Corpus Christi officials report progress on Mud Bridge, Everhart traffic signal
Workers are making progress on repairs of the Yorktown Mud Bridge and the replacement of a fallen traffic light at Everhart Road and Alameda Street, Corpus Christi city officials said Wednesday.
In a news conference covering the status of three city projects, City Manager Peter Zanoni also said an additional small amount of diesel fuel was being cleaned from waters at the Corpus Christi Municipal Marina stemming from a leak on Sunday.
Mud Bridge
The bridge on Yorktown Boulevard that connects the city’s Southside to Flour Bluff was closed Dec. 12 after workers found significant damage to its embankments, its articulated block mat and almost half of its columns.
The bridge is expected to reopen in April.
Work to restore the bridge’s embankments, which city officials said were damaged by washout, was completed ahead of schedule by eight days, Public Works Director Ernesto De La Garza said Wednesday. Officials had estimated the work would be completed in 30 days.
The next phase of repairs consists of rebuilding and fortifying 22 of the bridge’s 55 columns, which officials said were corroded by 40 years of wear-and-tear wrought by the constant water movement of Oso Creek.
That work is set to be completed in 70 days, though changes in the tide and weather events could affect the schedule.
Crews must complete the column work from barges in the water. Two barges were under the bridge on Wednesday, and more were on the way, Zanoni said.
The Texas Department of Transportation conducted an underwater bridge inspection and examined the columns, De La Garza said. The city will compare TxDOT’s report with its engineers’ findings to inform the scope of needed repairs.
Funding for the repairs, which are estimated to cost less than $3 million, will be drawn from stormwater fee revenue.
The Texas Department of Transportation is set to replace the city-owned bridge. Work to launch the process is expected to begin in 2025, a year earlier than the project was initially slated to begin.
More:A new estimate: Early April for Yorktown Mud Bridge reopening
Traffic light
A traffic signal at the intersection of Everhart and Alameda fell due to high winds and deterioration Sunday, striking two vehicles, the city said in a news release.
Each vehicle had one occupant, and no injuries were reported.
Without traffic lights, the intersection is currently a four-way stop.
After one mast arm fell from the traffic signal Sunday, city workers removed a second mast arm that also showed aging and stress fractures, Zanoni said.
Earlier this week, the city began mobilizing two options to put the signals up until metal mast arms are reinstalled — hanging a span wire and installing wooden poles.
The city expects the signals to be up by the end of this week, Zanoni said.
“When we neglect infrastructure, this is what happens,” Zanoni said. “The good news, though, is that we’re focused on infrastructure. We have a strong public works department now in our organization. … We’re moving forward. We’re not stuck in the past.”
Zanoni said the city is developing programs to improve inspection and enact annual maintenance cycles for all infrastructure, including roads and intersections. Some of those programs are underway, he said.
Diesel leak
On Sunday night, crews finished removing diesel fuel from bay waters in the Corpus Christi Municipal Marina that leaked from a shrimp boat after it caught fire. However, workers observed a light sheen on the water from residual fuel on Wednesday.
Though the diesel fuel had been extracted from the boat’s tank Sunday night, fuel was likely leaching from the boat, which is still moored at the marina. Zanoni described the sheen as “a minimal amount.”
Absorbent pads and boom have been deployed, and pads will continue to be replaced throughout the day, a news release said.
The boat owner is responsible for removing the boat, which is partially submerged, from the marina.
Zanoni said the removal “hopefully will begin this week.”
The city, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Texas General Land Office will continue monitoring the site.
Reporter Kirsten Crow contributed to this story.
More:Crews clean diesel fuel from water at Corpus Christi Municipal Marina after boat fire
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: City reports progress on Mud Bridge, Everhart traffic signal
