CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The $25.5 million Yorktown Boulevard widening project on Corpus Christi's southside is approaching the halfway mark, with completion still expected by August 2027 despite some budget challenges.
KRIS6 News first reported on the infrastructure project in November 2023, and construction began last year. Now, as the project progresses, residents are sharing mixed feelings about the ongoing work.
"I'm excited about when it'll be completed. But right now, it's a lot of traffic, a lot of pain," said Melanie Austin, who lives in the area currently under construction on the westbound side of Yorktown.
Austin hopes the city will consider adding another traffic light to help neighbors navigate in and out of their areas during construction.
Blake Beard, who lives on the opposite side of the current construction zone, acknowledges the project has brought headaches, including potholes on the temporary road. However, he remains optimistic about the final result.
"I'm all for expansion. It'll definitely be good. It'll make the flow of traffic go better," Beard said.
The comprehensive project will upgrade Yorktown to four brand-new lanes, complete with new sidewalks, gutters, traffic signals, drainage systems, and other infrastructure improvements.
"We are nearing 50 percent complete on it. So we are looking at on time," said Jeff Edmonds, Director of Engineering Services for the city.
The project has faced unique challenges since it involves converting a rural road into a four-lane thoroughfare.
"That's part of the challenge. We're working in a constrained right-of-way. We're having to get all the underground construction done within that constrained right of way," Edmonds said.
The city has had to constantly repair potholes and other issues on the temporary road built to maintain traffic flow during construction. These repairs have pushed the budget over by $500,000 to $750,000, but city officials say they've stayed on top of maintenance as problems arise.
"We are monitoring that and we are addressing issues as they come up. But we obviously didn't want to build a robust pavement because it was a temporary road," Edmonds said.
City officials indicate the project could potentially finish earlier than the August 2027 timeline.
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