The concrete barrier that divides four lanes of traffic in two directions on the newly opened Copano Bay Causeway is a favorite safety feature of officials and drivers in Aransas County. Courtesy photo
After $105 million and six years of construction, the new Copano Bay Causeway officially opened May 1, connecting the Rockport/ Fulton area to the town of Lamar and Goose Island State Park. The new causeway’s four-lanes replace the old two-lane expanse, making travel on Texas 35 much safer.
The site of fatal accidents and brutal traffic backups now offers a safer, faster, and easier hurricane escape route, said officials at the official ribbon-cutting. It is also seen as a sign of improving economic times.
“It physically connects our community,” Rockport Mayor Pro Tem Pat Rios said, “but it is also symbolic of our growth and progress.”
The causeway’s four, 12-foot-wide lanes are divided by a concrete barrier to prevent head-on collisions, which often occurred on the old causeway. Shoulders on each side give vehicles an area to pull over in case of emergencies.
“This bridge is remarkable compared to what we’ve had in the past,” Aransas County Judge Burt Mills told reporters. “That barrier is the main thing. We’re not going to have any more head-on collisions.”
Built in 1967, the old causeway was two lanes wide with no barrier or shoulders and a blind rise in about the middle of the expanse.
