New, larger ferries and extended turn lanes on Park Road 22 should help alleviate some of the traffic travails of peak travel times between Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, say experts at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Plans for the turn land extensions were presented by Corpus Christi TxDOT engineer Lonnie Gregorcyk and State Representative Todd Hunter at Tuesday’s Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce membership meeting.
Two turn lanes on eastbound Park Road 22 to northbound Hwy 361 will be extended by 1,000 feet for a cost of $400,000. Work is expected to begin this month and be completed sometime during the summer.
Ferry traffic is another problem during peak times. Some 7 million people visited the area in 2012, most during Spring Break and summer vacation. The influx of cars often slows traffic to a crawl.
The state is going high tech to help solve ferry traffic slow downs. Wi-Fi and bluetooth technology will relay updates on ferry wait times to electronic signs on highways leading to Port Aransas, keeping drivers informed.
A longer-term solution will involve new, larger ferries, says Gregorcyk. Replacing the eight ferries now in use will cost a total of $39.6 million ($6.6 million a boat). No funding is yet available.
