CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
Construction on the Nueces River Bridge Project is moving along.
Because the project area is part of a northbound hurricane evacuation route, the work being done will widen and raise the bridge so that it will be less prone to storm surges.
According to TxDOT, the Nueces River Bridge is about 60% complete. Construction for the over two-mile-long project began back in 2021.
It was then projected that construction would finish in 2027. TxDOT now tells 3NEWS they are anticipating it to be complete by the Fall of 2025.
"I know this is going to be a great access for the evacuation routes for hurricanes, and it'll be a lot smoother transition, a higher bridge,” San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera said. “We always worry about the floods that come across Nueces River, so I see some good aspects to it."
From the beginning of the project, Rivera says TxDOT has been in constant communication with the county, notifying them of any and all updates drivers should know about.
"TXDOT is very transparent about what's going on there in construction sites, especially when they have closures, but the fact is that we have people who don't slow down. When they start slowing down, I think they'll have less problems there," he said.
The project is currently in phase two of construction which would reconstruct the I-37 southbound outside main lanes. That phase will also open the southbound entrance ramp and the Sharpsburg Road exit ramp.
"Construction is pretty heavy, but it's not different than anywhere else. It's no different than the causeway. It's just a matter of a little bit of time and respect for the people that are working there," Rivera said.
TxDOT tells 3NEWS that phase three of the project is expected to start this summer.
That phase will consist of placing southbound traffic on the new southbound bridge and demolishing the existing northbound bridge.
The new northbound bridge will also be built as part of phase three.