CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — An environmental study is about to begin on the billion-dollar Regional Parkway proposal that would allow for a closer, second route off and onto Padre Island.
The project was put on a fast track by State Rep. Todd Hunter, with him finding around $10 million in funding for the study he said he wants to get moving as soon as possible.
"I would like it to be yesterday," Hunter said. "But, I do know that it takes time to do the study and get the public input."
During the 2021 freeze, Padre Island residents found themselves stuck when the JFK bridge was iced over. During the future emergencies, this new bridge could give people another way off the island.
District Engineer Valente Olivarez Jr. with TxDOT Corpus Christi District said a plan for a bridge was laid out in a previous study back in 2017.
He aims to reference those plans as this bridge comes to fruition, but the environmental study will give TxDOT an indication of whether it's still valid.
"I will lean on the PEL study that was done in 2017," he said. "Moving forward, I think those are logical connections, but it's not until we get into the environmental study and do some more research and get the public involvement and then we can say this is going to be the connection."
The environmental study is set to begin this summer and may take up to three years to complete. Another obstacle is finding the billion dollars that it's going to take to fund the construction project.
"Hopefully by that point we are able to identify some construction funds that put it within the next 10 year window," Olivarez said. "So during this process I'm hoping we can get out on construction with 10 years."
Hunter said he's going to do everything he can to find the money sooner than later.
"So, this is something we will try, and do an achieve," Hunter said. So, the answer is that I will put pedal to the metal to help.
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