It's been a few months since people could cross the creek between San Marcos Boulevard to Discovery Street.
Last Friday, the city of San Marcos held a dedication ceremony and said the new bridge would be opened soon. Now it's happening.
“Before the end of today (Wednesday) we will be opening up Via Vera Cruz to traffic,” said Isaac Etchamendy, the city's engineer.
Business owners in the area are looking forward to the reopening. Tim Daniels of Towne Jewelers said sales have been significantly impacted by the closure.
Usually, the holidays are his busiest time of the year.
“The business has been down approximately 70% in the last three months, but you know, we’ll survive because I’ve been here 46 years and I have a lot of clients,” Daniels said.
The new bridge is one of the final components of the over $100 million San Marcos Creek Project.
Overall, the project has added infrastructure to reduce flooding, improve traffic flow and restore the creek habitat.
As for the new Via Vera Cruz bridge, it’s much higher than the previous roadway, and it has four vehicle lanes, plus sidewalks and bike lanes.
“Before we did any of these improvements there was a small two-lane timber bridge over the creek that frequently flooded,” Etchamendy said.
While it's been a struggle for Daniels’ business and other storefronts nearby the construction, he’s excited about the long-term benefits of the project.
“I think it's positive for the city of San Marcos that we needed it very bad,” Daniels said. “I know that they've been working on this project for many, many years. And it costs lots of money to do it, but it's worth it because San Marcos is a major city right now.”
The 214-acre project area has been undergoing construction since early 2020.
The final steps in the creek project include a bit more road work on Bent Avenue and the completion of Paseo del Arroyo Park, expected to open in early 2024.
