CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi City Council has approved the first reading of a proposed ordinance to lower speed limits on parts of Weber Road and Ennis Joslin Road. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) requested the changes to improve safety after conducting a study that examined crashes, driveway density, and bus stops along both roads.
Under the proposal, the speed limit on Weber Road between Saratoga Boulevard and the Oso Creek Bridge would be reduced from 45 miles per hour to 40. On Ennis Joslin Road, the speed limit would be lowered to 35 miles per hour from SPID to Ocean Drive.
Some residents and business owners support the change, including Tracy Tezcucano, who lives along Weber Road.
“I definitely think it'll make traffic safer since we've got that pretty steep curve coming from the freeway passing Aaron Drive because people have been so used to going 45,” Tezcucano said.
Martin Salazar, who owns a business facing Weber, said speeding is a daily issue. “We do see quite a bit of speeders through here on a daily basis, uh, all day long, but more so in the afternoon,” Salazar said.
Ennis Joslin Road is a major route for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi students traveling to and from campus. Some students have concerns about the potential impact on traffic.
“If they pass it, I just think that they should think about the school a little bit more and try to get traffic out. Like, I don't know if there's a way to direct traffic where it wouldn't get so backed up over here, especially if they're lowering the speed limit," said TAMU-CC student Cassidy Fuentes
Another student, Christian Arriaga, said the change could be controversial.
“I could see it being an issue with many people in the area because I know it's a pretty busy spot. Everyone's trying to get to work to school. So I don't know. We'll see," he said.
City Council Member At-Large Roland Barrera said the decision prioritizes safety. “In the interest of safety, they reduce to that speed so that way anybody that's traveling faster doesn't cause any accidents,” Barrera said.
The ordinance will go before the City Council for a second and final vote on Tuesday, March 25.
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