Beacon Hill Retail District Bulbouts
In the event that it rains in the morning, we will be inside Urban Goods (1727 Blanco Rd, San Antonio, TX 78212) at the same intersection of Blanco and Elsmere.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ActivateSA and Beacon Hill Neighborhood Celebrate New Pedestrian Safety Improvements on Blanco Road, funded by 2025 AARP Community Challenge Grant Program
San Antonio, TX – April 1, 2026 – ActivateSA, in partnership with the Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association (BHANA), announces the completion of new pedestrian safety and traffic-calming improvements at the intersection of Blanco Road and West Elsmere Place in San Antonio’s Historic Beacon Hill neighborhood.
The project, funded through a 2025 AARP Community Challenge Demonstration Grant, introduces new curb bulb-outs and marked crosswalks designed to slow vehicle traffic, improve driver visibility, and create safer crossing conditions for pedestrians along the Blanco Road corridor. The improvements support long-standing community efforts to make the area more walkable, bikeable, accessible, and inviting for residents of all ages and abilities.
“This project shows what’s possible when the community comes together to advocate for safer roads. By advancing bulb-out infrastructure here, we’re prioritizing safety, accessibility, and the everyday experience of drivers and pedestrians in the neighborhood,” said Councilwoman Dr. Sukh Kaur, District 1.
Over the last few years, BHANA has made headway in improving driver, pedestrian and bicycle safety, hosting several formal community-centered events that have highlighted Blanco Road as an ideal candidate for increased placemaking, bike and pedestrian infrastructure improvements. Following an ActivateSA Blanco Road Street Audit and Alamo Area MPO Walkable Community Workshop, ActivateSA was awarded an AARP Demonstration Grant to implement traffic-calming infrastructure along the Blanco Road corridor.
Originally envisioned as an asphalt mural, our project team solicited for and selected an artist and artwork for the site that was conditionally approved by the City of San Antonio’s Arts Commission. However, recent guidance from the Governor’s Office restricting creative crosswalks and murals in public right-of-way required a shift in design. After several design iterations, the grant ultimately funded bulb-outs and crosswalks to improve intersection visibility for drivers, and a buffer for pedestrians to cross safely.
“Having a crosswalk provides neighbors the opportunity to safely walk the Blanco strip without having to access their car,” said Elizabeth Eichhorn, owner of Copper Rose Wine, a business located adjacent to the intersection. “It is a great first step in creating safer, more comfortable walkable infrastructure in Beacon Hill. This walking path unifies the different segments of the strip—allowing more patrons to visit other shops.”
“The Beacon Hill Quick-Build is one of the first of its kind in San Antonio to be led by a local community organization,” said Joey Pawlik, Executive Director of ActivateSA. “It’s a great example of quick-build infrastructure that costs less and is quicker to deploy, but its greatest impact is that it will have a lasting effect of encouraging safer driving and a safer street for pedestrians in the heart of Beacon Hill. We hope our experiences with this project will serve as a model to help improve the safety and comfort of more streets across San Antonio.”
To celebrate the completion of the project, ActivateSA and BHANA invite community members and media to attend a ribbon-cutting event.
Ribbon-Cutting Event Details:
Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Intersection of Blanco Road and West Elsmere Place, San Antonio, TX
Media Contact:
Joey Pawlik
Executive Director, ActivateSA
Email: joey @ activatesa.org
About ActivateSA
ActivateSA is a grassroots organization that advocates for a connected active transportation network that is connected, equitable, resilient, and safe for all through transportation advocacy, consensus building, and education. ActivateSA envisions a future where San Antonians are empowered to move freely through connected, safe, resilient and equitable communities. Learn more at https://activatesa.org/.
About Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association (BHANA)
The Beacon Hill Area Neighborhood Association (BHANA) is a voluntary neighborhood association that was established in 1978. BHANA is a non-profit (501c) (4) dedicated to neighborhood unity and revitalization. Their area is bounded by Hildebrand on the North, Fredericksburg on the South and the Union Pacific railroad tracks on the East and West of Blanco Road.
About AARP Community Challenge
The AARP Community Challenge grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages, with an emphasis on people ages 50 and older.
To learn more about the projects funded by the AARP Community Challenge across the nation, including all 383granted projects this year, visit AARP.org/CommunityChallenge. You can also view an interactive map of current and past AARP Community Challenge projects and AARP’s Livable Communities work at AARP.org/LivableMap.
We’d like to give a special thank you to the San Antonio office of WGI for their engineering support on this project!
Want to learn more about the process on how we got here? Check out our brief presentation to the SATX Trails and Safe Streets Coalition on January 27, 2026.