San Antonio officials say they are finally moving on safety upgrades along Marbach Road, months after a John Jay High School student was struck and later died while using a marked crosswalk there. At a community meeting Thursday night, the city pledged a new push-button flashing light at the crosswalk by the campus and other near-term fixes meant to protect students while a longer traffic study plays out. For the family of 16-year-old José Flores III and many of their neighbors, the promise feels overdue.
What officials are proposing
At Thursday's meeting, councilmembers laid out a list of short-term safety measures targeted at the stretch of Marbach Road by John Jay. The plan calls for a pedestrian-activated flashing beacon at the crosswalk where Flores was hit, and possible changes to how and when the school zone is enforced, including a lower speed limit or longer school-zone hours. Officials also said they want to untangle school pickup traffic that can stack up near the intersection and block drivers' views. Longer term, the city is looking at whether a full traffic signal should be installed at the crossing. Those options were among the ideas discussed at the meeting, according to KSAT.
The crash and its timeline
Flores was 16 when he was struck on Sept. 16 while walking in a marked crosswalk on Marbach Road, according to local reports. He was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and died weeks later. Authorities say the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Prosecutors ultimately did not file criminal charges in the case, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Council response and the family plea
District 4 Councilman Edward Mungia hosted Thursday's community meeting, and District 6 Councilman Ric Galvan attended as well. Afterward, Galvan agreed to work with Flores' family to set up a meeting with San Antonio Police Department leadership so they could air their concerns directly. Flores' parents told reporters they are still searching for answers about how the investigation unfolded and are urging anyone who saw the Sept. 16 crash to speak up.
The meeting was not just about traffic. Residents also quizzed officials on a planned bond-funded drainage project and raised complaints about homelessness and code enforcement in the area, according to KSAT.
Study and short-term fixes
Even before the latest meeting, the city had ordered several departments to team up with the Northside Independent School District on a traffic study of Marbach Road. That review is supposed to flag both quick-hit changes and more permanent redesigns. A news release issued after Flores' death highlighted steps such as turning on school-zone flashing lights during high-school lunch hours and looking at whether a more complete-street layout is needed along the corridor.
The release says Public Works, Planning, Capital Delivery and Transportation staff will coordinate with the district to put interim safety measures in place while the broader study continues. Officials now say some of the fixes floated Thursday night are meant to serve as those stopgap protections. The coordination effort is detailed in a statement from the City of San Antonio.
Legal questions remain
San Antonio police say the driver who hit Flores remained at the scene and cooperated, and local outlets have reported that no criminal charges were filed. Even so, Flores' family says they are left with lingering doubts and are pressing for more information about what investigators found. They have asked anyone who witnessed the crash or helped their son afterward to contact police.
Local news organizations continue to track both the investigation and the city's promised upgrades, as officials try to move at least some of the safety changes from meeting-room talk to real-world action on Marbach Road.
