Lake Padre on Padre Island gets a makeover as work begins on the first phase of a major development planned for the area. Photo by Vicki Wyatt
A mini-San Antonio River Walk could be shaping up around Schlitterbahn Corpus Christi on Padre Island. Now in the first of several phases, the Lake Padre Development is a scene of large trucks and tractors moving about 8,000 cubic yards of sand and dirt each day, transforming the landscape and enlarging the man-made lake.
Ultimately, the development is expected to envelop 40 city blocks over 100 acres and include a canal that will flow under a yet-to-be-constructed bridge on Park Road 22. The $10.1 million bridge is a joint project of the city of Corpus Christi and the Texas Department of Transportation but is being funded by the city.
Originally approved by voters 12 years ago, the original price tag was at $1.4 million. Over the past decade, with input from developers, the project grew in scope and cost. It’s designed to include a sidewalk passageway that will take pedestrians from one side of Park Road 22 to the other and is expected to be 128 feet above the water level and high enough for boats.
The canal is a private project connecting Lake Padre with Packery Channel. Current design has it flowing under the center of three archways in the bridge, providing boat routes to Schlitterbahn and Packery Channel from Lake Padre.
Also included in the finished project will be restaurants, hotels, condominiums and a marina. The estimated cost of the Lake Padre is about $552 million.
Although the larger project will take several more years to complete, the first part — the excavation — should be finished in June.
Work on the bridge is set to begin this fall if the city council can find an additional $3 million to pay for it. Savings from other bond projects have been added to the original bond amount to come up with more than $7 million now available.
