With new development growing on the south side of Corpus Christi, there has been some concern over school zones near Galvan Elementary School.
One parent, Juan Castillo, reached out to KRIS 6 wondering why the area at the intersection of Kostoryz and Masterson Dr. is 40 mph and not a school zone. Castillo has been taking his kids to Galvan for the past five years and noticed traffic gets backed-up on the right lane of Kostoryz leading into Masterson Dr.
“I just started noticing it when I bring my kids to school, the traffic congestion everyday..in the mornings and especially in the afternoons,” says Castillo.
He believes there should be a school zone with the new development and the 5-lane street of Kostoryz, “I believe there should be because of the heavy congestion, the school is only about 100 yards away, and it’s a new subdivision, a new construction in the area, and it needs to be paid attention to.”
But, Castillo is not the only one concerned with that area. Council Member of District 3, Roland Barrera says all of his children went to Galvan when they were younger. Although the area was not as developed at the time, he says there has always been traffic during school hours.
“It was always an issue where there was a staging of parents waiting to pick up their children, and if there’s staging that’s going there on Kostoryz we need to, we need to address that,” says Barrera. He states that he has already reached out to the school board and hopes that there are changes made soon, but believes it is too “ambitious” to have anything done before the school year is over.
At the beginning of February, KRIS 6 reached out to the City of Corpus Christi and at the time, were told it will be looked into.
KRIS 6 also reached out to the Corpus Christi Independent School District and was followed up with this statement:
“School zone placement is established by the city. We are always glad to work in partnership with them.CCISD is committed to being a good neighbor in all areas where we have campuses. We appreciate everyone’s patience during peak times when our students are traveling to and from school. Safety is a top priority in CCISD, and we encourage all drivers to exercise caution when traveling near schools and to follow all traffic laws.”
When KRIS 6 spoke to the City on Tuesday, they stated that the area is still under investigation. But did mention that in order to get a school zone study, it needs to be requested by the principal of that school.
CCISD then followed up with this statement after telling KRIS 6 they have just sent out a request for a school zone study,
“District officials and Galvan administrators continue to work in partnership with the city regarding the Galvan school zone, including requesting a study of the area in order to assess the need for additional signs.
Galvan administrators will continue to keep staff, school families and our community neighbors informed regarding any updates to traffic plans for the area.CCISD is committed to being a good neighbor in all areas where we have campuses. We appreciate everyone’s patience during peak times when our students are traveling to and from school. Safety is a top priority in CCISD, and we encourage all drivers to exercise caution when traveling near schools and to follow all traffic laws.”
The City has not given a timeline for the investigation, but if deemed necessary, will put in the placement of a school zone. When a zone is established, the district bears the cost of the signs.
