Bridge to Nowhere

Ever since the tragic accident back in 2001 when the Queen Isabella Causeway broke, there has been a lot of discussion about building a second bridge to South Padre Island. It appears this will become a reality in the near future. Currently, discussions about where to build the bridge are underway.

According to article, “Feds OK Report on 2nd SPI Bridge,” from the Valley Morning Star, the State of Texas wants to build the second bridge just north of the Queen Isabella Causeway. However, residents of Port Isabel want the second bridge built way north at Holly Beach. Let’s take a look at the two options on the map below. 

The people who are footing the bill, the State of Texas, want to build the short bridge. However, the people not footing the bill, residents at Port Isabel, want to build it out in the boonies. In the words of my 13 year old son when I pointed out where the second option was, “ridiculous.” It’s amazing what people will do with other people’s money!

I find it hard to believe any of the Port Isabel business owners want this! Why direct all holiday traffic away from their businesses? Isn’t it all the traffic bringing in crowds of people the major reason for economic growth?  I thought this is what keeps the place afloat. I’m sure there are some people that just don’t want to deal with the crowds. However, the idea of putting the bridge way north is like peeing in your pants in hopes of keeping your butt warm. It is a temporary solution that will lead to bigger problems later; like slowly draining all that revenue out of Port Isabel.

The other question that comes to mind is why does the bridge have to go all the way out to access 5 or 6? This part of the beach would be considered a wasteland to some people. It is just like putting up a big billboard on the city line of South Padre Island that reads, “VISITORS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE. GO AWAY!” I’m surprised they are not suggesting building a road from Corpus Christi and building a bridge over the cut by Port Mansfield!

 *The following pages were referenced in this article:

http://www.valleymorningstar.com

Posted on 6/20/12

back to On RGV News

More about the Rio Grande Valley

List your RGV Events for free.