A project by the San Antonio Water System will begin affecting the flow of traffic and water in the area near a busy intersection north of downtown.
SAWS crews have already begun preparing the street near the intersection of Hildebrand Road and McCullough Avenue for the work.
Beginning at 3 a.m. Monday, though, the area will be shut down altogether.
“We know that this street is really critical for traffic. We’re trying to get through as fast as we can,” said Anne Hayden, communications director for SAWS.
Hayden says the pipe replacement work in that area is part of a larger project which is being done in phases.
According to SAWS’ website, it will begin with the work immediately near the intersection then extend eastward to Shook Avenue.
The stretch will see various street closures through December.
In yet another phase of the project beginning in January 2027 and running through March, the pipe replacement work will cover Hildebrand between Shook Avenue and Devine Road.
Hayden said the goal is to remove and replace ancient underground pipes in order to prevent future problems.
“These pipes were put in during the early part of the 1900s, so they’re 100 years old or more,” she said. “They’ve done their job, but they break at bad times.”
During the job, Hayden said, there also will be periodic water outages.
She said SAWS’ customers in the area have been notified of that possibility.
“Group calls, robo dials to the area, as well as texts,” Hayden said.
Ysabel Pedroza, who operates a hair salon inside My Salon Suites, said she received notice about the project and has already begun preparing herself.
“They told us to have at least five gallons of water on hand just in case we need it,” Pedroza said. “Everything is going to require water, especially for clients who are getting highlights, color, stuff like that.”
Pedroza said she wants to make sure she is not left high and dry should the salon experience a water outage.
“If we have to cancel (appointments), that means that we lose out on money, and this is our livelihood,” Pedroza said.
SAWS will be making every effort to minimize the impact on customers and drivers, Hayden said.
To keep people up to date with detours, SAWS will be posting the latest information on its website.
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