TxDOT shares plans for proposed second South Padre Island causeway
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For years, the idea of a second causeway connecting South Padre Island to the mainland has been on and off the table.
Now, the Texas Department of Transportation said they’re taking another look.
“The purpose and need of this project is to enhance safety, especially during hurricane evacuations, and then also for peak travel season,” TxDOT spokesperson Ray Pedraza said.
TxDOT shared details of the proposed project during a Thursday meeting in South Padre Island.
TxDOT said they’ve narrowed down the two possible routes the new causeway would go through.
Photo credit: Texas Department of Transportation
One route is about three miles north of the South Padre Island Convention Center, the other is just under two miles north of that location.
Both would cross roughly eight miles of the Laguna Madre, and through a small portion of the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge.
Both routes would have four lanes, two in each direction.
“We wanted to make sure that they had regional connectivity to our state highway system,” Pedraza said. “Also, we wanted to make sure that they avoided impact to the wetlands and to protected lands, and also to the ocelot habitat."
Federal, state, tribal, and local agencies are helping with the environmental study that is currently underway.
TxDOT estimates the project could cost up to $1 billion, and would take between five and six years to construct.
Public comments regarding the project must be submitted by Friday, Nov. 21 and sent to SPISecondAccess@TxDOT.gov.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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