Case Study #10 for UTCM Report #08-14-03 "Making Mobility Improvements a Community Asset: Transportation Improvements Using Context-Sensitive Solutions"

1. Project 10
Tri-Party Downtown Street
Improvements
San Antonio, Texas
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2. Downtown
 Major tourist attraction
 Home of the Riverwalk
 Declining retail center
 Major office center
 Streets in poor condition
Source: http://gosw.about.com/od/sanantoniotexas/ss/Riverwalk_2.htm
 Traffic congestion on major streets
Successful CSS Examples – Texas and Beyond 2

3. DOA, VIA Desires
 Improve downtown business
environment
 Improve transit attractiveness
and operations
 (VIA) Convert Houston Street to
“streetcar” street
 (City) Improve traffic conditions
and appearance
Source: TTI
 (DOA) Streetscape and other
aesthetics improvements
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4. Underlying Challenge
 City, DOA, VIA challenged to coordinate
 Partnership needed to succeed
 Via had funding
 DOA had stakeholder ears
 City owned right of way
 Many political agendas
Source: http://photohome.com/photos/texas-pictures/san-
antonio/downtown-san-antonio-1.html
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5. CSS Approach – Stakeholders
 Tri-party agreement
 Stakeholder committees
 Policy (chair: DOA)
 Executive (chair: City)
 Technical (chair: VIA) Convention center at night. Source:
http://meetings.visitsanantonio.com/henry-b-gonzalez-convention-center-2
 Project management firm to manage process
 Public input to refine process
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6. CSS Approach – Stakeholders
 Tri-party agreement
 Stakeholder committees
 Policy (chair: DOA)
 Executive (chair: City)
 Technical (chair: VIA) Convention center at night. Source:
http://meetings.visitsanantonio.com/henry-b-gonzalez-convention-center-2
 Project management firm to manage process
 Public input to refine process
 Worked with each abutting property owner
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7. CSS Approach – Features
 Adaptive design
 Different roles, priorities, features for each street
 Multimodal
 Design flexibility
 Strategic construction sequencing
 Reduce duration of project
 Maintain operations
 Transit
 Traffic
 Walkways
Reconfigured intersection with transit center. (Google Earth)
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8. Design Features (70 blocks)
 Converted 2 21-ways streets to 2-way
 Narrowed Houston Street to 2 lanes, primarily for “streetcars”
 Traffic improvements
 Geometrics (eliminated offsets)
 Signal timing, coordination
 Reconstructed transit streets
 Shelters
Commerce Street. Source: TTI
 Sidewalk enhancements, streetscaping
 Wayfinding sign system
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9. Design Features (70 blocks)
 Changed character of Alamo Street, Plaza
 Limestone pavers
 Slow street
 “Streetcars”
Alamo Street sidewalk showing alignment of old
acequia which carried water to the area. (Source:
Alamo Street at Alamo Plaza. Source: TTI Ben Brewer)
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