A map of where the Regional Parkway is expected to be built. The two-bridge causeway would connect the Corpus Christi mainland about 7 miles south of South Padre Island Drive.
A regional parkway, including a second bridge from Padre Island to mainland Corpus Christi, was recently approved on second reading by the City Council. Approved as an amendment to the city’s Urban Transportation Plan, the thoroughfare will connect Park Road 22 to Texas 286, more commonly known as Crosstown Expressway. The project would be funded by the Texas Department of Transportation.
The amendment, which was approved at the Tuesday, May 14, meeting, actually includes two bridges: northbound and southbound spans with room for pedestrians and bicyclists. The entire regional parkway would run 9.9 miles and include an extension of Rodd Field Road near where the new Southside Del Mar College will be built.
Construction of the $400 million roadway is projected to begin sometime around 2050.
“I’m going to be looking from the other side of the grass when this thing happens,” Mayor Joe McComb said.
Discussion on the agenda item, which was approved unanimously, began with a statement against the project by David Newstead, conservation chair on the board of directors of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society.
“This particular rural arterial crosses some of the best fishing and waterfowl grounds around here,” Newstead said. “It will go straight through the middle of one of the most critical habitats for shorebirds around here.”
The land to which Newstead referred is a stretch of coastline known as Natural Beach, which runs between Bob Hall Pier and Padre Island National Seashore. Nueces County bought the land from the General Land Office in 2015, taking over maintenance and security. The property was used for illegal rides through the dunes and an illegal shooting range, both of which have been stopped.
After Newstead spoke, council member Greg Smith pointed out that, while neither commercial nor residential development would be allowed on that land, the parkway bridge would be necessary to facilitate coming growth on Padre Island.
“This is an ongoing process,” he said. “The heavy environmental lifting is coming later. It will be 2022 or 2023 before that takes place, and all these issues brought up will be evaluated in depth at that time.”
He added the council’s support of the project was the only responsible approach.
“This will affect future generations to come,” he said. “Securing the right of ways and having some planning with what we are going to do is important. For us to ignore it with poor planning would be irresponsible.”
One portion of the roadway that Newstead did support, the Rodd Field Road extension, also came under discussion. Everyone seemed to agree that part of the TxDOT project could not happen fast enough.
“I trust that will be done as wisely and progressively as possible,” Newstead said in his remarks.
Council member Gil Hernandez agreed, adding, however, that the two aspects of the project should move forward simultaneously.
“We need to work it now as a priority for this council,” he said, referring to both the Rodd Field Road extension and Regional Parkway.
