CORRECTION: The original story contained information that has since been corrected. The upcoming new Port Ayers Transfer Station will be built where the current transfer station is located along with a section of property behind the transfer station. The former Kleberg Bank parking area will be unaffected by the upcoming Port Ayers Transfer Station construction, and the building is currently available for purchase. The Kleberg Bank building will not be torn down as previously reported. CCBizNews.com regrets the error.
Port Ayers bus transport station construction underway
Ceremonial shovels dug into the dirt at the site of the new Port Ayers bus transfer station in Corpus Christi on June 18. Officials from the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority and the city marked the official next step in an already years-long project to replace the city’s second-busiest bus station.
The new station is being built at 4211 Ayers St. where a Kleberg bank once stood. The 30,000-square-foot bank building was purchased for $1.7 million and torn down to make way for the new station. The old Port Ayers Transfer Station will continue to operate while the new one is being built.
“The existing station lacks both visual clarity and sufficient buffering from cars on the roadway,” reads a statement on the CCRTA website. “The Project would provide riders with a station that is separated from vehicular traffic for pedestrian safety, a clear line of sight across the platform for security when arriving on foot or by bus, and enhance the station’s atmosphere by creating a more open space.”
The Regional Transportation Authority received a $7.9 million federal grant in 2019 to pay for several capital projects, including the $5.8 million transfer station. Other projects to be paid for with Federal Transportation Authority grant money include CCRTA operations center parking lots and two stops at Del Mar College’s upcoming Southside campus.
It took five years to develop the plan to improve safety at the 27-year-old station. It should be completed by the end of 2021.