VIA’s proposed North/South corridor would transport passengers from San Antonio International Airport to downtown using all-electric busses, and is estimated to cost $320 million. Credit: Courtesy of VIA Metropolitan Transit

San Antonio is one step closer to having rapid transit corridor after federal environmental regulators ruled that VIA Metropolitan Transit’s plans wouldn’t violate pollution standards, transportation authority officials said Wednesday.

If constructed, the VIA’s Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) project would be the region’s first rapid transit corridor, connecting San Antonio International Airport to Mission Concepcion south of downtown, they also said.

All-electric buses would serve the 12-mile route, ferrying passengers in designated center lanes. The corridor would include stops at 27 new transit stations, including North Star Mall, San Antonio College and Brackenridge High School, among others.

“This is a major milestone in the journey to deliver on our commitment to this community, which said ‘yes’ to investing in transit improvements,” VIA President and CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt said in an emailed statement. “I’m proud of the team and the work done to ensure we proceed with a project designed to minimize environmental impact and provide new, modern options to connect more people to opportunity.”

VIA’s federal approval means that the municipal transit authority is one step closer to securing the $100 million in federal funding necessary to complete the project, which is estimated to cost $320 million in total.

VIA hopes to open the ART corridor open to riders by 2027.

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This article appears in May 3-16, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...