CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas Department of Roads crews are working to open roads in the Coastal Bend as soon as possible. Rickey Dailey, the public information officer at TxDOT, said most of the main corridors in Corpus Christi remain closed due to icy conditions.
Crews are busy reviewing the JFK Causeway and Harbor Bridge, but Dailey doesn’t expect to open that Monday. Crews disperse ice removers on the Nueces River Bridge, on I-37 in Labonte Park, and on US-77 all the way from Refugio to Kingsville. US-77 currently remains open, but it is a mix of main strips and foreways.
TxDOT crews are spreading a de-icing agent mixed with ice stone on the roads. The de-icing agent helps to break the bond between the ice and the road, while the ice rock aids in traction.
First, Dailey said that TxDOT crews need to make sure road conditions are safe enough for crews to travel before they can work on opening them to the public.
“First we have to assess the road conditions to see if it is safe for our crews to go out. At various times during the night, it just overpowered us, and we had to get our crew off. Our dump trucks with the de-icing agent were sliding, which is not safe, ”he said.
Dailey said it is unclear when major roads in the area will be reopened, and it will depend on weather conditions. However, he did say that if the temperature rises, the ice will melt, but if the weather drops, it will freeze again and turn into freezing rain, which is dangerous.
‘People might see a puddle on the road and think,’ hey, it’s just wet, ‘when it’s really frozen. That’s a very dangerous situation, and that’s why we still ask people to stay at home and not drive, ”he said.
Outside Corpus Christi, road conditions are similar. Sheriffs in Aransas, Bee, Duval, Kenedy, Kleberg, Refugio, and San Patricio Counties all report icy roads to varying degrees. Live Oak, Refugio, and San Patricio Counties all had reports of accidents involving sheriffs at work.
In Aransas County, not many accidental calls were made to the sheriff’s office, but Sheriff Bill Mills still urged drivers in the area to be careful.
“Depending on where you are, you see more of it visible, it is consistent almost everywhere. It’s gotten to the point where it’s packed tight enough, and if you’re traveling across it, as you approach intersections, get ready to stop, if you’re traveling way over 20 [miles per hour] you slide through some intersections. We ask everyone to use their common sense, and if they don’t have to go out, please don’t go, ”he said.
Aransas County Sheriff’s Office
The Dale Miller Bridge in Aransas Pass will remain open from Monday afternoon, as will the Port Aransas Ferry. Sheriff Mills said the levee to Lamar remains freezing, but passable, and they are trying to prevent the levee from closing, so as not to isolate the people in the north.
Sheriff Mills reported power cuts across the area and said shelters are open in the county; at local fire stations and even some churches in Fulton, and said his crews had transported people to those shelters who couldn’t stay in their homes because of the cold.
Dailey wants people to know that TxDOT is working hard to make roads in the area open and safe for travel as soon as possible.
“The public should know that getting those roads open is still a challenge even after the ice and rain have stopped falling and freezing. We will do our best, and we will continue to do our best. We work 24 hours, we work 12-hour shifts, around the clock, ”he said.
Bee County Sheriff’s Office
Both Dailey and Sheriff Mills want people to stay off the road unless absolutely necessary, while the conditions remain as they are.
Please stay home, don’t drive unless absolutely necessary. It’s difficult driving conditions and we want everyone to be safe, ”said Dailey.
“We are not used to driving under these conditions. There is an adage that I have been using for a long time: you are part of the solution, or you are part of the problem. If you don’t have to go outside, you venture into part of the problem area. We would ask everyone to stay where they are as long as they can last, ”said Sheriff Mills.
For the most up-to-date information on road conditions and closures, check out the TxDOT road map. TxDOT also has traffic cameras available to check road conditions, although some may not work due to the cold weather.