CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Residents from the London Towne subdivision protested today with signs, but they had nothing to do with politics. Residents told KRIS 6 News that their children have to walk across a busy London Pirate Road, stating, “There is no sidewalk,” and that “kids have almost been hit.” Residents also said the kids have to walk in ditches to stay safe.
Nikkie Pereira, a London Towne resident, showed what her yard sign said. "School mandatory, safe access optional?" We all know that our children need to attend school. They're supposed to be there every day. Their access to the school is unfortunately unsafe."
Another resident, William Hargraves, said,"The bare minimum that's being requested is a sidewalk being built."
Pereira and Hargraves were just two of several London Towne residents protesting about the lack of sidewalks along London Pirate Road. They directed their concerns toward Braselton Devlopment.
"It's very scary for a 12-year-old or a 10-year-old to walk along these roads with all these cars zooming by. If the road is super congested, as you saw this morning, there is no safe path for them. So the safest path is the ditch," Pereira said.
Bart Braselton, owner of Braselton Development, tells KRIS 6 that building a sidewalk may sound simple, but he explained why, in this case, it's not."When the subdivision was built, that road [London Pirate Rd] was a county road, owned by the county, and the county does not allow sidewalks on its streets."
Braselton added that the City of Corpus Christi annexed just the roadway itself, not the land around it, further complicating things.
"That ties a lot of hands because then it falls within the policies of the city. That's why we offered to go with the homeowners to petition for a sidewalk to be placed there," Braselton said.
There is a temporary solution in place right now: this granite path. The residents, however, said they are not happy with it.
"That'll last until the next rain, and then that granite will get pushed to the side. I've asked four or five builders that I know in the neighborhood," Hargraves said.
Braselton said the temporary path is ADA-compliant and is used by the city of Corpus Christi for their walking paths. He also mentioned that he has moved up the timeline of building the next unit at London Towne, which he said will ultimately solve the problem.
"We have construction drawings underway for the next unit of London Towne, which includes connecting sidewalks to Lady Claudia Blvd, which is in connection to the school," Braselton said.
That permanent solution would include a concrete path to the school from the London Towne subdivision. It could be finished as early as fall of 2025, according to Braselton.
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