San Antonio awards $3.7 million contract to study reconnecting downtown and East Side across I-37

Contract approved as part of planning tied to proposed sports and entertainment district

San Antonio City Council voted unanimously on March 5, 2026, to award a $3.7 million contract to Aecom Technical Services Inc., a Dallas-based infrastructure consulting firm, for a study examining options to better connect downtown with the city’s East Side.

The nine-month effort is focused on the segment of Interstate 37 that runs between the two areas and is widely viewed in city planning discussions as a physical and mobility barrier. The study’s stated purpose is to evaluate concepts that would reduce or potentially eliminate portions of I-37 in the project area, while improving how people and vehicles move between neighborhoods.

Scope includes multimodal access and public engagement

City documents describing the assignment outline a planning process intended to address interactions among cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. Public engagement is scheduled to begin in April, as the city and consultant gather input and develop alternatives.

While the study is framed as a transportation and urban connectivity effort, it also aligns with planning underway for the city’s proposed “Project Marvel” sports and entertainment district. City leaders have described the downtown-to-East Side connection as a key element for the envisioned district, which has been discussed publicly as a multi-part redevelopment concept centered on major venue and convention-area investments.

How the work fits into a broader set of corridor studies

The I-37 connectivity evaluation comes as other transportation agencies are also analyzing long-term challenges and future visions for major highways in Bexar County, including I-37. Those efforts typically examine corridor needs, traffic operations, safety considerations, and community priorities, and can inform how future capital projects advance from concepts to environmental review and design.

What the study is expected to produce

The city has not described the March 5 contract as a construction award. Instead, the deliverable is a set of proposals and supporting analysis that can be used to compare alternatives, identify constraints, and clarify potential impacts. In practical terms, studies of this type can be used to:

• Develop conceptual designs for new connections across or through highway infrastructure.
• Evaluate tradeoffs for vehicle circulation, freight access, transit operations, and emergency response routing.
• Identify right-of-way needs and potential coordination points with state and federal transportation requirements.
• Outline cost ranges and implementation sequencing for shortlisted concepts.

City staff have described the effort as focused on improving how vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians interact in and around the I-37 corridor separating downtown and the East Side.

The contract sets the timeline for this phase at about nine months, with public engagement beginning in April. Any decision to pursue a preferred alternative, funding strategy, or construction schedule would be considered in subsequent actions beyond the study period.