CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Many residents on La Branch Dr. in Annaville were stuck in place Sunday, after heavy rains turned the street, which is currently under construction, into a muddy mess.
“I saw about six, maybe five cars get stuck on my street here,” said Ruben Gonzalez, who lives on La Branch.
Gonzalez said one car was stuck for hours, and the tow truck that came to get it out almost got stuck as well.
“I didn’t leave my house after seeing everyone spinning out, driving into yards, and getting stuck in the mud,” he said.
Gonzalez was also worried about his and his wife’s ability to get out of their driveway to get to work Monday morning, but both were able to thanks to some creative thinking.
“I went ahead and I got window shutters, and some dry wall that I had, so I could get some traction as I drove through the mud,” he said. “And I was able to get out of my home safely.”
Crews were out early Monday morning fixing the area. Brett Hazel, the Assistant Director of Engineering Services for the City of Corpus Christi, said the crews were cleaning up the mud, and adding cement-stabilized sand and asphalt filings to hopefully prevent this from happening again.
“We do our best to make sure the roadways are solid,” Van Hazel said. “So, if we have any exposed dirt, or sub-surface soils, we’ll bring in that extra material that will make it safe to drive on, so people aren’t getting stuck.”
The road has been under construction since June, as part of an entire reconstruction for the road. Last week, contractors started work that required them to dig up the soil, which contributed to Sunday’s situation.
With more rain in the forecast, crews will continue to monitor the roadway ahead of and after rain events.
“The contractor will continue to monitor and maintain it,” Van Hazel said. “So, if you have some of that cement-stabilized sand, or the millings starting to wash away, or get misplaced, the contractor, working through my inspector, will get out there and add more material to make it driveable.”
