Due to the increasing number of accidents, plans are underway to widen State Highway 361
A fatal head-on collision earlier this month on State Highway 361 comes as state officials are looking for ways to improve safety on the busy, 60-mph stretch of highway to Port Aransas that has seen dozens of crashes this year.
Corpus Christi Police responded to a 911 call for a serious car crash in the 9600 block of Highway 361 at 8:21 p.m. on August 9. Upon arrival, they found several damaged vehicles and eleven injured.
Investigators found that the driver of the first vehicle was traveling southbound on the highway when he crossed the median and struck a northbound vehicle with six occupants. The second vehicle overturned and landed on the side of the road while the first vehicle continued southbound in the northbound lane and struck a third vehicle with five occupants, CCPD Officer Jennifer Collier said in a written statement.
The driver of the first vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The highway was closed for several hours after the accident, and the occupants of the second and third vehicles were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Friday’s accident was the second fatality of a total of 55 crashes on the roadway in 2024, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Reporting Information System.
The Texas Department of Public Safety implemented additional highway safety measures this summer to reduce the number of traffic accidents and prevent deaths on the roadways.
On June 12, Texas DPS troopers began an increased rush hour traffic enforcement initiative along State Highway 361 between Park Road 22 and Port Aransas. According to Rob Mallory, Staff Sergeant of the Texas DPS Highway Patrol District Corpus Christi, the effort resulted in a total of 684 traffic stops, 391 tickets, 592 warnings, 207 speeding violations, 2 DUIs and 17 motorist aiding.
Efforts to improve highway safety
Public safety and mobility on State Highway 361 remain a high priority for the agency, said Rickey Dailey, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), reminding motorists that cautious driving and safe driving habits are critical as the agency works to implement additional road safety improvements.
He listed several new features that have been added to State Highway 361. These include passing lanes in both directions that allow drivers to overtake slower vehicles without having to cross into oncoming traffic, and rumble strips along the center and shoulder lines that alert drivers to return to their lane.
A long stretch of the road has a dedicated left-turn lane to reduce rear-end collisions by allowing drivers to leave their lane and move into a safe turning zone, he said.
Security lighting now illuminates the entrances to Mustang Island State Park and Beach Access Road 2, as well as the intersections of La Concha Boulevard and Gulf Waters RV Resort, he said.
The agency is working with the cities of Corpus Christi and Port Aransas to install additional lighting along the Route 361 corridor, he noted.
Plans to widen the road have been discussed for at least five years.
TxDOT’s proposed plan to build two additional lanes for the four-lane section of the road between Park Road 22 and Access Road 1 in Port Aransas was listed in the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization’s draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2020 to 2045. However, the plan, which would have cost a total of $125 million, did not receive MPO funding.
However, according to Robert MacDonald, director of the Corpus Christi MPO, TxDOT has the opportunity to resubmit the project while the MPO develops the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan – which is updated every five years – to receive an evaluation and review of federal funding and guidance on possible implementations.
The project, developed by TxDOT and called the State Highway 361 Mustang Island Project, calls for widening the road to four lanes with two lanes in each direction, including a raised median, left-turn lanes as needed, and a sidewalk and shared-use path, according to Dailey.
The agency has commissioned an environmental study, led by Mike Walsh, TxDOT’s new district engineer for the Corpus Christi district, to address the environmental issues associated with a road widening project, including permits for development on wetlands such as those at Mustang Island State Park.
TxDOT is collecting preliminary data to be reviewed at an open house on Sept. 19 that will include an opportunity for public comment so work can begin on the schematic design layout and environmental studies, Dailey said.
Work on the design plans and studies is expected to begin this fall and continue through next fall, and a second open house for the public will likely be held next summer. The public hearing and environmental impact assessment are planned for 2026, he said.
After that, TxDOT will proceed with project development to acquire the land needed to implement the proposed improvements, along with any necessary utility adjustments, he said.
The process would take about three years and is expected to last until 2029. All steps would need to be completed before the proposed improvements can be put out to bid. Depending on the project scope and availability of construction funds, as well as the outcome of the environmental process, construction could begin in 2030, Dailey said.
MacDonald said the public meeting is of interest to any group, individual or business interested in the future of the SH 361 corridor or with concerns about the public right of way.
Information about the project is being prepared and should be available online at least two weeks before the open house, Dailey added.
The virtual public meeting on September 19 can also be attended in person. It will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Island in the Son Methodist Church, 10650 SH 361.
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