City officials say work along Leopard Street between Palm Drive and Nueces Bay Boulevard is substantially complete.
They are now waiting for the project's contractor to finalize one more item. That work finished back in April and the city is already working on the next phase of that project.
Improvements include new RTA bus stops, shelter pads and new storm water lines. It was all made possible by 2016 and 2018 bonds, and while the much-needed construction is improving the area -- it worried nearby restaurants.
"Walk-in traffic, there was times where it was zilch for weeks and weeks on end and then we'd get lucky here and there," said Bottomless Pit BBQ owner Mack Rodriguez.
While construction between Palm Drive and Nueces Bay Boulevard took some time to finish, Rodriguez is excited to see what Leopard Street will look like when the entire project is done.
"We're very optimistic. They're starting to open up the road little by little out here. We've seen the difference in traffic just from that alone," Rodriguez said
City of Corpus Christi Assistant Director of Engineering Services Brett Van Hazel said that the city is happy with the work that has been done.
"We work hard to ensure that it's done correctly and that we minimize impact to the public and the local businesses. So finishing a project is definitely rewarding for us, especially if it was done correctly," he said.
Sally Harris is a waitress at Frank's Spaghetti House on Leopard Street. She said the construction slowed business down quite a bit, but with it looking to wrap up soon, she's looking forward to seeing more of her regular customers again.
"Now that's it's slowing down we're quite excited. Our customers are even excited. They come in and tell us about it, so it's pretty nice," Harris said.
The next part of the project to be completed on Leopard Street is between Palm Drive and Crosstown Expressway. That construction started in December 2022 and is expected to be completed in June of 2024.
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