North Beach Feasibility Report
Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI – Steve Gilbreath, Vice President, and Scott Harris, Associate Regional Manager, with Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, Inc. (LAN), presented key findings from the North Beach Phase I Report to Corpus Christi Mayor and City Council. The item was for briefing purposes only and there was no City Council action.
Consistent with City Council policy direction, a report was commissioned to determine the navigable canal’s scope and project limits as well as to determine if the navigable canal would be functional for its intended use of being navigable and of being a major drainage facility for the North Beach peninsula land area.
There were several major findings presented at the City Council meeting. One of the major findings presented by LAN stated that after 85% of the peninsula is raised a minimum of six and a half feet in certain areas, and on average up to two to three feet, the canal could improve drainage for up to a 50-year rainfall event. The canal would not improve drainage from a tidal surge of three and a half feet or greater. The report stated that the canal could make tidal flooding surge worse by having a body of water in the middle of a peninsula. A storm surge from a strong tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane would put 95% of the peninsula under water without having the peninsula elevated with fill.
A second significant finding is that the storm sewer system on the eastern part of the peninsula would have to be replaced and re-directed toward the canal rather than the current north and south conveyance in place. Numerical modeling was conducted to evaluate water quality conditions that may occur in the canal under various design layouts.
Traffic pattern assessments done as part of the Phase I study reveal that the proposed canal would cut off traffic from east to west across the project entire area. Side streets that typically carried traffic from US181 to key destinations would be cut-off, and traffic would have to be routed to bridged access point(s) depending on the final design of the canal.
The Phase I study answers the two questions for which the consultant was contracted to determine: 1) What is the project? and 2) Will it work? This study does not address several important issues pertaining to this project. The issues not addressed in the report include analysis of existing utility conflicts, storm surge modeling, beach erosion information, sedimentation modeling, and real estate requirements. The report also does not provide cost estimates for any infrastructure improvements.
To view the full report and presentation, please visit www.cctexas.com/northbeach.
