CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A southside man with a pacemaker says construction on Yorktown Boulevard has made getting in and out of his neighborhood a daily struggle — and he fears that one day, the traffic delays could cost him his life.
John Chapman lives off Spiderman Drive, near the construction zone on Yorktown Boulevard. He says the congestion has made even simple turns a time-consuming ordeal.
"Sometimes you wait like three or four minutes just to make a right. Forget about the left because of the school and everybody coming, you can't get across," Chapman said.
Chapman says the traffic situation became more than an inconvenience about a year and a half ago, when he suffered a serious medical emergency.
"My heart just went down. When I went to the emergency room, I died. Then I end up getting a pacemaker," Chapman said.
Now, he worries about what would happen if he needed an ambulance and it couldn't reach him in time.
"If you have a heart attack, five minutes is a lifetime. It means life or death," Chapman said.
If that moment comes, Chapman says he already has a backup plan.
"That's called me in the back seat of the truck, and her driving. That's it. That's all you can do," Chapman said.
I reached out to City Engineering, which says ensuring access for emergency vehicles is part of traffic control planning before construction even begins.
City Engineering says crews continually monitor traffic flow once work is underway to keep access open for emergency vehicles, neighborhoods and local businesses.
The project remains on track for completion in September 2027.
Chapman says his concerns extend beyond himself.
"We're not the only elderly. I'm not the only handicapped person here. You're gonna have the same issue," Chapman said.
Chapman says he is not looking for a fight — just a road that works when every second counts.
For him and his neighbors, it is a waiting game, hoping the road gets safer before they need it to be.
If something in your neighborhood has you worried, reach out to me at jacob.daniels@kristv.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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