CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Everyone from residents to Texas State Rep. Todd Hunter as contacted DPS officials over their concerns about safety along Highway 361. It comes after a number of bad accidents, some fatal, along the highway which connects Port Aransas with Padre Island.
DPS Sgt. Harold "Rob" Mallory said troopers are now patrolling the highway after a big jump in traffic accidents from last year until now.
"June 1 through September 1 of last year there were 16 crashes with two fatal crashes along State Highway 361 here going out to Port Aransas," Mallory said. "So far this year since January 1, there have been 13 crashes with one fatal crash."
Troopers are looking to get drunk drivers off the highway and will try and slow speeders down.
"Our troopers will be working this area anywhere from four to six hours each day," he said. "They're going to randomize the time that they're out here working."
Officials in Port Aransas like Police Chief Scott Burroughs say they're definitely in favor of these new patrols being setup by the DPS.
"The highway does get somewhat of a bad rap for [being called], 'the highway of death' and such things but there are a lot of accidents on this highway. But compared to SPID, we're pretty good," Burroughs said.
3NEWS noticed that CCPD's stealth car was out along 361. A driver would never know that the gray Dodge Challenger was running radar here until it was too late.
So, next time you head down 361, that dark colored SUV you see in the distance could be a trooper. Of course that gray CCPD stealth car could also be somewhere along the highway and if you don't slow down you could end up on the wrong side of a ticket.