temporarily for traffic study
In order to assess what impact a bridge closure would have on traffic in surrounding neighborhoods, the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with the Public Works Department, will temporarily close the Woodlawn Lake Park bridge April 21 through May 31.
The bridge, on S. Josephine Tobin Drive at Woodlawn Avenue, will close only to vehicular traffic and will remain open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
“Public Works’ Traffic Engineering Division has done a series of traffic counts prior to the closing,” says Park Projects Manager Rodney Dziuk. “This temporary closure will allow us to assess traffic counts in the surrounding neighborhoods when vehicles cannot utilize the bridge. Some citizens have urged the permanent closure of the bridge, but we want to make sure this won’t have an adverse effect on the neighborhoods before we make a recommendation to the District 7 Council Office regarding that option.”
The decision to try the temporary closure came out of a public input meeting late last year.
A follow-up input meeting has been scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, at the Salvation Army Peacock Center, 2810 W. Ashby Place to discuss the data collected during the closure.
Citizens who wish to comment on the closure issue may do so by sending an email to Patrick.Schneider@sanantonio.gov.Please include your name, address, telephone number and your position on whether the bridge should be closed and a brief reason for your position. “We take all input from citizens very seriously,” Dziuk says. “We also want to make sure any action we take is in the best interest of all parties involved.”
The park is located at 1103 Cincinnati. The bridge is an original component of the park built in the 1920s. Dziuk estimates 3,500 cars a day utilize it. No structural safety issues are involved in the temporary closure.
Send comments to Patrick.Schneider@sanantonio.gov.