The Battle over Broadway – with Kea Wilson
On this episode Kevin speaks with Streetsblog Senior Editor Kea Wilson about the saga of Broadway in San Antonio. What happens when state and local officials disagree about what kind of thoroughfare best serves a community?
In the heart of San Antonio, Texas lies 2.2 miles of 7-lane stroad that connects to I-35.
Originally part of a state owned loop, the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) approved a transfer of ownership to the City of San Antonio in late 2014. Since then, the City has undertaken a public engagement process to determine how best to adjust this road to better suit its citizens.
Leaders in San Antonio are proposing to reduce travel lanes to two in each direction and add protected bike lanes, widen sidewalks, and plant street trees to make the thoroughfare accessible to all types of traffic. But the state has decided that is unacceptable, and in January rescinded the transfer on the grounds that an official Project Acceptance letter was never issued. The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott has opposed similar Road Diets in Austin, and has referred to these types of projects as a "war on cars".
A rendering provided by community leaders in a letter to Governor Abbott.
Kevin and Kea explore this back and forth between the state and local leaders and discuss reasons why there is such a disparity between what direction is being given from the top-down, and the push for reform from the bottom-up.
Links and things to check out:
TxDOT votes to take control of Broadway, short-circuiting city's redevelopment plans
State moves to take back Broadway and stop city's redevelopment project
Lower Broadway Transformed: What's Coming and on the Drawing Board
TxDOT Ends Program That Converts Paved Roads to Gravel | The Texas Tribune
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