Design to transform old train trestle to pedestrian bridge in Corpus Christi is nearing
Transforming a deserted train trestle into a pedestrian bridge over Oso Bay is nearing the start of design work.
The Corpus Christi City Council on April 15 approved an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation that will provide the lion's share of funding — nearly $11.8 million from the state — for a project with an anticipated total cost of about $13.6 million, according to city records.
Billed in city documents as the Holly Road Train Trestle to Tourism Trail Project, its key feature is planned to be the redevelopment of about one-half mile of the abandoned former Tex-Mex railway spur, first constructed in 1940, into a pedestrian bridge connecting Flour Bluff and the Southside.
It is proposed to be constructed on the existing pilings of the remaining trestle, according to the city's capital improvement plan.
The initiative is also expected to include a new shared-use path — infrastructure that will accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic — along Flour Bluff Drive, according to a news release issued late Tuesday.
It is an important project for the area, said City Councilwoman Kaylynn Paxson, whose district includes Flour Bluff.
She described the community as one that 'really cherishes the local spaces, these raw environmental spaces.'
'Port Aransas has truly capitalized on that well,' Paxson said. 'It's a huge draw. I can see that for Flour Bluff. … I hope this is a tremendous cornerstone for that.'
Additional financing devoted to the project includes $1.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding and $500,000 in bonds approved by voters in 2022, according to city documents.
The project is anticipated to be completed in 2027, the news release states.
More: An outdoor learning space? Here's why Flour Bluff ISD is expanding its wetlands property.
More: #TBT: Old Tex-Mex railway spur crossed Oso Bay into Flour Bluff
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: An old train trestle is planned to transform into a pedestrian bridge
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