Local businesses, residents frustrated with South Flores construction

Changing road closures, detours and limited parking along South Flores Street are creating challenges for local businesses and residents as a sewer main replacement project continues in the area.

For Samantha Lozano, an employee at Karolina’s Antiques, the construction has made it harder for customers to reach the business. She said customers frequently call asking whether the store is open and how to get there, but some ultimately give up when they cannot find a way in.

“It’s been a struggle,” Lozano told KSAT. “We get phone calls on a daily. ‘Are you guys open? How do we get to you guys? We wanted to come, but we couldn’t find a way to get to your business.’”

The work is part of a $10 million sewer main replacement project overseen by the San Antonio Water System. The project began several months ago.

Lozano said access to the shop has been unpredictable, with barricades and road closures changing throughout the construction process.

“Sometimes they open it up. Sometimes you can’t access the roads easily, it’s just unexpected every day,” Lozano added.

Parking has also become a challenge. Lozano said customers typically use an area near the store because parking along the street is already limited. That space has since been used by the construction crew for equipment and loading.

“Normally, our customers like to park along the side road in the front, but we’ve had them park down the road and walk to us,” Lozano said.

The disruption comes during one of the store’s busiest times of the year.

“We’re in our busy season. This has already impacted our Halloween season, our Muertos season, and now we’re going on to Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Lozano said.

The construction has also affected the shop’s community market, which brings vendors and customers to the area weekly. Lozano said the reduced foot traffic has made some vendors hesitant about participating. This past weekend, she said, there were only a few participating vendors due to the uncertainty of parking and customer engagement.

Lozano estimates the prolonged construction has cost the business at least a couple thousand dollars in the last couple of months.

The construction is also affecting people who live in the neighborhood.

One resident, Lamis Pimento, said traffic rerouting has made it more difficult to get in and out of the area or even drop her kids off at school in the morning.

“All of the traffic is being rerouted, so it’s just very inconvenient to get out of the street,” Pimento said. “Our drop-off and pick-up process has been harder, too. We have to make longer detours and it takes a while for us to get home.

Another resident, Sandra Avila, described the situation as “pretty annoying.”

“We don’t really see anyone out there every day,” Avila said. “If you ask me, they’ve been inconsistent.”

SAWS said the sewer line work is complete, but crews still need to finish closing seven manholes. The utility company said last week’s weather and conflicts with existing fiber-optic infrastructure have contributed to delays in completing the remaining work.

SAWS expects crews to finish the project in the next several weeks.

For Lozano, the lack of consistent communication about the project has been another source of frustration. She said she wants to know what to expect, especially as customers continue asking when the construction will be over.

“We just want to know what we’re dealing with,” Lozano said. “Our customers are asking the same question, ‘How long is this going to go on? Maybe I’ll come back when the construction is over.’”

KSAT reached out to SAWS to find out more details about the project.

The utility company said near the end of the project, crews encountered underground fiber-optic cable structures that could not be moved, requiring a temporary pause in construction. After evaluating options, a solution has been identified, and work on the manholes will resume next week.

The project remains on track for completion by the end of the year. For this and other project details around the city, customers can visit SAWS’ website.

SAWS is asking businesses, residents and other drivers in the area to be patient as they complete the million-dollar work.

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