SAN ANTONIO – Some streets have hairline cracks. Families in other subdivisions are dealing with huge potholes. County inspectors say they are serious street problems in 121 subdivisions across unincorporated Bexar County.
“When we knew we had this problem, the first step was to stop the hemorrhaging,” said Bexar County Engineer Renee Green.
Green says her staff started compiling the long list of neighborhoods with street deficiencies three months ago. Of the 121 communities, 48 subdivisions are in Bexar County Precinct 1, 16 subdivisions are in Precinct 2, 27 neighborhoods are in Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 had 30 subdivisions on the list.
“Some of the problems that we’ve seen range from huge failures to small cosmetic issues.”
Green says until the developers fix the issues, Bexar County can not take over maintenance on those roads.
So far, Green says her staff sent letters to the builders asking for a plan of action to fix the problems. She says 81-percent of the builders on the list have responded. Seven companies are either out of business or can’t be found.
Green says Bexar County is taking action to deal with each business on the list.
“Part of out issue had been that, since the County doesn’t issue building permits, we have very little ability to enforce it,” said Green. “So, what we’ve decided to do is withhold driveway permits on those streets that are non-compliant.”
Green says 17-percent of the builders have completed repairs to the County’s satisfaction, and they are no longer on the list.
If you want to check to make sure the streets in your area are public, Green says all you have to do is call the County Engineer’s office.
