The quiet streets in North San Antonio Hills trace back to a 2024 vote. That year, residents of this established subdivision inside San Antonio city limits voted to permanently close the part of Autumn Mist Street that Alamo Ranch drivers had been using as a shortcut. The traffic didn't disappear. It stayed on the arterials that Bexar County now plans to rebuild, and the county's own schedule puts that rebuild's completion in winter 2030.
For someone comparing Far West Side neighborhoods in October 2026, that timing matters more than the median price. A buyer who closes this fall gets the calm interior streets right away and the arterial fix about three years later, with a construction period in between. One input that affects how that period feels for nearby homes, the project's noise study, had not been published as of the July 2026 public meeting.
The Shortcut the Neighborhood Voted to Close
Autumn Mist Street crosses the San Antonio city line near Alamo Ranch. Neighbors told KSAT that developers extended the street about a decade ago to make it easier to reach the Alamo Ranch subdivisions. They also said developers had promised to close that link once construction was done, and it never happened. Over time it became a cut-through. "They were speeding and running the stop signs," a longtime North San Antonio Hills resident told KSAT. "It was bumper cars all the way to either of the exits."
District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda's office tested a closure first. According to the city's Autumn Mist project page, that portion of the street was closed temporarily from June 15 through September 15, 2024 to gauge whether a permanent closure was feasible and wanted. Electronic signboards on Lone Star Parkway and the Loop 1604 access road warned drivers. After a resident vote in September 2024, the closure became permanent, effective September 15, 2024. The city says all homes remain accessible.
Not everyone nearby agreed. An online petition to reopen the street was started in November 2024 and showed about 698 signatures when we checked. We found no later reporting or city action reopening the street, and the city's page still describes the closure as permanent.
That closure is the mechanism behind the neighborhood's calm. Interior streets that once carried through-traffic now carry mostly local trips. The drivers who used to cut through are back on the main corridor, and that corridor is the one the county calls at or near capacity.
Where That Traffic Sits Now
Alamo Ranch Parkway is the corridor Bexar County and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority are rebuilding. The county's July 2, 2026 public meeting presentation includes TxDOT counts for the parkway east of Lone Star Parkway: about 6,460 vehicles a day in 2010, 28,012 in 2020 and 34,668 in 2024. The projection for 2049 is 122,480. San Antonio Report separately reported that Alamo Ranch Parkway and Culebra Road together have absorbed more than 20,000 additional vehicles a day since 2020.
The intersection delay estimates show where the pressure is building. Lone Star Parkway, the same road where the Autumn Mist closure signs went up, is the worst spot in the county's own model.
| Alamo Ranch Pkwy intersection | 2025 AM / PM delay | 2029, no project | 2029, with project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roft Road / Del Webb Blvd | 11.7 / 11.4 sec | 38.4 / 30.4 sec | 19.5 / 9.7 sec |
| Alamo Parkway | 25.5 / 29.4 sec | 85.0 / 106.1 sec | 15.4 / 15.2 sec |
| Lone Star Parkway | 54.5 / 115.6 sec | 164.6 / 240.8 sec | 14.6 / 17.0 sec |
| Westwood Loop | 108.6 / 40.1 sec | 32.0 / 24.5 sec | 19.9 / 18.5 sec |
Delay is measured in seconds each vehicle waits at the intersection. The Westwood Loop no-build numbers assume a TxDOT overpass there is finished.
The county also models trip times along the corridor. Driving from Roft Road to Westwood Loop in the morning peak takes 9 to 20 minutes today. With no improvements it is projected at 22 minutes by 2049, and with the project about 3 minutes. David Wegmann, Bexar County's interim county engineer, told San Antonio Report the project should also cut the traffic now spilling into surrounding neighborhoods. North San Antonio Hills dealt with its share of that spillover by closing Autumn Mist, while the parkway is meant to address it along the whole corridor.
Three Price Tags and Two Finish Lines
The sources disagree about the project's cost and end date, and anyone factoring this road into a purchase should know which figures come from where.
- Official Bexar County deck, July 2, 2026: total of $133.5 million, with $127.5 million for construction and $6.0 million for right-of-way. The project is locally funded and covers 2.5 miles from Westwood Loop to Calaveras Way.
- San Antonio Report, August 2026: $113.5 million, with completion targeted by 2029.
- KSAT, July 2026: an estimate of $75 million to $80 million, with construction funding approval still pending at the time.
The county's deck is the primary document, and its timeline is the later one. Design is forecast to finish in spring 2027, right-of-way acquisition in summer 2027, construction to begin in winter 2027 and construction to be complete in winter 2030. Design work is moving. At its July 30, 2026 meeting, the Alamo RMA board approved a $7,590,879.20 increase to Pape-Dawson's design-services contract, and the minutes report that schematic design is complete.
What the Construction Years Look Like on Paper
The design puts new access-controlled main lanes in the existing median, with overpasses at major intersections. The main lanes would be two to three lanes in each direction. The current lanes become frontage roads, also two to three lanes with turning lanes. KSAT reported that the current lanes would stay open as frontage roads during construction, with most of the work happening in the median.
Some details a buyer would want are still open:
- Noise. The county's presentation says potential noise impacts are still being assessed and results will be released when the study is done. KSAT reported that noise walls would be built only if the environmental review finds them necessary.
- Trees. The presentation says some trees will have to be removed, and landscaping with a "prairie theme" design is part of the plan.
- Turns and driveways. None of the sources we reviewed say which frontage-road turns or driveways will change after construction.
- The western connection. Wegmann said the elevated section has to be finished before Alamo Ranch Parkway is extended to Talley Road or State Highway 211. We found no approved schedule for that extension.
A nearby project will finish sooner. TxDOT is widening about three miles of FM 471, also known as Culebra Road, between SH 211 and Old FM 471 from two undivided lanes to four divided lanes, with an overpass at SH 211. Its project page expects completion in early 2027.
Questions like noise and access are the kind a buyer investigates during the Texas option period. Here, though, the answer on noise may not exist yet when the contract is signed.
Why the Current Market Gives Buyers Room to Weigh It
Market conditions in fall 2026 give buyers time to factor in a multi-year construction period. For September 2026, the San Antonio Board of Realtors reported a $302,999 median sale price for the San Antonio area, about 2% lower than a year earlier. It also reported 5.95 months of inventory, homes averaging 88 days on market, up 11% year over year, and 17,155 active listings, up 4%. In Bexar County alone, the September 2026 median was $282,680, down 4.8%, with 5.4 months of inventory.
Those are metro and county figures. The Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center says ZIP-level data is available only through Texas REALTORS MarketViewer, so there is no public median for 78253 or for North San Antonio Hills by itself.
Competition from new construction adds another layer. In April 2026 the Express-News reported that homes in newer Northwest San Antonio neighborhoods were sitting longer because sellers had little equity and builders were offering price cuts and incentives. An established subdivision like North San Antonio Hills competes on different terms. Its quiet comes from a closure decision made two years ago, and the main corridor's improvement is on a schedule that ends in winter 2030. When resale homes are averaging 88 days on market, buyers have time to ask about both. Our market guide for move-up buyers and our explainer on seller concessions in San Antonio cover how that negotiating room typically gets used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Autumn Mist Street still closed? The city's project page says the closure became permanent on September 15, 2024, and that all homes remain accessible. We found no later reporting or official action that reverses it.
When would construction on Alamo Ranch Parkway start? The county's official timeline forecasts a construction start in winter 2027 and completion in winter 2030. San Antonio Report's "by 2029" figure is earlier than that official schedule.
Who can answer project questions? The presentation lists Alamo RMA project manager Reggie Fountain, P.E., at [email protected] or 210-335-7071.
If you're weighing a home in North San Antonio Hills or nearby, or planning a sale during the parkway's design and construction years, Trinie Johnson can help you match your timing and price to the county's actual schedule. Request a Confidential Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
