A rendering provided by the city shows what Project Marvel could look like. Courtesy Image / City of San Antonio" class="uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle"> click to enlarge A rendering provided by the city shows what Project Marvel could look like. - Courtesy Image / City of San Antonio
Courtesy Image / City of San Antonio
A rendering provided by the city shows what Project Marvel could look like.
San Antonio residents could be in store for 15 years of intense downtown road construction as part of the proposed $4 billion Project Marvel sports-and-entertainment district, according to a Wednesday presentation to City Council.
During that briefing, staffers also said the city is considering asking voters to approve a $250 million bond to help fund those improvements.
City staff highlighted those details as part of a presentation on infrastructure upgrades around Hemisfair and surrounding neighborhoods affected by Project Marvel, a massive city-center remake that would include an expansion of the convention center, renovations to the Alamodome and a new downtown Spurs arena, among other things. The street improvements reportedly would be necessary to alleviate traffic congestion created by the new district.
Council, which soon will feature four new members and be led by a new mayor, will have until Aug. 18 to place the $250 million infrastructure bond on the November ballot.
Under the proposal, the city — working with the Texas Department of Transportation — would build a ramp between Commerce and Montana streets connecting to I-37 and also construct a pedestrian bridge across the same highway. A 2,500-space parking garage near the Alamodome also would be part of the package.
A second phase of the infrastructure improvements would run concurrent with the construction of Project Marvel's other attractions and would be completed over the next 15 years, according to staff's presentation. That phase would include the construction of a land bridge spanning I-37, the re-engineering of Hoefgen Avenue, the construction of another parking garage and improvements to Cherry, Montana, and Houston streets.
A price tag for the second bundle of infrastructure improvements wasn't included in Wednesday's presentation.
Council also is weighing whether to ask voters for permission to use the county's portion of revenue from the visitor's tax to help pay for a new Spurs arena in November.
On Wednesday, city staff also discussed hypothetical funding sources for the $1.5 million Spurs arena but added that nothing is set in stone. That means much of the money details for Project Marvel is likely to remain murky until after the Saturday's mayoral election.
Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed