San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Inc. (SAGE) has been awarded a $2,000,000 USDOT Reconnecting Communities Project (RCP) planning grant to address longstanding barriers created by highways on San Antonio’s Eastside. The project focuses on developing a vision to cap, bury, and transform sections of IH-10, IH-35, and IH-37 into green, pedestrian-friendly spaces. This effort aims to reconnect historically divided neighborhoods, enhance mobility, and spur economic development.
This transformative initiative represents a vital step forward for the Eastside, a community that has endured decades of disinvestment and physical separation due to urban highway construction. By reimagining these highways as connective public spaces, SAGE seeks to foster a sense of unity, restore community pride, and unlock economic potential while creating safer, more inclusive pathways for residents to live, work, and thrive.
The USDOT RCP grant will support several essential initiatives, including:
Engaging Stakeholders
SAGE will work with community members, local leaders, and experts to build a coalition that ensures the project reflects the Eastside’s needs and promotes shared ownership.
Environmental and Engineering Studies
Experts will conduct technical studies in urban design, transportation, and environmental impact to transform highways and connect the Eastside to downtown.
Community-Informed Solutions
Funding will support staff and professionals to develop designs guided by community input, ensuring plans prioritize equity, mobility, and public health.
The Project proposes to study the feasibility of capping portions of these highways, transforming them into green spaces and pedestrian-friendly areas. By doing so, it aims to:
- Reconnect communities: re-stitching neighborhoods historically divided by highway infrastructure;
- Enhance mobility options: encouraging walking, biking, and public transit use, thereby reducing reliance on automobiles;
- Improve economic development: revitalizing surrounding areas by fostering walkability, increased foot traffic, and beautifying the area more attractive for small businesses, housing, and commercial investment;
- Reclaim community spaces: replacing sections of the highway with spaces that encourage community interaction and local business development, promoting more inclusive and accessible mobility options that are suited to the local context; and
- Reduce speed and improve safety: by capping sections of high-speed roadways, the Project will slow down automobile traffic in key areas and create safer, more welcoming spaces for non-automobile users.
A History of Displacement and Disinvestment
In the early 20th century, the Eastside was known for its cultural diversity, primarily made up of Black, Mexican American, and immigrant communities. It was economically self-sufficient with a strong network of local businesses, schools, churches, and social clubs that fostered a close-knit community.
The construction of IH-10, IH-35, and IH-37 in the mid-20th century had a devastating effect on the Eastside. These highways were built during a period of nationwide urban renewal, which disproportionately targeted minority neighborhoods. The construction of these highways literally divided the Eastside from downtown San Antonio and the rest of the city, cutting off critical commercial corridors and displacing thousands of residents and businesses. As highways encouraged suburbanization, more affluent residents and businesses left the Eastside. This urban flight, combined with disinvestment from the city, led to a decrease in property values, an increase in vacant lots, and a concentration of poverty in the area.
I-37 at Cesar Chavez looking SE 1968 (TxDOT-Library)
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