CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas DPS troopers have made more than 1,300 traffic stops on Highway 361 since launching a stepped-up enforcement initiative on the highway between Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, according to numbers provided to KRIS 6 News by DPS Staff Sgt. Rob Mallory.
Since the operation began Aug. 23, troopers have made 1,309 traffic stops, issued 310 citations and 965 warnings, and arrested 23 people, including four for driving while intoxicated, Mallory said.
LABOR DAY WEEKEND NUMBERS
- 308 traffic stops
- 65 citations
- 232 warnings
- 7 arrests
- 1 DWI
DPS launched the Highway 361 initiative after three people were killed in two separate crashes on the undivided, two-lane highway in a single week in August.
On Aug. 10, a head-on collision at Access Road 2 in Port Aransas killed 59-year-old Jarrod Fangman. Traffic investigators determined the at-fault driver crossed into the northbound lane.
On Aug. 15, a four-vehicle crash near the Mayan Princess and Island Park Estates killed Roberto "Robert" Lopez, 55, and Karen Lopez.
"We can't do this alone," Mallory previously told KRIS 6 News. "It's gonna take every single driver, every time they get behind the wheel driving down this roadway, to make sure they're being safe."
TxDOT lowered the speed limit on a stretch of Highway 361 from 60 mph to 50 mph on Aug. 25. The agency also deployed electronic message boards and speed display signs along the corridor.
TxDOT's long-term plan calls for widening the 15-mile stretch from two lanes to four with a raised median and a shared-use path, but that project is not expected to break ground before 2030. The agency has been collecting public input on shorter-term safety fixes and is planning a town hall tentatively scheduled for later this month on Mustang Island.
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