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$9.5 million bond could fix major flooding issues in Robstown
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Officials for the Outlets at Corpus Christi Bay hope the Robstown shopping center can bounce back after its 2019 foreclosure. Courtney Sacco and Chris Ramirez, Corpus Christi Caller-Times
After a thunderstorm rolls through Robstown, vehicles stall out in standing water on State Highway 44.
Water surrounds Robstown High School and floods the Bluebonnet subdivision. This causes the school district to delay school start times.
The flooding happens because of an outdated drainage ditch that runs along Bosquez Road from State Highway 44 to Benavides Street covering eight city blocks.
The rainwater from these areas drains into the Bosquez Road ditch, which gets overwhelmed and starts back-flowing water onto the properties.
Nueces County Drainage District No. 2 officials are proposing a bond of up to $9.5 million to fix the problem. The bond will be on the county ballot for the Nov. 5 election.
Officials want to widen the Bosquez Road ditch and add covering culverts to it. They also plan to upgrade the drainage systems along Ruben Chavez Road in the Casa Blanca neighborhood and along Belk Lane in the Petronila neighborhood.
“Our concern is a school child or a school parent driving their children to the high school might misjudge the (ditch) entrance — it’s going to be covered by floodwater,” said Carlos Pena, chairman of the drainage district. “We don’t want a tragedy to happen, and have a car fall into the Bosquez drainage ditch.”
These capital improvement projects would cost about $8.5 million.
If the bond was issued now, it would raise property taxes due to the drainage district by almost 6 cents per $100 value.
The roughly 30-year-old drainage system is owned by the city, but the drainage district operates and maintains it.
Kathryn Cargo follows business openings and developments while reporting on impacts of the city government’s decisions. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Caller-Times.
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