A project that began almost a decade ago to revive 2.2 miles of a blighted urban creekbed in downtown San Antonio is complete.
San Pedro Creek is a natural waterway that once served garden plots and grazing in the earliest days of San Antonio’s history. Yielding to progress and the need for flood control, the creek became a concrete drainage ditch that has now been fully restored as a flowing linear park.
The $300 million San Pedro Creek Culture Park project transformed the creek into an inviting greenspace with 11 acres of native plants, flowing water, eight new street bridges, art installations and historic markers.
On Thursday, the public was invited to mark the completion of the project at the Camp Street Bridge, 1901 S. Alamo St.
The final phase of the project brought to an end work that began in 2016 at North Santa Rosa and Houston streets and ended with a span from South Alamo Street past Cevallos Street to the confluence at Apache Creek Trail.
The sections between and beyond opened to the public as each phase was completed.
Initiated and funded by Bexar County with support from the City of San Antonio, the project was led by the San Antonio River Authority. Sundt Davila is the contractor.
By deepening and widening the existing channel and replacing street bridges, the project is intended to contain a 100-year floodplain within the creek’s banks.
Officials and proponents have highlighted the project’s expected $1.5 billion economic impact on the city, adding an estimated 2,100 new housing units and resulting in a 150% increase in property value and increased tax revenue.
Plans for a new $160 million Missions ballpark that would be built adjacent to the San Pedro Creek Culture Park moved forward recently with selection of the global design firm Populous as the lead designer and architect.
The new stadium is expected to be completed in time for opening day in 2028.
