CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The City of Corpus Christi has new plans for street designs that will hopefully make a difference.
The Director of Engineering Services, Jeff Edmonds spoke with 3NEWS and explained in further detail how the plans for new street design standards are being mapped out so new roads are designed to last longer.
"Anybody that's been in Corpus Christi for any length of time can see that there are quite a few pavement problems," Edmonds explained.
The conditions of the soil acts as the foundation for the pavement. This makes it a crucial factor when designing street standards.
Edmonds told 3NEWS, "We're requiring pavement design that is more tailored to the specific soil situation. So, if you're on sand, or clay that has lower plasticity index, it doesn't change very much."
However, if an area has bad clay soils, it will require more robust pavement structure.
"Both the geometry as well as pavement design. And what we're trying to do is harmonize the engineering requirements with our uniform development code," Edmonds added.
The updated standards will be implemented for new projects. "The intent of this is to ensure that when a new street is built, that it gives you adequate longevity, as well as safety and traffic carrying capacity," Edmonds said.
The people who will be impacted the most by the changes are those engaged in land development activity. This would create higher costs on their end, which they would have to pass on to the cost of new lots and homes.
"Everybody wants their streets to perform well and last for the long haul. And nobody wants to buy a new home and have a street having significant problems," Edmonds adds.
The updated street design standards come with 43 pages worth of documentation. Edmonds told 3NEWS, it's a living document.
"It's primarily to provide guidance to designers of either new private developments or designers working on our projects, our bond projects."
Updates are necessary since the first street standards were published back in 2013. A goal for the designs is to have less patching for the new roads in the years to come.
Edmonds explained, "Once it goes into effect, any new project should be complying with the requirements of the document going forward."
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