A new road on Mustang Island is set to transform access to one of the longest stretches of beach without a road entrance in the area — and it has been a long time coming.
For decades, the stretch of Mustang Island beach between Mile Marker 98 and Mile Marker 45 has had one major problem: there is no way in by road. The drive from Marker 45 to Marker 98 on the sand takes almost 14 minutes.
Jeff Edmonds, the city's director of engineering services, said the new road will be the only one serving a significant gap in beach access.
"Well, this is going to, uh, put the only road in a seven-mile section of beach, uh, that, that has no access roads and something that's been contemplated, uh, since the 1970s," Edmonds said.
The land for the road was donated back in 1972, but the project sat in limbo for decades. The city had to negotiate a new agreement with Nueces County, shift the road's location, and clear permits with TxDOT. Now, construction is underway — more than 50 years in the making.
The new entrance will sit at Mile Marker 70, cutting that 7-mile sand drive in half.
Beyond convenience, the road carries serious public safety implications. Edmonds said emergency response in the area currently depends entirely on beach driving.
"If somebody requires emergency response, the only way to get there is driving on the beach, uh, so this would allow emergency responders to get much closer to where they need to be, uh, on a roadway," Edmonds said.
For the Corpus Christi Fire Department, that new roadway could make the difference when seconds count. Battalion Chief Richie Quintero at ESD 16 said hard-surface access is always the safer option.
"We always find it safer to travel on a hard top, meaning a roadway, asphalt, concrete, and then gain access to the beach as closest to the site as possible. So every access point that we have that accommodates a hard top makes it safer for us," Quintero said.
Quintero said driving on sand is not just slower — it is dangerous for crews and beachgoers alike.
"One of the dangers in traveling on the beach, not only is it slowed down by the aspects of the sand, but there's also civilians enjoying the beach, enjoying the water, and so forth... So we, as with an abundance of caution, we travel very slowly on the beach," Quintero said.
Locals who fish along the stretch regularly say they have been waiting for this, too.
"I think it's a really good idea for for our safety wise, uh, and then it'll make it a little easier access for us fishermen too. We don't have to drive 7 or 8 miles to get to the next spot," Quintero said.
Construction is now underway, with the city targeting completion this fall.
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