26 low-water crossings have been upgraded and fixed after more than a dozen were offline earlier in the year
A network of flood sensors is designed to warn drivers before they attempt to cross dangerous, water-covered roads. But the News 4 I-Team foundThe website tracks conditions at flood-prone roads across the county, including whether crossings are closed or open.
Now, the San Antonio River Authority says progress is being made. SARA tells the I-Team that 35 low-water crossings were down last summer. This week, they say 26 low-water crossings have already been upgraded. For people who live near those crossings, the repairs are noticeable.
“It was broken, and it was like... some people getting stuck because the water crossing wasn’t working right,” Leon Valley resident Lydia Sanchez said. “But now that they fixed it, it’s working good. The cops come, the paramedics come, the fire department comes, and they check it quite often. ” Sanchez said the upgrades make her feel safer when heavy rain is in the forecast, though she still worries when water rises near her street.
Bexar County and SARA are also working to upgrade low water crossings with more visible warning systems. Those improvements can include flashing lights when water covers the road, gates that come down to block drivers from crossing, cameras, and sensors that send data back to the county. Officials say some of the existing equipment had been vandalized, or there was insect damage, or communication failures between sensors and the network.
Another complication: multiple agencies share responsibility for the crossings, which can slow repairs.
“There are so many different players, and we’re working toward a future where that’s all consolidated,” Erin Cavazos with SARA told us back in April. That consolidation, which is part of a broader, multi-million dollar flood mitigation plan, is expected to take about a year to implement fully. The larger round of upgrades, including gates, cameras, lighting and other improvements, is expected to begin in summer 2026 and continue through September 2027.
Crews are also continuing to develop site plans for future installations. Erik Cantu, the teen shot by a former San Antonio officer at a McDonald’s in 2022, was arrested again at a Northwest Side Gold’s Gym. Undercover officers say he tried to run and now faces an evading arrest charge. Deadly flash flooding hit Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Saturday night after a person was trapped in a vehicle in rising water near Hall Street.
The victim was pronounced dead; identity and details pending. Westbound U.S. Highway 90 into Uvalde County is closed, with traffic at a standstill. Officials urge drivers not to travel past Hondo and to take alternate routes. No reopening time or cause released.
South Texas could be upgraded to the Weather Prediction Center’s rare High Risk for excessive rainfall as flash flooding worsens. Some areas already saw 10+ inches, with 10 to 20 more possible through midweek. San Antonio nurse Sarah Danh, who fell into a coma on her Japan honeymoon, speaks publicly for the first time. After acute liver failure, a ventilator and dialysis, she is awake in rehab. Cause unknown.
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