Representatives from the engineering department of San Marcos held an open house meeting at 6 p.m., June 24, to present changes that will be made along Guadalupe Street.
The meeting was held at the San Marcos Rec Hall and featured an array of displayed blueprints for construction along the road. In attendance was Senior Project Engineer Rohit Vij. Other attendees were local San Marcos residents and staff members from Texas State.
The mission statement of the project reads as follows: in accordance with the priorities of the newly developed transportation master plan, the city is currently working on developing design plans for Guadalupe Street to promote multi-modal operations by providing a safe environment for bicycles and pedestrians.
Vij said the reasoning behind the changes is to work with Texas Department of Transportation to fulfill the need for bike lanes and better transportation methods for residents.
“We decided to work with Texas Department of Transportation and rework Guadalupe Street to provide connectivity for cyclists,” Vij said. “San Marcos definitely needs bike lanes, bike infrastructure and pedestrian connectivity.”
Some San Marcos residents in attendance said they would like to see what the city intends to do in regards to the transportation master plan and how it affects the Guadalupe Street project. Thomas Larson said the plan seems to be a good thing for multi-modal transport.
“Overall, the plan seems to induce and encourage more multi-modal transportation, so we get more access to cyclists and walking pedestrians as well,” Larson said. “One issue we see with the plan starts with the way Guadalupe Street is being re-striped; the area closest to the university should be more considered. Those bus lanes meet closely with bike lanes and that could be a potential hazard.”
Additionally, Larson said there should be more projects promoting multi-modal ways of transportation in the city.
“There’s a big problem if you don’t have significant parts of the bus system or ability to use other modes of transportation rather than cars,” Larson said. “That’s a real issue if there is no other way of traversing San Marcos.”
Local residents in attendance had a chance to voice their concerns about the Guadalupe Street construction. Andy Howard, owner of The Hub Cyclery, said he is concerned about safety for cyclists and pedestrians traveling the area.
“I have a concern that cyclists and pedestrians aren’t going to be able to cross Grove Street and access my property and the Victory Gardens area,” Howard said. “So, I’m proposing some kind of safe crosswalk connecting the bike lane to West Grove Street.”
Vij said the project has been in the planning stages for several years. The construction will begin in 2020 and take about three to four months to complete.