CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
As the City unveils the first completed phase of its Ocean Drive project, more street repairs are coming.
City officials said they are working to get ahead before new improvements to projects like Alameda Street are approved by voters in its 2022 bond package.
“We start our projects in a pre-design phase before it’s finalized," said District 2 City Councilman Ben Molina. "So, for Alameda, once we decide that it’s going to be included in the bond, then our engineering team is going to start on the design process. So, that way we’re that much further ahead.”
City Manager Peter Zanoni said their approach to roads in the last three years was different than before. To help with that, the City created a road maintenance program and a five-year plan to prioritize certain streets and inform residents of their progress. He said many roads need a makeover because of a lack of attention over time.
“It’s all about deferred maintenance and decades of neglect and so the City hadn’t always focused on streets," Zanoni said. "In fact, in some years cut funding all together. And so, what has happened is we’ve had extreme deterioration.”
Bond 2022 includes $125 million, with most going to street repairs just like Bond 2020. The City said thousands more visited Corpus Christi over Memorial Day weekend compared to last year, highlighting the importance of improvements to the area's most-traveled roads as visitors arrive.
“We have invested an unprecedented amount of money already," said Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo. "Bond 2022 will also show that 75% of that bond, or [$]90 million plus, will be dedicated to streets. So, the citizens and people of Corpus Christi know more construction is coming and our streets will continue to get fixed.”
The second phase of Ocean Drive improvements are expected to be completed in July and will run from Ennis Joslin Road to I-37.
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