CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Those who live and work in the area of the Rancho Vista neighborhood have concerns regarding the Yorktown expansion project.
Elizabeth Harris is the secretary for the Oso Creek Church, which sees frequent visitors from the Rancho Vista neighborhood across the street. She said that traversing Yorktown Boulevard can be challenging, particularly due to parents dropping off their children at the church's preschool.
“During the week with the preschool, it is a problem with cars trying to turn in and out of the neighborhood,” she said.
Harris said that she is in favor of the project, but wants drivers to be more aware when they are behind the wheel.
“Just really need to pay attention, and not be distracted, as well as just give time, because they are going to open it and we'll not have as much traffic,” she said. “But until then, we definitely need to be patient and watchful and not distracted."
Corpus Christi District 5 Councilman Gil Hernandez said he does not think the expansion project will be completed in time for the opening of the new Southeast Middle School that will be located along Starry Road.
“There will have to be some coordination between us depending on where we are in our construction of Yorktown. I believe they want to open up in August of 2025. Like I said, I don't think Yorktown will be completed by that time,” he said.
3NEWS contacted the Corpus Christi Independent School District, which declined an on-camera interview but provided the following statement:
We frequently partner with the City of Corpus Christi on projects that enhance our beautiful city. We are proud of our mutual support and partnership through recent, significant street improvement projects including Staples near Ray High School and Gollihar near Garcia Elementary School.
We have gladly participated in collaborative discussions regarding the purchase of and plans for the property off Yorktown, starting in 2021 and as we have progressed through purchasing the land in April 2022, passing our most recent school bond in November 2022, and breaking ground on each project. The permitting process includes submitting traffic plans, which we completed at the outset of these projects.
At the same time, we also must continue to be good stewards of public funds, completing our bond projects in a timely manner to minimize the effects of rising costs as well as to fulfill our promises to voters regarding keeping projects on time and on budget to give our students, staff and community the modern school buildings they deserve and which they approved through ballot measures.
As we prepare to open Creekside Elementary School in August 2024 and our newest middle school in August 2025, we will continue to partner with the city to welcome these two new schools to a thriving part of our area.
Corpus Christi Director of Engineering Services Jeff Edmonds said the project will fulfill a significant need.
“Project goes from Yorktown to Adler. So some of those streets can be used to get out to the new Rodd Field once it's open,” he said.
Edmonds said that all city contracts have traffic safety plans to ensure that they are up to par with safety standards and regulations.
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