OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Transportation Infrastructure Committee Meeting – August 4, 2026

Council Committees — Tuesday, August 4, 2026
BodySan Antonio, Texas
SessionCouncil Committees
DateTuesday, August 4, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:43:15
Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:07

Thank you all so much for being here and welcome back from July recess.

0:10

Uh the time is now 2.05 p.m.

0:12

on August 4th, 2026, and we'll call this meeting with the Transportation Infrastructure Committee meet to committee to order.

0:18

Madam Clerk, can you please call roll?

0:19

Councilmember Corps.

0:22

Councilmember Mungia.

0:24

Councilmember Alderete Gavito.

0:27

Councilmember Spears.

0:29

Chair McKee Rodriguez.

0:31

Present.

0:31

Chair, we have quorum.

0:33

Thank you.

0:34

We will start off with approval of minutes from the June 2nd, 2026 meeting.

0:37

I'll entertain a motion for approval.

0:39

Motion to approve.

0:40

Second.

0:40

We have a motion and a second.

0:41

All in favor?

0:42

Aye.

0:43

Aye.

0:44

Motion carries.

0:46

So today we have two other items on the agenda.

0:48

I want to start off by saying thank you so much to TextDot and to the River Authority for being here today to present update on several of your projects.

0:56

With regard to item two, uh, the purpose of this particular briefing is to hopefully develop a public understanding of what all of the construction they're seeing throughout throughout the city will ultimately lead to, uh, including the timeline for completion.

1:09

And my hope is also that this is a starting point to uh build better synergy moving forward, it can lead to uh frustration, confusion, road rage, and ultimately poor driver choices and accidents uh when it seems like construction is disjointed.

1:24

And so I'd like for us to get to the point where uh communication is a little bit more uh coordinated.

1:31

Um for item three, we'll be receiving a briefing on the next gen flood warning system.

1:35

We do have two residents signed up to speak on item two, so we'll start off with public comment.

1:39

Uh each speaker will have three minutes to speak.

1:42

Um we have Garen Hogan and Ben Hogan.

1:45

Are y'all going separately or together?

1:47

Separately.

1:48

Okay, we'll start off with Garrin Hogan, followed by Ben.

1:58

All right, my um uh what I hear what I'm here to speak about is actually in reference to last uh or the meeting in June.

2:04

So regarding micro mobility.

2:06

Um so I'm here to provide a voice for the pedicab drivers as a town.

2:10

Real quick, does it relate to Text Dot?

2:14

Um that I'm not totally sure of.

2:17

Um yeah, I'm just here to speak about what was spoken to last uh the last meeting.

2:23

Okay, so what I'm going to I'll I'll allow you to speak today for the future when you sign up for items, you have to speak on items that are on the agenda, because we're not gonna be able to respond to a lot of what you say today because those things aren't agendized.

2:35

That's okay.

2:36

I just uh wanted to take the opportunity to speak about um the perspective of pedicab drivers here in town, if that's okay.

2:42

That's okay.

2:43

Okay, thanks so much.

2:44

Um, so uh San Antonio has a cap of 15 pedicab permits.

2:48

Austin has a cap of 350.

2:51

Houston has no cap.

2:52

You cannot start a new pedicab business in San Antonio because of this cap.

2:56

You also cannot buy a permit from one of the existing businesses.

2:59

The permit must go back to the city, which then goes into a lottery.

3:02

If Austin can accommodate 350 pedicabs and Houston can accommodate as many as the market demands, San Antonio can surely accommodate more than 15.

3:11

I've seen firsthand just how much demand there is for petty cabs in San Antonio, especially during large events where people are needed uh where people are required to walk long distances.

3:20

The existing number of pedicabs on the streets is not nearly enough to meet this demand.

3:25

The claim made by the two pedicab shop owners in town that there isn't enough business to justify increasing the number of permits is patently false and is only said to hold on to power and to thwart outside competition.

3:37

Not only are there too few petty cabs in San Antonio, the cabs that are available are not in optimal condition.

3:42

When you effectively have a duopoly system, the customer, in this case renters like myself, have very little leverage and therefore virtually no power.

3:50

The two primary permit holders, SA Peticabs and Riverside Petty Cabs, are able to operate at the bare minimum because they face no other competition within the pedicab industry, and the owners of these businesses fight very hard to keep it this way.

4:02

This means dealing with cabs that are often in a state of disrepair and having no leverage over the cost of renting a cab.

4:08

If you want to operate a pedicab in San Antonio, your choices are extremely limited.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Flooding█████████████████████████████████34%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Public Safety████4%
Procedural██2%
Stormwater Management██2%
Environmental Protection█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Transportation Infrastructure Committee Meeting – August 4, 2026

The Transportation Infrastructure Committee convened at 2:05 PM on August 4, 2026, under Chair McKee Rodriguez, with all members present (quorum). The meeting included approval of June 2, 2026 minutes, public comments on pedicab permits, a briefing from TxDOT on major construction projects, and a briefing from the San Antonio River Authority on the Next Gen Flood Warning System. The meeting adjourned at 3:48 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the June 2, 2026 meeting were approved by unanimous voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Garen Hogan (pedicab driver): Stated that San Antonio's cap of 15 pedicab permits is insufficient compared to Austin (350) and Houston (no cap). He argued that the two primary permit holders operate a duopoly, cabs are often in disrepair, and one company has failed to maintain insurance twice in two years. He requested an increase in permits and elimination of the lottery system.
  • Ben Hogan (12-year pedicabber): Emphasized the demand mismatch (15 permits for Alamo Dome seating 60,000 vs. Austin's 300 for a 15,000-seat venue). He supported additional permits while allowing current holders to keep theirs, and noted that allowing experienced drivers to own cabs would improve safety and accountability.

Discussion Items

  • TxDOT Construction Update (Charles Benavides, District Engineer):

    • Presented an overview of 231 active construction projects (12-county region), totaling $6.1 billion in active work, with another $15.1 billion under development.
    • Highlighted major projects:
      • I-35 Northeast Expansion Corridor (NEX): $1.5 billion (78% complete on central segment); southbound elevated lanes expected open by January 2027, northbound by mid-2027.
      • I-410/US 281 Interchange Improvements: $156 million low-bid contract, let May 2026; will address merging and weaving issues, add a double-lane exit at McCullough/San Pedro.
      • Loop 1604 North (Segments 1-6): $1.3 billion program, ~77% complete on segment 2 (I-10 interchange), segment 6 ($168M) breaking ground fall 2026. Segment 2 will feature a first-of-its-kind roundabout interchange.
      • US 90 Corridor Expansion: $105M phase one under construction; phase two expected to let spring 2027.
      • Downtown bridge joint repairs: Expected completion by October 2026.
    • Councilmembers raised concerns about communication, lack of coordination between city and state projects, low-bid contract performance, and induced demand from adding lanes. TxDOT highlighted the Drive Texas app (launched ~2 months prior) and commitment to stakeholder meetings, cellular text alerts, and social media. Councilmember McKeigue Rodriguez requested routine updates to all council members.

  • Next Gen Flood Warning System (Steve Metzler, San Antonio River Authority):

    • Goal: Reduce high-water rescues via improved early warning (currently ~45 minutes after first raindrop; targeting before rain starts).
    • Analysis identified over 3,000 road segments at risk of flooding from adjacent waterways (not just low-water crossings). Using crash history, flood depth, sight distance, and traffic volume, 205 segments were classified as extreme/high risk.
    • 197 existing low-water crossings are being upgraded with cameras, automated gates, dynamic signage, improved lighting, and barricades. County pledged $21 million.
    • The system integrates with Drive Texas, Google Maps, and Apple Maps. BearFlood.org provides real-time alerts. New stream gauges and modeling will allow proactive road closures up to an hour in advance.
    • Councilmembers discussed coordination with suburban cities, cost of gates ($50-$80,000 each), communication plans for sirens, and the need for a visual map of improvements. Chair requested that presentation be shared with full council.

Key Outcomes

  • TxDOT: Council requested routine communication (e.g., email updates) and improved mapping. TxDOT agreed to follow up on app improvements and coordinate with city on project timelines.
  • Flood Warning System: The River Authority will continue field upgrades over the next 12 months, develop communication plans, and provide council district-specific briefings upon request.
  • Pedicab Permits: No direct action taken, but public comments were noted; future discussion may be agendized in a relevant committee.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all so much for being here and welcome back from July recess. Uh the time is now 2.05 p.m. on August 4th, 2026, and we'll call this meeting with the Transportation Infrastructure Committee meet to committee to order. Madam Clerk, can you please call roll? Councilmember Corps. Councilmember Mungia. Councilmember Alderete Gavito. Councilmember Spears. Chair McKee Rodriguez. Present. Chair, we have quorum. Thank you. We will start off with approval of minutes from the June 2nd, 2026 meeting. I'll entertain a motion for approval. Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Motion carries. So today we have two other items on the agenda. I want to start off by saying thank you so much to TextDot and to the River Authority for being here today to present update on several of your projects. With regard to item two, uh, the purpose of this particular briefing is to hopefully develop a public understanding of what all of the construction they're seeing throughout throughout the city will ultimately lead to, uh, including the timeline for completion. And my hope is also that this is a starting point to uh build better synergy moving forward, it can lead to uh frustration, confusion, road rage, and ultimately poor driver choices and accidents uh when it seems like construction is disjointed. And so I'd like for us to get to the point where uh communication is a little bit more uh coordinated. Um for item three, we'll be receiving a briefing on the next gen flood warning system. We do have two residents signed up to speak on item two, so we'll start off with public comment. Uh each speaker will have three minutes to speak. Um we have Garen Hogan and Ben Hogan. Are y'all going separately or together? Separately. Okay, we'll start off with Garrin Hogan, followed by Ben. All right, my um uh what I hear what I'm here to speak about is actually in reference to last uh or the meeting in June. So regarding micro mobility. Um so I'm here to provide a voice for the pedicab drivers as a town. Real quick, does it relate to Text Dot? Um that I'm not totally sure of. Um yeah, I'm just here to speak about what was spoken to last uh the last meeting. Okay, so what I'm going to I'll I'll allow you to speak today for the future when you sign up for items, you have to speak on items that are on the agenda, because we're not gonna be able to respond to a lot of what you say today because those things aren't agendized. That's okay. I just uh wanted to take the opportunity to speak about um the perspective of pedicab drivers here in town, if that's okay. That's okay. Okay, thanks so much. Um, so uh San Antonio has a cap of 15 pedicab permits. Austin has a cap of 350. Houston has no cap. You cannot start a new pedicab business in San Antonio because of this cap. You also cannot buy a permit from one of the existing businesses.

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