The city of San Antonio is, once again, dipping their toe into the idea of light rail as a way to ease congestion.
"Houston has certainly shown us that you can widen freeways but they will end up congested anyway," CEO Jeffrey Arndt tells News Radio 1200 WOAI.
The city's public transit system has identified four corridors for a light rail plan. One would carry passengers from the Rim shopping center along Vance Jackson to downtown. That would alleviate the traffic jams along the I-10 corridor
"This region is growing and people are getting an understanding of those needs. I believe that San Antonio is ready to start moving forward in that direction," he said.
The light rail idea, which is part of VIA's master plan, is set to go before the board late summer or early fall.
Arndt would not talk costs, but says that will be part of the discussion. He admits it will be a higher cost up front, but there will be a cost savings compared to fueling and maintaining a car.
VIA is also exploring an expansion of their bus rapid transit system, which currently runs along the Fredericksburg Rd. corridor. Larger, stream-lined buses funnel riders from downtown to the Med Center, using coordination with stop lights.Public meetings will be held through August 5th.
San Antonio has a bad history when it comes to railed transportation. A proposal to build a robust light rail system across the city was shot down by voters in 2001, and in 2014, a wildly unpopular idea to build a streetcar system downtown was torpedoed by then Mayor Ivy Taylor.