The Corpus Christi Public Works Department anticipates that a project will be complete before the end of March to replace ‘pedestal’ stop lights, those found at street corners rather than over the road, with traffic signals more commonly seen around town that are overhead, along a section of Water Street downtown.
“It’s really about visibility of the lights,” Public Works Public Information Officer Yvette Garcia-Jones said. “It was about safety for drivers, making it a safer area to drive.”
Drivers, accustomed to seeing yellow lights turn red right above the road on which their driving, can miss pedestal lights changing, because they’re in an unfamiliar place – off to the sides of the road.
“It’s going to make the area look a lot nicer, [and] a lot safer, I think, with the lights being up over the road instead of beside the road” Corpus Christi Driver Juan De Dios Villarreal said.
Another local driver, James Hill, is a new father. Pedestal lights are a concern for him while driving downtown.
“It’s terrifying when you have a newborn in the car, and you almost run a light,” Hill said.
The city is replacing pedestal lights along Water Street between Coopers Alley and Twigg Street. All other pedestal lights will remain for now. That’s why the city urges drivers to be careful.
“The biggest thing as a driver is to constantly stay vigilant,” Garcia-Joes said. “Your road safety is in your hands.”
