VIA Metropolitan Transit and local officials celebrated the opening of a Project Office for the city’s first Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) corridor on June 28. VIA Metropolitan Transit President and CEO Jeff Arndt was joined by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, former San Antonio Mayor and U.S. Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros and VIA Board Chair Fernando Reyes at the project office to celebrate its opening.
Though phased construction on the corridor isn’t set to begin until 2025, the opening of the office offers the opportunity to meet with project team members, give feedback and get updates about the transformative transit project.
The celebration comes on the heels of action by the City Council and VIA Board of Trustees, approving two Interlocal Agreements (ILAs) that solidify the partnership between the two entities on moving the ART North-South Corridor to an anticipated completion in 2027.
Known as the “VIA Rapid Green Line,” the corridor runs from near the San Antonio International Airport along San Pedro Avenue, through downtown and onto Steves Avenue, near Mission Concepcion. VIA Rapid is a new type of mass transit in San Antonio that generally runs in dedicated lanes outside of regular traffic and includes elements designed to reduce trip time, including off-board fare collection, level platform boarding and transit-priority traffic signals that will keep the Green Line running even during periods of peak traffic and congestion.
ART is a key element in VIA’s Keep SA Moving plan that voters approved in 2020. The Project Office reflects VIA Metropolitan Transit’s ongoing efforts to keep the public informed and engaged about the project, which is designed to move more people faster and farther and connect them to more opportunities for education, employment, goods and resources.
The initial planned ART corridor is the first of its kind in the region. The line will have connecting service on the north from Stone Oak Park & Ride and connecting service on the south end of the corridor to the Brooks Transit Center. The service is designed to improve transportation options for the nearly 54,000 residents and 108,000 jobs located within the 12-mile corridor.
VIA’s ART project, the planned “VIA Rapid” service, will be supported with federal funding, approved by Congress in 2022. It was the only Texas project added to President Biden’s funding recommendation list for Fiscal Year 2023. It marks the first time San Antonio and VIA have been able to access this type of funding, which requires transit service that operates in dedicated lanes.
The ART Project Office will open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and by appointment. Extended hours will be announced in the future.
