CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The SH 358 (South Padre Island Drive) ramp reversal project reached its first milestone Monday when the newly constructed Kostoryz Road/Carroll Lane eastbound exit ramp opened to traffic.
The new ramp is about one-quarter mile west of the existing ramp, so drivers must be prepared to exit for Kostoryz/Carroll sooner than is currently required. Additional overnight mainlane, ramp and frontage road closures will be required this week as crews relocate barriers, add new striping, replace signs and implement the traffic switch.
Read more: Eight-car pileup took place at one of city's most dangerous intersections
The Kostoryz/Carroll ramp relocation is designed to increase safety and mobility by providing additional distance for exiting vehicles and frontage road traffic to merge and queue while approaching the Kostoryz intersection. The Texas Department of Transportation says the improvements will help reduce traffic conflicts and backups from the intersection onto the SH 358 mainlanes.
Related article: Updating the progress of SPID construction
This is the first of several major traffic switches for the SH 358 ramp reversal project. Work on the $50 million project to improve a 15-mile section of the highway began in January 2018 and is expected to be complete in the spring of 2022.
