VIA told the San Antonio Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Nov. 4 that the Green Line advanced-rapid-transit (ART) project is in 100% design and moving into major construction phases, and that the agency is preparing a second operations and maintenance facility to support larger ART vehicles.

Manjiri Akalkotkar, VIA’s major capital program officer, said the Green Line construction limits span 10.35 miles between U.S. 281 and Roosevelt Avenue, with service scheduled to run from the airport through San Pedro, downtown and Brooks. The project will use CNG articulated 17 vehicles with 10-minute weekday frequencies; VIA’s total Green Line budget is $480,800,000, including $268,000,000 in federal New Starts grant funding. Akalkotkar said construction drawings have been issued to the construction manager at risk and that early utility relocations have begun, with more construction activity expected in January.

The presentation also covered the Silver Line, a roughly 7.3-mile East–West ART corridor with a 40% design cost estimate of $322,200,000. VIA said it is pursuing a Small Starts capital investment grant with a federally capped award of $150,000,000 (VIA’s request: $149,900,000) and that the project currently appears in the president’s budget recommendation but is not yet an approved grant. VIA estimated Silver Line revenue service no earlier than early 2030 and said the project is about two years behind schedule.

On station design, VIA said the Green Line will have 25 stations and 113 unique artwork opportunities developed through local competitions; the agency also plans pedestrian-signal upgrades, curb and sidewalk repairs, and some center-running bus lanes. Akalkotkar said VIA has ordered vehicles and received an initial articulated bus for testing and possible specification tweaks.

VIA proposed a second operations and maintenance facility to accommodate ART and Primo articulated vehicles. The agency described a Phase 1 footprint of roughly 40 acres to host about 52 articulated vehicles and 50 standard CNG buses, with a future expansion capacity for roughly 150 additional standard vehicles. VIA tied the facility location within three miles of the ART corridor to operational cost reductions (less deadhead), but said opening and buildout timelines depend on land acquisition, surveys, appraisals and funding.

Council members asked about utility coordination with CPS and SAWS, neighborhood outreach to schools and businesses, and construction signage and notifications. VIA said it will provide phasing graphics to council offices, perform 90-day and 30-day pre-construction outreach for affected segments, and coordinate notices with utility partners. VIA also said the Green Line remains committed to an early-2028 revenue-service target for segments not delayed by unforeseen issues.

What’s next: VIA will finalize guaranteed-maximum-price negotiations with the construction manager at risk, begin more substantial construction work in January, continue community engagement and provide additional district-level ridership and phasing information to council offices.

Quote attribution: “We have started early works, which includes utility relocation,” Manjiri Akalkotkar said, describing the start of visible construction activities.