What if modern transit system followed airport’s expansion?
My first flight into San Antonio was on Trans Texas Airways, affectionally known as Tree Top Airways. With no jetway, I walked down airplane steps to a blazing hot tarmac into a building no more than a ticket counter/ baggage claim area. We’ve come a long way, but my travels across the United States tell me we have a long way to go.
Now City Council has approved a 20-year plan to improve the San Antonio International Airport, which is needed for a city destined to double in size by 2040. As a Harris County native, I have seen a similar population explosion.
Since moving here in 1981, I have experienced more than 200 round trips from the San Antonio airport. Having lived near San Pedro Springs Park and now near
Mcallister Park, I benefit from proximity to the airport, a 20minute drive. Yes, when the southerly wind blows, I sometimes hear airport noise, but the airport existed before our neighborhood, and my air-conditioner drowns out most aircraft noise. Though my flying days are reaching their end, I’m happy my grandchildren will benefit from the work and vision of many.
While Elon Musk envisions a tunnel to downtown, I doubt if he was ever trapped in the Baytownlaporte Tunnel in the Houston area for over an hour due to an accident. I wasn’t claustrophobic prior to that event.
How many great cities have an airport near their population epicenter? I applaud the decision to expand rather than relocate our airport. With that as a given, I have a series of “What if ” questions:
What if we envision San Antonio decades from now, not just 2040? What if we really re-imagine our entire transit system?
What if, instead of utilizing an appropriately named Boring Co. tunnel under our city, we negotiated with Union Pacific, or UP, to build rapid transit from the airport to Centro Plaza, where more than 1 million VIA boardings a year already take place, transporting San Antonians to all parts of the city?
By double-decking over existing UP tracks, we would not have to compete with freight rail traffic. Yes, it is more expensive to elevate, but what if UP negotiated a fair deal — years of costly land condemnation and delays would be avoided, resulting in a win-win for San Antonio taxpayers, shaving years off construction times.
What if our light rail emulated Denver’s 24-mile trip from desolate prairies to its vintage downtown train station, where riders catch the 16th Street shuttle? San Antonio International Airport is only one-third as long — about 8 miles — to connect to far more comprehensive transit infrastructure. What if we emulated the elevated transit system from the airport to downtown Vancouver?
What if VIA’S Scobey complex downtown bloomed to its potential as a welcoming center for tourists embarking from all corners of the world?
What if we built an infrastructure system underneath the new runway? My union, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, represented some workers at Disney World, and I’ve been in the utilidor infrastructure under the Magic Kingdom. The expanded airport will be virtually landlocked; what if the baggage facility, car rental agencies, etc., were underground?
With U.S. 281, Loop 410 and Wurzbach Parkway modified for easier ingress and egress, what if improvements to Wetmore Road created economic development opportunities and good jobs attendant with airport proximity?
The airport master plan states: “as public transportation becomes more available, convenient and frequent, the need for parking at airport facilities will also decrease. Incorporation of a transit hub with service to/from downtown will further reduce parking demand.”
Rapid transit to downtown will help reduce parking needs and reduce congestion, but what if a transit hub were built under the new runway? What if it included not only a VIA transfer station but also docks for all bus lines serving the U.S. and Mexico, as well as the commuter buses that will grow with our population? The 70-yearold New York Port Authority bus terminal is the busiest in the world. What if we had such an amazingly efficient system?
What if instead of trying to play catch-up with a chronically underfunded transit agency, we learn from Austin and Houston, which are taking seriously quality-of-life issues like climate change, traffic congestion and rising fuel prices, and prepare for our grandchildren’s future in perpetuity?