Construction Begins on Avenida Gándara in Río Piedras, First Phase of a $38 Million Mobility Investment

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo led a press conference this Sunday, September 13, at the intersection of Gándara and Ponce de León avenues in Río Piedras, to announce the physical start of reconstruction work on that road corridor ¹. It marks the ground-breaking of a $22,997,591 project awarded to ANG Construction, Inc. more than a year ago, finally moving from blueprints to asphalt ².

What it's about

The Avenida Gándara project, originally announced in June 2025, includes rebuilding cross streets, wider sidewalks, security cameras, smart lighting and an exclusive bike lane, with an estimated construction period of 24 months ². The work is just one piece of a broader plan to revitalize downtown Río Piedras that the Municipality of San Juan has been rolling out in phases since November 2025: reconstruction of the Dr. Javier J. Antón Diagnostic and Treatment Center (CDT), with $16.9 million in municipal funds and 14 months of work; revitalization of Avenida Universidad, which will connect Avenida Muñoz Rivera with Ponce de León through $13,032,383 in CDBG funds; and restoration of the historic Henry Klumb pedestrian bridge, with $1,998,786 also from CDBG funds ³⁴. Across those three projects the Municipality has committed $31,960,069 ³. On top of that, the mayor announced $6.1 million in federal funds in July to renovate La Convalecencia and El Pilar plazas, including security features and water features for children ⁵.

Avenida Universidad, according to the Municipality, will turn that corridor into an accessible, safe mobility space with wider sidewalks, landscape architecture, modernized drainage, bike lanes, street furniture and smart poles with cameras and wifi access points, with completion projected for March 2027 ⁴. The Henry Klumb bridge, which connects the University of Puerto Rico campus to the urban core, is meant to once again be a safe crossing for students walking between campus and the commercial heart of Río Piedras ³.

Today's announcement also lands alongside a broader message from the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP). Last Friday, September 11, during the 52nd Annual Convention and Construction Expo of Puerto Rico's General Contractors Association in Fajardo, DTOP Secretary and Highway and Transportation Authority (ACT) executive director Edwin González Montalvo said there are more than $1.5 billion in active projects across the island, with over $707 million disbursed to contractors since January 2025, including asphalt work on PR-112 between Moca and Isabela and on the Kennedy and Baldorioty avenues ⁶.

What it means for you

If you live, work or study in Río Piedras, the coming months will bring heavy machinery, fencing and likely partial lane closures at the Gándara and Ponce de León intersection as the 24-month project moves forward ². Patients who rely on the Javier J. Antón CDT, one of the main sources of patients for the municipal hospital and the Centro Médico, should expect access changes during the 14-month renovation ³. University students who walk between the UPR campus and downtown Río Piedras will feel the impact of the temporary closure of the Henry Klumb bridge during its 12-month restoration ³. And anyone who drives or rides the bus along Avenida Universidad will see work over the coming months through March 2027 that will add wider sidewalks and a new bike lane along that stretch ⁴.

How to handle it / Checklist

1. Before driving through Río Piedras, check the Municipality of San Juan's official social media for traffic detour notices around Gándara and Ponce de León.
2. If you have appointments at the Javier J. Antón CDT, call ahead to confirm whether entrances or services have been relocated during the 14-month project ³.
3. UPR students and staff who use the Henry Klumb bridge should identify alternate pedestrian routes while the restoration closure is in effect ³.
4. Businesses along the Gándara and Universidad corridor should ask the Municipality about possible impact-mitigation programs during the 24 months of construction ².
5. Cyclists should watch for the opening of the new dedicated bike lanes announced for Gándara and Universidad, since they will replace current informal routes ²⁴.
6. If you're traveling on state highways this season, check ACT's advisories on PR-112, the Kennedy Expressway and Baldorioty, part of DTOP's $1.5 billion in active projects ⁶.

What's next

The Avenida Gándara project, which formally broke ground today, is expected to run about 24 months ². Avenida Universidad should be finished by March 2027 ⁴, while the Henry Klumb bridge (12 months) and the Javier J. Antón CDT (14 months) should wrap up sooner, over the course of 2026 and 2027 according to the timeline announced last November ³. The La Convalecencia and El Pilar plazas, announced in July with $6.1 million, have an estimated construction period of about 12 months ⁵. Islandwide, DTOP said at the Fajardo convention that details on upcoming infrastructure project auctions are coming, as the agency continues to insist this is a period of accelerated public works execution ⁶.

Sources

¹ Foro Noticioso Puerto Rico, "Mayor Miguel A. Romero Lugo convenes a press conference to announce the start of construction on Avenida Ponce de León in Río Piedras (Sunday the 13th)", https://foronoticioso.com/el-alcalde-miguel-a-romero-lugo-convoca-a-una-conferencia-de-prensa-para-anunciar-el-inicio-de-la-construccion-de-la-avenida-ponce-de-leon-en-rio-piedras-domingo-13/ ² El Nuevo Día, "Miguel Romero announces nearly $23 million project on Avenida Gándara to revitalize Río Piedras", https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/gobierno/notas/miguel-romero-anuncia-proyecto-de-casi-23-millones-en-la-avenida-gandara-para-revitalizar-rio-piedras/ ³ NotiCel, "San Juan paves the way for the rebirth of Río Piedras with a multimillion-dollar investment", https://noticel.com/noticias/gobierno/20251109/san-juan-dara-paso-al-renacer-de-rio-piedras-con-millonaria-inversion/ ⁴ El Nuevo Día, "Transformation in Río Piedras: new projects for the CDT, Avenida Universidad and the Henry Klumb bridge", https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/transformacion-en-rio-piedras-nuevos-proyectos-para-el-cdt-la-avenida-universidad-y-puente-henry-klumb/ ⁵ El Nuevo Día, "San Juan mayor announces renovations to Río Piedras plazas", https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/alcalde-de-san-juan-anuncia-renovaciones-en-plazas-de-rio-piedras/ ⁶ Foro Noticioso Puerto Rico, "We have more than $1.5 billion already active in projects across all of Puerto Rico, says DTOP head", https://foronoticioso.com/tenemos-mas-de-1500-millones-de-dolares-ya-activos-en-proyectos-a-traves-de-todo-puerto-rico-dice-el-titular-de-dtop-sonido/