road from their plans
after expressing concerns about various aspects of the project. The
AAMPO policy board took the matter under review at their March 2019
meeting. In
January 2020, the Cibolo city council voted unanimously to end the
agreement with the developer, asserting that they had not met the
contractual financial requirements. In response, the developer has
filed suit against the city claiming the city did not meet their
obligations under the agreement.
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