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'Do what you have to do' | How North Beach coastal flooding leads to wrong-way driving

Constant flooding is causing more problems for North Beach residents who have a hard time making it home because of high water.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — North Beach often falls victim to coastal flooding, and this week's tidal action is helping to produce more high-water spots. This has some residents calling for something to be done now to combat the onslaught of bay water.

3NEWS spoke with North Beach resident Michele Staples, who says she’s had enough of the constant flooding. 

She’s challenging the city manager to get something done sooner than later

"Peter Zanoni, I challenge you to find some short-term solutions for the residents of North Beach," Staples said.

The East Causeway Boulevard and West Causeway Boulevard are underwater often, causing headaches for residents like Staples who lives near Lighthouse Pointe. 

She said earlier in the week, the road was completely underwater and blocked off. 

Staples says she was told by a TxDOT road worker that she’d have to drive all the way back to Portland and then come back and take the Beach Road exit. 

Doing that would force her to have to drive the wrong way to get to her home. 

"I was going to have to drive the wrong way to get on that access road to get to my home," Staples said. "And he said, 'You’re going to have to do' -- so, I asked him, 'Am I allowed to drive the wrong way on that access road?' and he said 'You’re going to have to do what you're going to have to do.' "

Zanoni said the situation is something TxDOT is looking to correct. 

"The solution is coming sooner than later and it will be as part of the new Harbor Bridge," he said. "Right now when you exit off it’s a one-way road on the western side, that’ll be converted to a two-way road system."  

Zanoni told 3NEWS that the Department of Transportation did try to do something about keeping the high water from flooding the road with a pumping system. 

"TxDOT, a few years ago, did put a pumping system in and did improve some of the grate system that’s there, but in heavy inundation periods like we see today, coastal flooding, that setup isn’t sufficient," he said.

Zanoni said that basically, the elevation is too low and he’s not sure what can be done right now to keep the tidal flooding at bay. 

He said there are future plans to put in a berm or seawall on North Beach and also pumping stations. 

So right now, there doesn’t appear to be any quick fixes for residents who live on the western side of the causeway.

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