CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The city of Corpus Christi will hold a public a public meeting soon to talk about improvements coming to a busy road.
$11 million in improvements will change the way Ayers Street looks, from Gollihar Road to South Padre Island Drive.
Improvements include adding sidewalks, a left-hand-turning lane, storm drainage enhancements, pavement markings and minor utility work.
However for a road that's known to be prone to accidents, the changes are long overdue.
Many of those accidents involve pedestrians getting hit by cars. Some of those pedestrians were walking on the side of the road where there are no sidewalks.
That will change in the future, because when the road work is finished, there will be bout 3,000 feet of sidewalks added on both sides of Ayers Street.
Another big change will be adding a fifth lane that will be the left hand-turn turning lane. Right now, Ayers is two lanes in each direction. If you're familiar with the road, you know trying to make a left turn quickly causes traffic to back up behind you.
Both are improvements that many have been waiting for, like Nora Gonzalez.
"Right now, the traffic is getting bad. A lot of cars (are) coming and going," said Gonzalez, an employee at Rosie's Tamales. "(The improvements will make it safer) for both people driving and walking, because a lot of people walk through here."
"I'm always skateboarding at night, and there aren't any sidewalks and it's a dark road," said Brian Harris, a pedestrian. "They should just make it easier for people to go by that are walking, so they don't get hit."
Crews will start setting up barricades for the project next Monday, Jan. 6.
Road work is expected to be finished in less than 2 1/2 years.
This project is part of a bond approved by voters in 2014.
The public meeting about the project will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 7 at Fannin Elementary School, 2730 Gollihar Road.
