SAGE Awarded $2 Million Federal Grant to Reconnect San Antonio’s East Side
San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside (SAGE) has been awarded a $2 million planning grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. The grant will fund an ambitious planning study to explore new ways to reconnect neighborhoods along Interstates 10, 35, and 37 through the creation of green spaces and pedestrian-friendly corridors.
The award comes during the final days of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s tenure and represents a major win for San Antonio’s East Side, which has long faced challenges related to infrastructure barriers and disinvestment.
“The project aims to undo long-standing barriers to economic development, improve connectivity, and restore cohesion among historically divided neighborhoods,” said James Nortey, CEO of SAGE.
The planning process will include community engagement sessions, feasibility studies, and coordination with city and federal partners. Modeled after projects like Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, the proposed caps and corridors could one day create continuous walkable connections between the East Side and downtown San Antonio.
This initiative builds on SAGE’s growing momentum following a separate $150,000 federal grant received last year to begin planning a public market complex on the East Side—a future hub for small businesses, cultural events, and community gathering.
Together, these projects mark a new era of investment in East Side connectivity and opportunity.
Image credit: KSAT / San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Inc.
