Construction along the scenic drive over the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway is about to give motorists more time to enjoy the view.
Traffic between Port Isabel and South Padre Island will be restricted due to construction work beginning Monday.
TxDOT officials say traffic will be reduced to one lane for much but not all of the causeway beginning with eastbound lanes. The road work will continue until February.
TxDOT officials call it “preventive road work.” Officials said it is not being conducted because of any faults or stresses discovered in the causeway but is just scheduled maintenance.
The 2.4-mile bridge is the second-longest in the state after the 2.6-mile Fred Hartman Bridge between Baytown and La Porte. Opened in 1974, it was constructed at a cost of $12 million.
“The lane closures for this project will start on Oct. 04, 2021, through February 2022,” a TxDOT statement reads. “Please note that traffic will be reduced from two lanes to one lane but not for the entire length of the bridge. All lane closure sections will be approximately a mile long and will begin on the eastbound lanes.”
Southern Road and Bridge LLC is the contractor which will perform the work.
TxDOT says motorists can expect “minor delays.”
