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This page last updated February 16, 2024 |
Below are answers to some of the most common questions or complaints I get or hear about San Antonio roads, streets, freeways, and transit.
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On this page:
Specific projects
The following projects have FAQ sections on their own pages:
Road construction generally
These topics have their own pages:
TransGuide
- See the FAQ section on the TransGuide page.
HOV lanes
- See the FAQ section on the HOV lanes page.
Traffic signals
- Why aren't traffic signals in San Antonio synchronized?
Actually, most of them are. The City of San Antonio adjusts corridor signal timing every few years with the goal of minimizing stoppage for through traffic. See the City of San Antonio's traffic signal management page for details and see this video to see it in action.
That said, if you're on a road and it doesn't seem like the signals are synchronized, here are some possible reasons why: - You're traveling faster than the speed limit. Signals are synchronized to allow a group of cars (a "platoon") moving at or slightly below the speed limit of the roadway. If you're speeding and get out ahead of the platoon, you could arrive at the next signal before it's scheduled to turn green based on the speed of the corridor it is programmed for.
- You're traveling significantly slower than the speed limit (either because you're lollygagging or due to traffic). Similar to the first point above, if you fall behind the platoon (or where the platoon should be based on time and distance), you could arrive at the next signal as or after it is scheduled to turn red based on the expected arrival and departure time of the platoon moving at the intended speed.
- The road you're on intersects with another road where signals are also synchronized. If the synchronization on one roadway conflicts with that on the other, then either one road's timing will have to prevail over the other's, or neither's will be synchronized through that intersection.
- You're headed in the opposite direction of the timing. Sometimes, signals on a roadway are only timed for traffic headed in one direction (e.g. the direction with the heaviest flow of traffic).
- The traffic volumes on the road you're on exceed the capacity of the traffic signals. For a more in-depth explanation, see the related question in the FAQ on the Bandera Road page.
- It's during a time of the day when the timing plan for the corridor is changing. When this happens, oftentimes individual signals have to shorten or lengthen cycles to adjust to the new schedule. This can mean they get out of sync for a few cycles.
- Congestion in San Antonio could be solved by just timing the signals better.
This is a common assertion and can be true in some specific cases. But most of the time, it's way more complicated. At most busy intersections, there has to be sufficient green time for eight different movements on every cycle, so the signals can only be optimized so much before the laws of physics win.
Here is a simple example to help understand this complexity: Imagine the intersection of two busy roads at rush hour where traffic backs-up regularly on Road A and can't be completely cleared each cycle. So, the green time on Road A could be extended to help clear out the backups that occur there, but because signal timing is a true "zero sum" exercise, this means the light will stay red longer for Road B. As a result, more traffic backs up there. If the green time for Road B is then increased to ease those backups, that means the light will now stay red longer for Road A and you're right back where you started.
Sometimes, slowdowns not caused by signals — such as turning vehicles, lanes changes, slowpokes, or just heavy traffic — can break synchronization because traffic cannot keep up to the speed the signals are timed for. Here's a video along Bandera Rd. that illustrates this.
So as you can see, it's really not as easy as it sounds, and when you scale these complexities over an entire corridor with varying traffic conditions, you can see just how naïve "just time the lights better" really is. - If I'm at a red light and nobody is coming on the intersecting road, why doesn't the light turn green for me right away?
There are several reasons why this can happen: - If the intersecting road has synchronized traffic signals, then your signal will have to wait for scheduled gaps in the "green wave" along the major road before it can change. When signals are synchronized, the green times on the major road are scheduled to allow traffic to move through that corridor at a set speed and can't be preempted except for emergency vehicles.
- The minimum green time on the intersecting roadway hasn't yet expired. Whenever a signal turns green, there is a set minimum amount of time it will stay green to prevent the signal from short-cycling. Also, if a pedestrian signal has been activated, the minimum green time will usually be extended to facilitate that crossing.
- How can I request an adjustment to the timing at a specific signal?
Who you contact depends on who operates the signal in question. Most signals in Bexar County are operated by the City of San Antonio (COSA), so your best bet is to call COSA's 311 line and ask for a timing study. If it's not a COSA signal, they will refer you to the proper agency (county, suburban city, or TxDOT). Be sure to have specific details about what you are observing including the time of day and direction of travel. Vague or ambiguous complaints are generally not actionable. - How can I request a signal for a dangerous intersection?
Traffic signals are expensive to install and maintain, and sometimes they can cause more harm than good and therefore aren't always the best solution. As a result, a location must meet a number of "warrants" defined by state and federal guidelines before they can be installed. As mentioned in the point above, who to contact depends on who is responsible for the intersection in question. It's probably easiest to start by calling the City of San Antonio's 311 help line and requesting a traffic study for the location in question. If it's not a COSA location, they will refer you to the proper agency (county, suburban city, or TxDOT). Again, be sure to have specific information about your concerns.
City streets
- Why isn't the city laid out on a grid, and why do some of San Antonio's street names change from one block to the next?
Beyond the streets in the oldest parts of downtown, which tended to follow existing trails and/or the path of least resistance, the street system in most of the central city inside Loop 410 was set up on a grid. With the suburban growth after WWII, new neighborhoods tended to be disconnected enclaves along the existing rural road system, many beyond the city limits, and a lack of subdivision controls at that time resulted in the absence of continuous intermediate thoroughfares. Due to budget limitations, the city's 1952 master plan called for the utilization of existing roadways instead of the "ruthless construction of new arteries of specified width and direction involving tremendous right-of-way costs", thus resulting in the somewhat chaotic layout of the suburban arterial system. However, there is plan to bring some order to arterial roadways in newly developed areas called the Major Thoroughfare Plan; more information about that is here.
Road names often change because many of those old existing roads were eventually realigned, split, or otherwise adjusted to improve traffic flow or better accommodate new roads or developments, or disjointed sections of existing roads were tied together with a new road. - Who comes up with the names for new streets?
Streets in new developments are named by the developer, but the city or county and the local 911 district has to approve them. - Who installs/maintains streetlights?
Streetlights (not traffic lights; there is a difference!) are installed by developers in new subdivisions, HOAs in existing private or gated subdivisions, or by cities, the county, or TxDOT on their roadways. On public roadways in most of Bexar County, streetlights are then maintained by CPS Energy; you can report a damaged or burned-out streetlight here. - Can I get speed bumps installed on my street?
Installation of speed humps (not bumps; there is a difference!) requires a street to meet certain thresholds for traffic, speed, geometry, and neighbor support. These requirements are set for safety and effectiveness purposes. Speed humps do have considerable drawbacks, and there are other traffic calming options that may be more appropriate. More details on those, and how to request a traffic study for neighborhoods in the City of San Antonio, are here. If you are in a suburban city, contact your city's public works department. If you're in unincorporated Bexar County, contact Bexar County Public Works. - How do you pronounce "Huebner?"
Huebner is a German surname. In German, it is pronounced "HEWP-ner" ("hew" rhymes with "few") and would typically be spelled "Hübner". However, it has been Anglicized locally and is pronounced "HEEB-ner".
Similarly, the name Boerne has also been Anglicized. In German, it would be spelled "Börne" and pronounced "BER-nah". Actually, that "bör" sound in German would contain a bit of a long "U" sound mixed in it (something like "BUUER"), but we don't have that sound in English.
Public transportation
- Why doesn't San Antonio build a light rail system?
There was a proposal for a light rail system in 2000, but voters rejected it by about a 3 to 1 margin. A downtown streetcar plan in the late 2010's was also dropped after significant opposition. As a result of these, urban rail is a "third rail" (pun intended) in local politics. Instead, VIA's current long-term plan focuses on alternative options, mainly Bus Rapid Transit (which VIA has termed "Advanced Rapid Transit"), which has many of the same benefits as rail at a lower cost. Two corridors are currently planned (one north-south, one east-west), with the north-south corridor now under construction along San Pedro Ave. That said, light rail is not entirely off the table for the future. More details of VIA's plan is here and here.
It's also worth noting that VIA collects about half the sales tax as transit agencies in Texas' other big cities (½ cent here vs. 1 cent elsewhere), so it has been unable to afford big ticket projects. In 2021, voters approved a small increase in the local sales tax for VIA that will go into effect in 2026, so VIA is now able to leverage additional federal funding based on that anticipated revenue. - Why don't they build light rail to Austin?
First of all, it wouldn't be light rail. Light rail is used typically within a single urban area, not for interurban systems. Instead, what would be called for here is commuter rail, which typically uses larger trains (similar to Amtrak trains) with higher speeds and longer distances between stops than light rail.
That said, a commuter rail line called Lone Star Rail was proposed between San Antonio and Austin in the mid 2010's, but a deal could not be reached with Union Pacific for the use of their tracks, and new tracks would be prohibitively expensive, so the project fell apart. However, there has been a renewed grassroots effort lately — as well as by leaders in Bexar and Travis counties — to restart the project, and it has been reported that Union Pacific may be more amenable this time around. Only time will tell.
Other
- What was the first freeway built in San Antonio?
The section of the lower level of I‑10 (then just US 87) between Woodlawn and Culebra. It quietly opened in July 1949. See the San Antonio Freeways History page for a complete history of the freeway system. - Why don't they widen Bandera Rd. through Leon Valley?
Since the late '80s, various upgrades to Bandera Rd. in that area have been proposed, including adding flyovers at major intersections, an elevated throughway, and a superstreet, but the City of Leon Valley vetoed all of the plans on the belief that such upgrades would hurt local businesses by speeding traffic through the city (a serious fallacy in my opinion; congestion hurts businesses more than improved access would.) Fortunately, fresh leadership in recent years has resulted in a change to Leon Valley's official position, and those officials are now on-board with a plan for much-needed improvements. See the Bandera Road proposals page for more details on current planning for that corridor. - Why didn't they build an overpass at NW Military and Wurzbach?
An underpass was initially proposed there, but neighbors in the area vociferously opposed that plan, so it was withdrawn. Instead, the intersection was reconfigured to make left turns more efficient (thus allowing better signal operation), and additional through lanes on Wurzbach Pkwy. were added. - Why does traffic always back up on the inbound I‑10 exit to Loop 410?
Engineers have determined that the root problem there is that the two lanes for the exit to Loop 410 are no longer sufficient for the volume of traffic there. However, experience and modeling shows that more than two lanes for an exit doesn't function well as it leads to even more weaving than you have today. So instead, they're working on plans that will likely result in a new ramp to westbound Loop 410 so that it is a separate exit, leaving the existing exit as a two lane ramp just to eastbound Loop 410. This is being considered as part of a larger study for future improvements to the I‑10 corridor. - Why does I‑37 change to US 281 in the downtown area? Why does Interstate 37 not continue to the north?
The purpose of I‑37 was to connect Corpus Christi to the rest of the Interstate system. Once it reaches I‑35, it has completed that purpose, so there's no reason to continue it further north. US 281, despite not being an Interstate Highway, still receives state and federal funds and is built mostly to Interstate standards. - Is it Loop 1604 or FM 1604?
It's Loop 1604. When it was being built between the mid '50s and late '70s, it was designated as FM 1604. But in 1977, the designation was changed to Loop 1604. Normally, loops in Texas have a one to three digit number, but because "1604" had become so ingrained locally and would require substantial costs for address changes, the number was retained and the prefix simply changed from "FM" to "Loop". FM 1604 was actually recycled and is in use for a short road in the town of Irene in North Texas. - Why do trucks frequently tip over on the Finesilver Curve? Can they be banned from it? Can it be fixed?
The Finesilver Curve is what is known as a "compound curve", meaning that it's really two curves in one. There is a more gentle curve at the beginning that gets progressively sharper toward the end. Drivers in the more gentle part of the curve do not reduce speed sufficiently to safely take the sharper curve at the end, despite the ample warning signs there. Trucks cannot be prohibited from the ramp because of federal Interstate Highway regulations.
The geometry of that intersection and adjacent structures is the cause for that ramp's configuration. But engineers are studying solutions. One possibility would soften the curve by extending the ramp over the other outbound lanes and having it merge onto the left side.