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Completion of Airline Road project officially celebrated by City of Corpus Christi, nearby business owners

Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo and other City leaders spoke about the importance of the construction and what that means for residents.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The City of Corpus Christi celebrated the the competition of the Airline Road construction project with a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday at the Sunrise Mall.

City officials talked about the project and gave their thanks to the community for their patience throughout the process.

The 1,400-foot project began in January and finished on schedule despite delays due to weather thanks to around the clock work over the summer. City Manager Peter Zanoni said that the completion of the project sets a standard for other projects across the city.

"It's not too far from Everhart, which was a huge project," Zanoni said. "A lot longer than this one, concrete as well; but this sets a tone to say, 'Look, there can be obstacles but we can overcome them.'"

One of the key upgrades for Airline Road was making it more complaint with  the Americans with Disabilities Act. That means wider, unobstructed sidewalks.

"Well that's extremely important to our residents because people, in walking down the street or if you're disabled, you must have that," Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo said. "And that is our responsibility, and today is your City Council's promise in action."

Officials also talked about the importance of keeping the streets safe for drivers and pedestrians with Project Zero, a project that Councilman Ben Molina helped start two years ago. Molina emphasized the Project's commitment to improving sidewalks, lighting, signage and crosswalks wherever construction takes place.

"Anytime you have street construction, it's always a hassle for everybody," Molina said. "Not just those who are traveling but those businesses and residents that are nearby. Once the project is complete, here we have a brand new, good looking, safe roadway that will provide improved access for our citizens. Not just to and from work and where they're going, but also to the businesses located nearby."

Panjo's Pizza General Manager Stephen Glenn quickly noticed the difference once the construction was complete.

"We've seen a lot of dip in our business because of the construction, but it's coming back," Glenn said. "I also noticed that when we had some pretty bad weather a few weeks ago, the drainage was a lot better. Airline was notorious for flooding, and now it seems to really work well now."

Those drainage improvements were included in the city manager's presentation during Friday's ribbon cutting ceremony.

"So we have a brand new storm water system with a much better capacity, so when those storms that hit us this summer come here, we shouldn't see flooding," Zanoni said.

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