City Accepts Funding for Holly Road Train Trestle Trail

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – During today’s regularly scheduled City Council meeting, Mayor Paulette Guajardo and the City Council approved funding agreements with the Texas Department of Transportation for the Holly Road Train Trestle to Tourism Trail Project.

The project will build a shared-use path along Flour Bluff Drive and a pedestrian bridge across Oso Bay using existing pilings from an abandoned train trestle bridge.

The agreement authorizes $11,797,839 from the Texas Department of Transportation and $1.3 million of interest income from the American Rescue Plan Act Fund.

The new pathway will connect with the Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and existing trails in the Flour Bluff area, and it is expected to spur future trail system improvements.

This project also involves constructing a 15-foot-wide shared-use path from the existing path on the west side of Oso Bay along Division Road to Flour Bluff Drive and along Flour Bluff Drive from Division Road to Don Patricio Road.

The state awarded the funding in 2023 as part of its Transportation Alternative Grant Program, which is designed to support projects that enhance bicycle and pedestrian amenities.

“We are proud to accept this funding, which will help bring the Holly Road Train Trestle Trail to life as a safe and scenic pathway for our residents and visitors,” said Mayor Paulette Guajardo. “Once complete, this trail will connect to the Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and the existing trails in the Flour Bluff area, creating new opportunities for recreation, mobility, and access to nature."

“There has been great public support for this project, and private funding supported some of the preliminary engineering,” said Jeff Edmonds, Engineering Services Director. “It’s been identified as an investment in the Flour Bluff Area Development Plan and the Southside Area Development Plan. And voters supported converting the abandoned railroad crossing into a hike-and-bike trail when they approved Bond 2022 that included funding for preliminary design work.”

Next up is the official design work. Construction will follow, with a 2027 date of completion tentatively set.

For more information, media representatives can contact Public Information Officer Beth Becerra at 361-826 -1693 or email elizabethb3@cctexas.com.