There’s more than the construction of the new Harbor Bridge going on in Nueces County. More than $163 million in road improvement projects have been awarded by the Texas Department of Transportation to the Coastal Bend that does not include bridge construction.
Remember that story about the Del Mar College highway construction classes being held because of all the road work coming to the Coastal Bend? Well, it’s happening.
More than $163 million in highway projects were awarded to Nueces County by the Texas Department of Transportation this week. The money is slated to improve traffic flow on roads west of the city’s center.
About $104 million will go to build a relief route on U.S. 77 near Driscoll between CR 28 to the north and CR 16 to the south. Money is set aside for construction, purchasing land and engineering. The route will complete the last section of the Interstate 69 corridor between Corpus Christi and Kingsville.
According to the TxDOT highway tracker, “U.S. 77 does not meet driver expectations. High speeds and current intersection conditions compromise safety. Accident rates are expected to rise with projected increase in traffic.”
Also planned for U.S. 77 is a $37 million project that will provide overpass and lanes south of Driscoll to FM 3354. Bidding will begin in 2018
A 2½-mile stretch of Interstate 37 will be widened from the overpass at Red Bird Lane to the Nueces River to the tune of $46 million. Construction will include a new bridge over the Nueces River as part of a hurricane evacuation route. Bidding is set for summer 2020.
Closer to reality are improvements planned for FM 666 in Banquete. A six-mile stretch of the road from Texas 44 to FM 624 will be completely reconstructed with lanes widened to 12 feet and 10-foot shoulders lanes added. New guardrails and storm drainage improvements are also planned. The $9 million project should begin this summer.
