San Antonio — Route to be Chosen

February 2013

MySanAntonio.com reports that the VIA transit agency could decide the routing of its planned streetcar system by late summer. There are issues of historical artifacts and utility locations requiring analysis before the decision can be made. Streetcar costs are estimated at around $200 million and could be in service by 2017.

Planners envision a 5-mile streetcar line stretching in four directions: east/west between the West Side Multimodal Tansit Center and the Robert Thomson Transit Center as well as north/south connecting the Pearl Brewery to Southtown.

Conditions that will affect route choice include location of buried utility lines, the possible location of archaeological treasures (especially near the Alamo), and use of streets for restaurant deliveries. Analysis will also include the ability of existing bridge structures to support the streetcars and affect on parklands.