The Port Access Program is funded by the Texas Mobility Fund and is designed to improve safety and fluidity of roads around Texas seaports. The Mobility Fund is underwritten through vehicle title fees, driver record fees, drivers license fees, and vehicle inspections.
The significant growth in recent years along the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Inner Harbor, including additional rail infrastructure, necessitates a new frontage road south of the rail corridor that parallels the Joe Fulton Corridor to maintain vehicle safety and mobility.
The Rincon Industrial Complex is one of the newest facilities targeting breakbulk cargo such as wind energy components, military cargo, and steel pipe. The Port of Corpus Christi has made significant capital investments on Rincon in the past two years, including the construction of 40 acres of flexible cargo storage space and roughly 12,000 linear feet of rail to accommodate liquid transloading and processing of breakbulk cargo.
Additional congestion from the construction of the new Harbor Bridge has increased the traffic burden on Rincon Road. The TxDOT-funded improvements will enhance truck mobility, highway connectivity, and safety, including the addition of intelligent transportation system components.
“The Rincon Road and Joe Fulton Corridor improvements continue to enhance our customers’ ability to move their goods to market safely and competitively,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. “We thank the Texas Department of Transportation and the Port Authority Advisory Committee for helping the Port of Corpus Christi in Moving America’s EnergyTM.”
“The Port of Corpus Christi — as the Energy Port of the Americas — must do all it can to support our customers and the creation of jobs for our communities,” said Charles W. Zahn, Jr., Chairman of the Port of Corpus Christi Commission. “The projects that will be funded through the Port Access Program will go a long way in doing just that, especially as our nation moves forward with its economic recovery.”
The Port Corpus Christi is the third largest port in the United States in total revenue tonnage. Located on the western Gulf of Mexico with a 36-mile, soon to be 54-foot deep channel, Port Corpus Christi is a major gateway to international and domestic maritime commerce. The Port has railroad and highway network connectivity via three North American Class-1 railroads and two major interstate highways. Its staff is overseen by a seven-member commission.
