SAN ANTONIO - The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure authorized funding Wednesday to build a new, multimillion-dollar federal courthouse in San Antonio.

The bipartisan committee approved a total estimated project cost of more than $144 million for the new facility, which would relocate the federal courthouse from its current location in a former HemisFair '68 pavilion to a 21st-century facility with improved security.

“This is a monumental milestone for San Antonio. It not only ensures the safety and security of the hundreds of employees who work at the facility, but also the tens of thousands of families that have already visited the revitalized children’s park that opened last year right outside the current courthouse building,” U.S. Rep. Will Hurd said.

Hurd, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar worked alongside local leaders and helped facilitate bipartisan support for the initiative in Congress.

"Having a new, state-of-the-art federal courthouse for this busy federal judicial district will keep the users of the facility safe and will allow for better administration of justice," Cuellar said.

"We're one step closer to the finish line. We now have the funds and the approval to begin work on a safe and modernized courthouse that will serve San Antonio and Western District of Texas for many years to come," Smith said.

Bexar County Judge Wolff also helped champion the effort.

“I appreciate the great leadership of Congressman Hurd," Wolff said. "It has been a treacherous road but he was able to get it over the goal line for us.”

The 305,000 square-foot courthouse will be built on the site of the former San Antonio Police Headquarters at 214 West Nueva St.

The United States General Services Administration will acquire the property as part of a pre-negotiated land swap with the city of San Antonio, in exchange for the property that houses the current courthouse facility.


http://www.ksat.com/news/new-federal-courthouse-in-sa-given-green-light