I have looked at your maps and believe the “Red” route would be the best, in the long run. Corpus Christi cannot expand toward the sea. Any expansion in the region will either be on the other side of the ship channel or to the west. Attempts to continue to divert traffic from the north toward downtown (eastward) will serve no constructive purpose. A downtown is never made vital by forcing highways to go through it. Instead, the downtown must possess attractiveness that gets people to intentionally go there as a destination, not merely as an inconvenience that one must pass through in order to get somewhere else. The vast majority of people who would come from the north specifically to visit downtown would be going there regardless of the bridge route, and the vast majority of people who come from the north are not coming to visit downtown. Instead, they would want the most direct possible route to the Crosstown or I-37. That would be the “Red” route. This route would be the most forward-looking. It would also permit the use of the current bridge unhindered throughout construction.
Since the tunnel is not an option (which I don’t understand, i.e.-Norfolk, VA) putting the bridge as far West as possible seems best (to us) and will free up more downtown development and beautification. West is best and even further West is better.
The newspaper listed three bridge types being considered: suspension, segmented, and cable stayed. Why not an arch bridge? Beautiful examples of modern arch bridges exist. An arch bridge would carry forward a design element in the Corpus Christi skyline that has become iconic with the visual identity of the city. Please look at this example to see what could inspire our future bridge: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/modern-architecture-the-8
I’m a resident of Corpus Christi’s North Beach. I live in The Breakers condominiums. The common denominator for the various routes that have been presented is the choke point on the North end of North Beach. All of the proposed routes terminate there. A public safety issue will exist if either of these proposed routes are constructed. A route for the large commercial trucks must be engineered into the planning, so that the big trucks can gain access to and from US 181, via the Joe Fulton Trade Corridor. If either of the proposed routes are constructed, big commercial vehicles, some hauling hazardous cargo, will share the same on and off ramps with regular personal vehicles. Uncle Fred, in his minivan, filled with nieces & nephews, coming to North Beach to visit the Texas State Aquarium, or the USS Lexington, or Whataburger, has an expectation of safety that is provide by the Texas Department of Transportation’s fiduciary responsibility. That fiduciary responsibility should include providing an alternate route for large commercial vehicles, potentially hauling hazardous cargo, so that Uncle Fred isn’t forced to make a choice between the quality of life and the safety of his family.
ETCS/SS Bobby Broderick
U.S.Navy, Retired
Corpus Christi, Texas
I have looked at your maps and believe the “Red” route would be the best, in the long run. Corpus Christi cannot expand toward the sea. Any expansion in the region will either be on the other side of the ship channel or to the west. Attempts to continue to divert traffic from the north toward downtown (eastward) will serve no constructive purpose. A downtown is never made vital by forcing highways to go through it. Instead, the downtown must possess attractiveness that gets people to intentionally go there as a destination, not merely as an inconvenience that one must pass through in order to get somewhere else. The vast majority of people who would come from the north specifically to visit downtown would be going there regardless of the bridge route, and the vast majority of people who come from the north are not coming to visit downtown. Instead, they would want the most direct possible route to the Crosstown or I-37. That would be the “Red” route. This route would be the most forward-looking. It would also permit the use of the current bridge unhindered throughout construction.
Since the tunnel is not an option (which I don’t understand, i.e.-Norfolk, VA) putting the bridge as far West as possible seems best (to us) and will free up more downtown development and beautification. West is best and even further West is better.
The newspaper listed three bridge types being considered: suspension, segmented, and cable stayed. Why not an arch bridge? Beautiful examples of modern arch bridges exist. An arch bridge would carry forward a design element in the Corpus Christi skyline that has become iconic with the visual identity of the city. Please look at this example to see what could inspire our future bridge: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/modern-architecture-the-8
I’m a resident of Corpus Christi’s North Beach. I live in The Breakers condominiums. The common denominator for the various routes that have been presented is the choke point on the North end of North Beach. All of the proposed routes terminate there. A public safety issue will exist if either of these proposed routes are constructed. A route for the large commercial trucks must be engineered into the planning, so that the big trucks can gain access to and from US 181, via the Joe Fulton Trade Corridor. If either of the proposed routes are constructed, big commercial vehicles, some hauling hazardous cargo, will share the same on and off ramps with regular personal vehicles. Uncle Fred, in his minivan, filled with nieces & nephews, coming to North Beach to visit the Texas State Aquarium, or the USS Lexington, or Whataburger, has an expectation of safety that is provide by the Texas Department of Transportation’s fiduciary responsibility. That fiduciary responsibility should include providing an alternate route for large commercial vehicles, potentially hauling hazardous cargo, so that Uncle Fred isn’t forced to make a choice between the quality of life and the safety of his family.
ETCS/SS Bobby Broderick
U.S.Navy, Retired
Corpus Christi, Texas