Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff update committee on Silverline, Greenline and BetterBus plans; federal funding sought
Summary
San Antonio staff briefed the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on progress on the Silverline and Greenline rapid bus projects, an operations-and-maintenance facility, and the BetterBus service plan, outlining timelines, funding commitments and outreach steps.
San Antonio transportation staff told the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on March 18 that work on the Silverline and Greenline corridors is progressing while the city continues to secure federal funds and complete design and utility work.
The presentation said the Silverline project is a 3.7-mile corridor with 26 stations, weekday service targeted at 10-minute frequency and weekend service at 15-minute frequency. Staff said the Silverline began planning in 2022 and projected revenue service in 2024; the project’s financial plan cited $145.3 million in federal STVG funds and a $100.5 million contribution from Bexar County. “We started this project in 2022, and we expect revenue service in 2024,” said the presenter who identified themself as Manchiri, program officer.
Staff described a proposed operations-and-maintenance facility on roughly 20 acres that could accommodate about 200–250 vehicles. The presentation said the facility site criteria include being vacant or industrial land, within about three miles of the transit corridors, and with arterial access. Construction for the facility was presented as planned to begin in 2027 and finish in early 2029 so the city has the facility before vehicles start arriving for Silverline service.
On the Greenline, staff said the corridor received federal funding in December and has a budget of about $480 million, with a planned ten-minute frequency, 25 stations and connections from the south to the central employment areas. Staff said design is approaching 95% and that utility coordination and additional utility investigations delayed earlier construction assumptions; the presentation said construction would begin mid-year and finish by late 2027. “When we were completing 65% of the design we discovered we needed more utility investigation so we would not start excavation and then stop,” Manchiri said.
Zandiv Sen, identified as the project manager for planning and schedules, summarized the BetterBus plan as a service-frequency and access improvement package. Staff said BetterBus would expand frequent service so roughly 17% more people would have access to service at 20-minute intervals and that the plan would increase countywide access to employment by an estimated 44%. Staff said the draft service plan will be finalized for consideration in April 2025 and implementation would begin in summer 2025, phased through the 2029 capital construction timeline.
Committee members asked about vehicle propulsion and electric buses. Staff noted the current fleet uses compressed natural gas (CNG) as the primary fuel and that the agency has eight electric buses in service now; staff said the agency will continue evaluating electric buses and long-term replacement strategies but described technical and cost challenges, including higher capital cost and impacts on range in high summer temperatures.
Committee members also questioned public outreach and utility coordination. Staff said they are conducting business-by-business and one-on-one outreach within a half-mile of corridors, will reopen outreach rounds prior to construction, and are staffing east and west outreach offices. Staff said they are applying lessons from Greenline to Silverline, citing a relocated Zarzamora station and other design changes based on public feedback.
Why it matters: the Silverline and Greenline are major capital corridors intended to connect neighborhoods to employment centers and add higher-frequency service. Committee members repeatedly emphasized the need for proactive outreach, clarity about street and driveway access during construction, and monitoring utility relocations that can cause schedule risk.
Next steps: staff said they will complete 95% design milestones, continue NEPA and utility coordination, finalize the BetterBus draft for April 2025 consideration, and proceed with land acquisition and construction planning for the operations facility. Committee members directed staff to continue one-on-one outreach and return with financing and schedule updates.
