Broadway-Hildebrand construction wrapping up this month

Construction materials rest on Broadway by a crew working to complete the drainage and traffic flow improvements on Broadway near Hildebrand on July 3, 2014. The work has been ongoing for almost a year and a half. less Construction materials rest on Broadway by a crew working to complete the drainage and traffic flow improvements on Broadway near Hildebrand on July 3, 2014. The work has been ongoing for almost a year and a ... more Photo: Billy Calzada, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Billy Calzada, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 62 Caption Close Broadway-Hildebrand construction wrapping up this month 1 / 62 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Entrepreneurs near the intersection of Broadway and Hildebrand Avenue will tell you straight-up: The past 18 months of construction have been brutal.

Red McCombs called residents of The Broadway, his company's condo project, “heroes” for putting up with the road work.

The Wave Salon started serving its clients wine to keep them happy. The salon's owner, MsRee, joked that a block party may be in the works when it all wraps up.

McCombs and MsRee might not have to wait much longer. Major work on the $15.5 million project is slated to finish by the end of July. Minor tweaking, such as curb work and lane striping, should only take a couple weeks after that.

The city might hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony in mid-August to mark the project, which started in early 2013, said Melissa S. Sparks, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Transportation and Capital Improvements.

“We talked to the businesses pretty regularly to keep them updated,” she said. “I'm sure that they are all excited, just like all those people who drive through there are excited.”

The revamped intersection will have a couple of additions to ease traffic flow: New turn lanes will guide motorists turning left from northbound Broadway onto Hildebrand and turning left from eastbound Hildebrand onto Broadway, Sparks said.

Also, two-way traffic will return to Hildebrand at the end of this month.

Many of the improvements involve drainage systems, Sparks said, noting that last year's Memorial Day weekend record storm flooded the project.

But she said contractor Texas Sterling Construction sometimes had subcontractors literally working 24 hours a day to make up the time.

MsRee is looking forward to seeing the new drainage system put to use.

“When it would flood, we'd see trash cans floating down the street,” MsRee said, adding that the salon didn't seem to lose many customers because of the construction outside its front door.

Rather than thinking about how the project has affected life at University of the Incarnate Word, special assistant to the president Lou Fox said he'd rather discuss the “great job” the city has done.

Fox said city officials met with UIW officials biweekly and he commended the city's patience, even though “no one likes the idea of delays.”

“I'm really excited about the way the project has proceeded,” Fox, a former San Antonio city manager, said.

But the city hasn't gotten glowing reviews from everyone. McCombs said he thought communication was irregular throughout construction and detours for motorists were often unclear.

McCombs called the project a “case study” on how cities should not run construction.

“Are we happy this disaster is coming to an end?” McCombs said. “Yes, we are.”

showard@express-news.net

@SamuelHHoward