Transportation Systems

Campus Roadways

The existing campus roadway system does not provide efficient internal circulation through the campus. Specifically, the only connection between the northern and southern halves of campus is via a poorly located and indirect roadway. There is no easy way to circulate from one quadrant of the campus to another.

This figure shows several new campus roadways that will improve circulation. First and foremost, a new major north-south connector parkway is shown just east of the central academic complex. This four-lane divided parkway is the realigned extension of John Peace Boulevard from the north and the realigned extension of James Bauerle Boulevard from the south. The parkway will provide efficient access from one side of campus to the other. With appropriate signage, it can improve wayfinding on campus by providing direct connections to main campus roadways and to important destinations such as the John Peace Library and the visitor information center. The entry of the connector at the intersection of UTSA Boulevard is expected to require signalization. Provisions for maximizing the intersection capacity with adequate turn lanes should be incorporated into the intersection design. At the north end of the connector roadway, the intersection of Margaret Tobin Avenue will be modified to provide indirect left-turns to eliminate the potential bottleneck that can occur at this location during periods of peak traffic flow. It is recommended that alternatives be evaluated during the preliminary design process for the connector roadway. Sufficient queue storage capacity should be provided between Loop 1604 and the intersection to store traffic exiting the campus.

Despite the prominence of the new north-south connector, the entrances at Walter Brennan Avenue and at Edward Ximenes Avenue will remain important campus entrances because they provide direct access to a significant proportion of the available campus parking spaces. As such, the master plan provides for modifications to be made at these intersections to improve pedestrian safety and vehicle operations. Specifically, both intersections and their extensions into campus will be upgraded to include sidewalks and other pedestrian traffic control at the intersections. On Walter Brennan Avenue, traffic control should be analyzed and improved in order to minimize the potential for interference with traffic operations at the nearby intersection with Loop 1604. When UTSA Boulevard is widened and Edward Ximenes Avenue is improved, turning bays will be needed to improve intersection efficiency.

The new north-south connector will function as part of the new campus ring road system. This system will increase the transportation efficiency of the campus by reducing the travel time and travel distance between the different parts of the campus. New roadways will be connected to existing or improved roadways to create the ring. It may be necessary to remove some on-street parking in order to improve roadway efficiency. In some locations, it may be desirable to construct features which make the on-street parking more aesthetically pleasing and improve pedestrian safety.

The existing lower-level service drives have been extended in the design of the new master plan to reach the new academic buildings north and south of the existing academic buildings. This will remove service vehicle operations from at-grade locations, thereby segregating typical campus traffic and pedestrian flows from the service vehicle traffic. This concept of building service has also been applied to the new buildings east of the connector parkway. These buildings have been developed with an underground service drive that reaches all but the easternmost buildings. At that location, the ground plane is higher and the pedestrian paseo is at grade. On-grade loading docks for buildings not connected to the service drive will be accessed through adjacent parking lots.

Bicycle Paths

Transportation both to campus and between campus buildings will continue to be an issue as the campus grows larger. Bicycle lanes and paths, along with appropriately located bicycle racks, will provide alternate methods of transportation for students, faculty, and staff to move through campus.

Multi-use paths should be located along all major roadways in order to facilitate the flow of both vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The pathways through the natural areas of campus have been designed so that they may be used as bicycle trails as well as walking paths. Connections to appropriate off-campus paths and walks should be made for both bicyclists and pedestrians. Pathways have been laid out along major internal campus roadways wherever possible so that bicyclists may traverse the same routes as automobiles yet are not forced to use roadways.

Enhancing campus amenities for bicyclists and encouraging the use of bicycles, rather than automobiles, can reduce the infrastructure required for automobiles. Given the significantly higher costs of developing roadways and parking for automobiles versus developing paths and walks for bicycles and pedestrians, non-vehicular and mass transportation should be encouraged wherever feasible.

Parking Lot Design

In some areas, existing campus roadways are part of the existing parking lots. This creates conflicts between motorists and pedestrians and between motorists wishing to park and those passing through the parking lot. The creation of a ring road system will reduce the latter conflict by separating circulating traffic from traffic within parking lots. Vehicular/pedestrian conflicts are also reduced because the master plan re-designs some existing parking lots to provide positive control over parking circulation and vehicular-pedestrian interaction.

Parking Supply

Providing sufficient parking for all of the varied uses of campus facilities, including the Special Events Center, is a significant challenge. The master plan provides a decentralized parking scheme in which the parking supply is distributed across the campus in order to serve multiple facilities in an efficient manner. This scheme minimizes the vehicular/pedestrian conflicts in distant parking lots, minimizes the need to shuttle students, and maximizes the flexibility of parking usage, campus growth, and parking management.

Some parking will be located on sites that the university will acquire in the future. Remote parking will allow more academic, recreational, and athletics facilities to be built on campus. The success of remote parking will depend on the efficiency and usability of the shuttle system. As more remote parking is built, both on the current campus and on separate parcels of land, it is crucial that the shuttle system be sufficient to handle the demand for parking. It must also operate at efficient headways in order to encourage use of the off-site or remote parking areas. To ease this situation, alternative methods of moving between central campus and the remote lots, such as walking paths and bicycle lanes, should be established. Also, because remote parking is less desirable than on-campus parking, it may be necessary to establish a specific, less expensive type of permit for offsite lots. This will help to generate demand for those spaces, and thereby ease demand for on-campus parking.

The overall system of parking facilities must provide enough parking for peak periods on the campus as a whole. The overall parking demand is dependent upon the various types of buildings, their locations, and the times of their peak usage. Currently, the 1604 Campus provides commuter parking at a ratio of approximately one space for every three students. During peak times of parking demand, ninety-two percent of these spaces are occupied. This level of occupancy is acceptable for future development, and the master plan has continued the use of this parking ratio. Parking is spread out on the plan so that it may serve non-concurrent uses such as general parking during the day and athletic event parking in the evening.

The master plan provides one resident parking space for every two beds of on-campus housing. This parking supply is located adjacent to the residential facilities, and it will be occupied during most of the day. This type of parking is considered separately from commuter parking and cannot be used for other types of parking demand on campus. Conversely, students who park in these lots should not be permitted to park in other areas of the campus without obtaining special permission such as a limited use or handicapped permit.

The percentage of students in on-campus housing will increase as additional campus housing is constructed. If parking for those students is limited as described above, the parking supply on campus will be effectively increased. If students who live on campus are allowed to park in general lots, however, the university must provide multiple parking spaces for campus residents - one general parking space and one residential parking space.

Other types of parking demand include that created by visitors to the University Center, to recreation and athletic facilities, and to special events held on campus. Visitors to the University Center during peak student periods should be provided with reserved parking at a parking structure near the center of the academic complex. The recreational facilities will not generate significant parking demand because parking for most people using these facilities is already included in the general campus parking. Some recreational-specific parking is included for the softball fields, however, because they are not located near general purpose parking. The master plan provides approximately 1,450 parking spaces in surface and structured parking adjacent to the athletic facilities. These parking areas are on the edge of campus and are therefore easily accessible from Babcock Road or UTSA Boulevard. Athletic events should be scheduled to occur at times other than during periods of peak academic activity. Additional parking will be provided as necessary from the general parking areas near the academic buildings. During the regular academic day, parking areas near the athletic facilities will serve as remote parking for academic use. A people-mover system running along the paseos could be used to provide quick circulation from the athletic parking lots to the academic areas. This would be faster than conventional shuttle systems because the paseos will connect more directly to both remote parking and to campus buildings. As with athletic events, large special events on campus should generally be scheduled to occur during off-peak periods of academic activity. The general-use parking lots will be used to serve these special events. Overall, the master plan positions commuter parking lots and special event facilities so that the large amount of commuter parking can be shared efficiently with each venue.

Parking structures have been identified for certain locations on campus to meet increased localized demand. Parking structures are most effective near areas of significant campus activity. The expanded University Center will be a large generator of parking demand in the center of the campus. An adjacent 500-space parking structure has been planned to meet this demand. The John Peace Library and adjacent administration building will be supported by a 300-space parking structure, and a 600-car garage will be constructed around Thermal Energy Plant #2. A third structure, with 700 spaces, will be located next to the new eastern academic buildings and will also house Thermal Energy Plant #3. A 640-space structure will be located adjacent to the athletics facilities.

Pedestrian Facilities

The pedestrian paseo system has always been the primary circulation system of the 1604 Campus. The existing campus has three outdoor pedestrian paseos that extend to the north, south, and west from the Sombrilla Plaza. The master plan extends the West Paseo to the southwest corner of campus and places the new athletic facilities along it. This will connect the academic and athletic cores of campus in a pedestrian-friendly way and will reduce the need for commuters to move their car from one parking lot to another. It also will make it easier for spectators to park in academic parking lots and walk to the various sports venues.

The East Paseo has been extended from the John Peace Library to the new Main Building. The East Paseo will then connect to new academic buildings to the east with a pedestrian bridge that passes over the new north-south connector parkway. This will integrate the central and eastern academic areas and will maximize safety for pedestrians. During campus-wide special events, this pedestrian bridge will be vital in enabling pedestrians to move between the venues on the west and east edges of campus. It will also ensure that spectators coming to a campus-wide event can park anywhere on campus and still have a pedestrian-friendly path to access all parts of campus.

As large new facilities like the Special Events Center, the new baseball stadium, and the Performing Arts Center are constructed on the south side of campus, the pedestrian corridor shown in Figure 45 which will connect those areas and the parking in the southern lots will become an important walkway. A path will continue to the northeast and will also connect the science facilities on the south end of campus to the new science/research quadrant on the eastern end of campus. This walkway and path should be maintained as an important connection on the southern side of campus.

The master plan also proposes operating a people mover system on the east and west paseos to improve pedestrian circulation between the edges of campus and the center. The people mover will make it easier for pedestrians to travel between areas and would encourage the use of outer parking lots for commuters and visitors destined for the center of campus. The design of the Main Building may prevent vehicles from moving past the building. Should further studies find this to be the case, provision for a vehicle turnaround should be made to the east of the Main Building. Construction of such a turnaround might be done in conjunction with the small parking structure sited east of the Main Building.

External Transportation Systems

In designing the future internal transportation system of the campus, the master plan takes into account both the future conditions of and scheduled changes to the transportation system surrounding the campus. According to the city of San Antonio's Major Thoroughfare Plan, the city plans to upgrade both UTSA Boulevard and Babcock Road in the vicinity of the 1604 Campus to from two-land undivided roadways to four-lane divided roadways with two through lanes in each direction. The date for these planned improvements is not known at this time, but with the increased traffic generated by the expanded campus and additional development in the area, these roadways will probably be upgraded to four-lane divided roadways in the future.

Improvements to Babcock Road, UTSA Boulevard, and Valero Way should be championed within the city of San Antonio's Capital Improvement Program. All three of these roadways should be expanded to provide a minimum of four lanes with medians to encourage vehicular circulation to occur at the campus periphery. UTSA Boulevard and Babcock Road are both currently designated as Secondary Type A arterials by the city of San Antonio. Valero Way should similarly be upgraded to be designated as a Secondary Arterial Type A to facilitate any potential future extension north of Loop 1604. A change in designation may require additional right-of-way designation by UTSA. The city of San Antonio's Major Thoroughfare Plan also calls for the re-alignment of UTSA Boulevard and Hausman Road. Hausman would be re-aligned in a general east-west direction and would occupy the bridge over IH-10 that is currently designated as UTSA Boulevard. UTSA Boulevard would turn south to the west of IH-10 and would intersect with Hausman. One of the problems with such a realignment is that all UTSA traffic traveling towards IH-10 would be required to make a left turn at the re-aligned Hausman intersection. This would reduce the level of service for vehicles traveling east on UTSA Boulevard, as they would have an extra stop built into the most direct route to IH-10.

Also, if the re-aligned roadway is re-named Hausman Road all the way to IH-10, then the overhead guide signs along IH-10 would be changed to reflect this name change. A potential alternative to this wholesale re-naming could be that the UTSA Boulevard name is retained for the section of roadway between the UTSA Boulevard intersection with Hausman and IH-10; however, this may be confusing to drivers unfamiliar with the area. TxDOT is currently planning to widen Loop 1604 between IH-10 and IH-35 with the construction of managed toll lanes. In addition to these improvements, there are planned interchange improvements at IH-10 and Loop 1604. These improvements are included in the proposed toll road package. There are currently no additional improvements along IH-10. Construction of these improvements could begin as early as 2008. These managed lanes will add much needed capacity to Loop 1604, so the construction of the managed lanes should be viewed as advantageous for the 1604 Campus.

One potential improvement that would likely improve traffic flow for the eastern portions of campus is the construction of an eastbound to westbound turnaround lane on Loop 1604 at IH-10. Currently, there is no turnaround lane in this direction, but provision of such a lane would preclude the need for traffic to make a turnaround maneuver by traveling through the four existing intersections. This improvement would likely benefit UTSA, Valero Corporation, and the new developments on the north side of Loop 1604. This improvement is not currently scheduled, but it is a relatively cost-efficient improvement and as such should not be difficult to implement.

Local transportation planners have considered implementing a light rail system in San Antonio. Although once defeated in a public referendum, it is possible that light rail will be considered again at some time during the next twenty years. If a light rail system were to be implemented, it would become a convenient way for students to commute to the 1604 Campus from various locations within San Antonio, as well as a convenient way for students to commute between the 1604 and Downtown campuses. However, due to the uncertain future of the approval, funding, and routing of a light rail line, the master plan does not count on a light rail system to reduce the need for on-campus commuter parking.

Despite the uncertainty of light rail, the master plan does provide for linking the campus transportation system with the city's transit system. The existing centrally located VIA bus stop north of the Business Building will be rebuilt in approximately the same location after completion of the Main Building adjacent to that site. A second stop is shown on the East Paseo between the academic buildings and graduate housing complex. Should a light rail line extend to the 1604 Campus, this bus stop and adjoining roadway could be used as a stop for light rail train service. In addition, if a campus people mover were implemented on the East Paseo, it would be located so that it would interface with the bus stop.

Currently, a pilot project for the implementation of bus rapid transit along the Fredericksburg Road corridor, also known as the Northwest Corridor, is being studied by the Metropolitan Transit Authority. This project offers some promise for improved VIA service along the currently defined corridor. If this project is successful, it could be expanded to the 1604 Campus in a future phase. Future express bus service provided by VIA may someday be capable of matching the operational performance of UTSA's downtown shuttle bus. While this is not a short-term solution or replacement for the existing shuttle bus operations, it may hold promise for the future.