Challenges for Local Businesses and Residents in San Antonio's Sewer Main Replacement Project
SAN ANTONIO – Changing road closures, detours, and limited parking along South Flores Street are creating challenges for local businesses and residents as a sewer main replacement project continues in the area.
For Samantha Lozano, an employee at Karolina’s Antiques, the construction has made it harder for customers to reach the business. She receives frequent calls asking about store accessibility, but some customers ultimately give up when they cannot find a way in.
"It’s been a struggle,” Lozano told KSAT. "We get phone calls on a daily basis. ‘Are you guys open? How do we get to you guys? We wanted to come, but we couldn’t find a way to get to your business.’"
The work is part of a $10 million sewer main replacement project overseen by the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), which began several months ago.
Lozano noted that access to the shop has been unpredictable, with barricades and road closures changing throughout the construction process. Parking has also become a challenge, as the usual area near the store is now used by the construction crew.
"Normally, our customers like to park along the side road in the front, but we’ve had them park down the road and walk to us,” Lozano said.
The disruption comes during a busy season for the store.
"We’re in our busy season. This has already impacted our Halloween season, our Muertos season, and now we’re going on to Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Lozano explained.
The construction has also affected the shop’s community market, which brings vendors and customers to the area weekly. Lozano noted that reduced foot traffic has made some vendors hesitant about participating.
Lozano estimates that the prolonged construction has cost the business at least a couple of thousand dollars in the last couple of months.
People living in the neighborhood are also feeling the impact. Lamis Pimento shared that traffic rerouting has made it more difficult to get in and out of the area or drop her kids off at school in the morning.
"All of the traffic is being rerouted, so it’s just very inconvenient to get out of the street,” Pimento said. "Our drop-off and pick-up process has been harder, too. We have to make longer detours and it takes a while for us to get home.”
Another resident, Sandra Avila, described the situation as "pretty annoying."
"We don’t really see anyone out there every day,” Avila said. "If you ask me, they’ve been inconsistent."
SAWS reported that while the sewer line work is complete, crews still need to finish closing seven manholes. Delays have been attributed to last week’s weather and conflicts with existing fiber-optic infrastructure. SAWS expects the project to be finished in the next several weeks.
Lozano expressed frustration with a lack of consistent communication about the project, especially as customers continue asking when the construction will end.
"We just want to know what we’re dealing with,” Lozano said. "Our customers are asking the same question, ‘How long is this going to go on? Maybe I’ll come back when the construction is over.’"
KSAT reached out to SAWS for more details about the project. The utility company provided an update, stating that a temporary pause in construction was required after encountering underground fiber-optic cable structures that could not be moved. A solution has been identified, and work on the manholes will resume next week. The project remains on track for completion by the end of the year.