CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) - The proposed Schlitterbahn water park on Padre Island hinges on whether the city approves a multi-million dollar road project.
The planned bridge over Park Road 22 would go in about a half-mile north of Whitecap Blvd, and would allow the canals on either side of the highway to be connected; this will provide Schlitterbahn better access to water from the Gulf of Mexico.
On September 26, 2011, the city council is set to discuss the plans but city officials are not calling it a "deal breaker." However, the chances of Schlitterbahn coming to town without the bridge and connected canals are pretty slim.
Rudy Gonzalez, with the City of Corpus Christi, says that the bridge makes construction of Schlitterbahn more likely to happen.
Schlitterbahn is set to build a water park by 2013. City planners are looking to get this bridge built over the roadway before then. The bridge would be similar to the one over on Whitecap on Padre Island.
In addition to the bridge the city would also need to connect the canals along the shoreline with those that run through the neighborhoods south of park road.
The city is looking at using leftover funds from bond 2004 and 2008 along with other funding sources to pay for the construction.
