INTERIM CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This year’s annual report marks a change for the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority. For the past eight

years we have been focused on providing transportation choices for our community – and today, we

find ourselves needing to take a step back. We find ourselves refocusing our attention and efforts, and

we find ourselves on the cusp of monumental possibilities for our future. In 2012, we celebrated the

opening of the four direct connectors linking US 281 to Loop 1604. We celebrated national recognition

for the work of the Alamo RMA on the Loop 1604 and US 281 Environmental Impact Statements. We

celebrated state and national honors for the work done to bring the US 281 Super Street to reality.

Yet, 2012 was also a time of change for the Alamo RMA. With an ever uncertain future about the role

of tolling in our community, we saw projects change as different funding sources became available. We

saw our mission evolve, an evolution which is still occurring today.

In 2012, we also said goodbye to our founding chairman, Dr. William Thornton, and one of our

founding board members, Jim Reed as they stepped down together to allow this evolution to move

forward. We said goodbye to Col. Art Downey as he stepped down from the board. We welcomed new

board members – Ramiro Cavazos and Gavino Ramos, and we stand ready to welcome a permanent

chair to help guide the Alamo RMA into our next stage of existence.

As we start 2013, we are saying goodbye to a number of our staff members who have done yeoman’s

work over the years to advance the needs and interest of our community. Their contribution will not be

forgotten as the Alamo RMA moves forward.

For all that we changed in 2012, and as we look into 2013, we know that a lasting legacy has been

established for the Alamo RMA. A legacy built upon openness, professionalism and dedication to

the betterment of our community. A legacy built upon success and innovation, which will only grow

stronger with the next stages this organization takes.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I invite you to view this annual report as our report card to the

community on the triumphs and successes we have enjoyed to date and as the defining reason why I am

proud to be a part of the Alamo RMA.

Regards,

Robert S. ThompsonInterim Chairman

How do you define a legacy? How you define success? How do you define the last eight years of a public

agency in just a few words?

Determination, Innovation, Commitment, Creativity…these are just a few of the ways people have described

the work done by the Alamo RMA over the last eight years.

Our work has left a lasting impact on San Antonio – for the better.

With the US 281 Super Street, we reimagined how a road could be managed.

With the US 281 at Loop 1604 interchange, we challenged the community’s perception of how a major

construction project could be done so quickly.

With the ongoing US 281 Environmental Impact Statement and the Loop 1604 Environmental Impact

Statement, we have redefined how citizen involvement is essential to our transportation future.

We have done all of this and embraced these challenging projects as the right thing to do for our region.

This is the legacy that we know we have created and will continue to expand upon in the years to come.

THIS IS OURSTORY

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OUR PROJECTSDrive around northern San Antonio and Bexar County today and you will experience firsthand the legacy of

projects that the Alamo RMA has delivered for our community.

SUPER STREETS With the nationally recognized and honored US 281 Super Street, we were able to bring relief to the gridlocked

US 281 while still continuing the work needed to secure the environmental clearance for US 281’s long term

future.

The US 281 Super Street was honored in 2012 with two awards – a statewide gold medal award by the Texas

Council of Engineering Companies, and a national recognition award by the American Council of Engineering

Companies.

The benefits our community continues to enjoy from the US 281 Super Street are also being replicated on the

Loop 1604 Super Street that the Alamo RMA was proud to have secured environmental clearance for as part of

our legacy.

While neither of these super streets solves the problem of needing more capacity on the roadways, they are

both helping ensure that the traffic keeps moving today while work continues to environmentally clear the

needed long-term improvements for our region.

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US 281 / LOOP 1604 INTERCHANGE With active construction starting March 2, 2011, who would have imagined that on November 8, 2012 we

would be standing on the bridge deck of the US 281 North to Loop 1604 East and Loop 1604 West direct

connectors celebrating the opening of one of the most long anticipated projects in our community?

And who would have been able to guess that on December 21, 2012 we would open the last two connectors

linking Loop 1604 West and Loop 1604 East onto US 281 South?

Our design/build crew from Williams Brothers Construction Company and their sub consultants has worked

around the clock since March 2, 2011 to deliver this much needed project.

While work on resurfacing the mainlanes and frontage roads of Loop 1604 and US 281 will continue until

approximately May 2013, the major relief for our community is in place, and open to traffic today.

Traffic models have projected an average of 40 hours of time savings per driver in this intersection with the

presence of these four direct connectors – 40 hours a year that people aren’t stuck in traffic – that is how you

build a legacy!

With over 245,000 vehicles per day using the roadways in this area, construction has been a challenge – and

there have been delays to drivers while lanes were closed, beams were put into place, columns were built – but

we can all agree that the finished project is giving our community back a freedom to travel – and businesses

are starting to see an upswing in their sales as more and more people are realizing the traffic nightmare of the

past has given way to a new dawn for this part of our region.

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Protecting our sole source of drinking water…Preserving the natural environment…providing for the future

of our community.

These are the reasons why the Alamo RMA undertook the US 281 Environmental Impact Statement and the

Loop 1604 Environmental Impact Statement in 2009. We care about the community. We care about ensuring

that improvements to our transportation network are done in a way that ensures environmental protections

and recognizes the challenges of balancing environmental concerns with a growing and vibrant region.

Since 2009 we have done all we can to help redefine what should be expected out of transportation studies

for our region. We are open, transparent and accessible with every bit of information as possible. We have

created Community Advisory Groups – made up of those who support, and those who oppose, the proposed

projects – as every voice and perspective needs to be heard and understood in this process. We have exceeded

the requirements for public outreach and public engagement to reach more people, to bring transportation

issues to the forefront, and to shatter the image that decisions are made behind closed doors out of view of

the public.

US 281 Environmental Impact Statement As of this writing, the US 281 Environmental Impact Statement is poised to go to public hearing by May of

2013. This major milestone represents thousands of hours of work from the Alamo RMA and its consultant

team led by Jacobs Engineering, and is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on US 281 north of

Loop 1604.

OURCOMMITMENTTO THE ENVIRONMENT

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With three public meetings, numerous Community Advisory Committee and Peer Technical Review Committee

meetings, and intense public discourse over the last four years, the US 281 EIS has analyzed and evaluated a

number of possible build alternatives for environmental and societal impacts.

With the 411on281.com website, Facebook page and Twitter account, the community has been able to see in

real time the information that is released, and has had 24 hour a day access to materials presented, including

the draft build alternatives as part of this process.

The US 281 Environmental Impact Statement is anticipated to be completed by mid-2014 and includes the four

northern connectors of US 281 and Loop 1604 as part of the potential build alternatives to provide relief to this

corridor.

Loop 1604 Environmental Impact Statement As of this writing, the Loop 1604 Environmental Impact Statement is awaiting a decision by FHWA as to how to

proceed with a state environmental study ongoing within the boundaries of the EIS. Pending the final decision,

the EIS is poised to go to public hearing by the summer of 2013. This major milestone represents thousands of

hours of work from the Alamo RMA and its consultant team led by Michael Baker, Jr. Incorporated, and is the

most comprehensive study ever conducted on Loop 1604 from US 90 to IH 35 North.

With two rounds of public meetings, numerous Community Advisory Group meetings and intense public

discourse over the last four years, the Loop 1604 EIS has analyzed and evaluated a number of possible build

alternatives for environmental and societal impacts.

With the MoreFor1604.com website, Facebook Page and Twitter account, the community has been able to see

in real time the information that is released, and has had 24 hour a day access to materials presented, including

the draft build alternatives as part of this process.

The Loop 1604 EIS is also a nationally recognized and award winning project, and is anticipated to be

completed by early Fall of 2014.

Since our creation, the Alamo RMA has prided itself on being good stewards of public funds and public

resources.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES

With the work on the US 281 / Loop 1604 interchange, we are protecting our natural environment in excess of

state requirements. We are truly leaving the Edwards Aquifer with more protections today than when work

started in 2011 to build the direct connectors at this intersection.

With the ongoing Environmental Impact Statements we have put the protection of our natural resources front

and center. By using low-impact design features, focusing on how to blend the roadways into our community,

and by challenging our consultant teams to think of the environment first, we are confident that the final

product will be able to protect our water supply and provide needed transportation relief for our community.

FINANCIAL PLANNING

Over the last eight years the amount of Texas Mobility Fund dollars or toll equity has diminished coming to this

region. This challenge has caused us to be smart about tolling scenarios, and has caused us to look at US 281

and Loop 1604 not simply as standalone toll projects – but to examine how these two roadways could operate

as a system to leverage limited dollars in order to build over $1 Billion worth of infrastructure.

OURCOMMITMENTTO BEING GOOD STEWARDS

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In late 2012, the Alamo RMA staff and financial consultants presented a system financing approach that shows

US 281 and Loop 1604 can work together to fund and build the needed infrastructure for our community. Having

a toll system in place, versus just a standalone toll road brings more financial stability, leveraging capability and

potential for success for our community – similar to the structure enjoyed by the North Texas Tollway Authority,

the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, just to name a few.

Moving forward, we will keep our attention and focus on developing a system of toll lanes that support the

overall need for mobility in our community; that leverage every dollar possible to bring relief sooner rather than

later, and that can produce an economic engine for transportation throughout our region.

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The Alamo RMA has celebrated a number of firsts over the last eight years.

The first public transportation agency in our region to have a full bi-lingual website – check!

The first public transportation agency in our region to start using social media as an integrated part out

community outreach – check!

The first public transportation agency in our region to receive an award from the American Planning

Association – Transportation Division in 2010 for the Best Use of Technology for Public Participation – check!

The first public transportation agency in our region to appear multiple years at the International Transportation

Research Board Annual Meeting – where over 12,000 transportation professionals from around the world

gather to hear the best practices of the day – check! (And both of our EIS projects have been featured in

posters, panels and multiple years’ worth of discussions!)

Most importantly – we have been able to redefine how we communicate with the community – we have used

the tools of social media to put the Alamo RMA in reach any time of the day or night. Through Facebook and

Twitter updates we have kept the region informed in close to real-time about lane closures and construction

issues – we have reached out to engage the community and answers questions around the clock – we have

made community relations a cornerstone of being a successful agency.

/alamorma

@alamorma

OURCOMMITMENTTO THE COMMUNITY

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As we look forward in 2013 and beyond, we know there are challenges awaiting the Alamo RMA. With a

reduced staff some things will have to change. But our legacy and history, the success of our past, that will

remain with us. We have built a proud foundation from which to grow and continue to help define the path

forward for our region.

We look toward the future with a new resolve to honor our past successes, to build upon this impressive legacy,

and to realize our full potential in the years to come.

THIS IS OURLEGACY

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