To curtail traffic congestion near SpaceX and Boca Chica Beach, no-parking signs along State Highway 4 will soon be installed.
Cameron County Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to allow the county’s legal division to direct the Texas Department of Transportation to place signs that will restrict parking on Highway 4 near Boca Chica Beach. Because Highway 4 is a state highway, TxDOT is in control of the roadway.
Juan Gonzalez, chief legal counsel for the county, said County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. and other elected officials have received complaints from the public about traffic congestion in that area of Highway 4.
“With all of the activity in SpaceX and the construction…there’s been an accumulation of people parking. They may be members of the public, they may be SpaceX employees. Either way, there has been a congestion there towards the beach and individuals have made that known to the judge and commissioners,” Gonzalez said.
Since SpaceX’s Boca Chica launch site began to assemble suborbital Starship prototypes, the location is frequently visited by members of the public who want to watch the assembly of the rocket prototypes and snap photos of SpaceX activities.
There’s also the SpaceX Boca Chica Group Facebook page that provides the public with daily and hourly updates as to what is happening at the site.
Gonzalez said the commission’s vote means that either TxDOT or the county would put up the no-parking signs in the noted area.
“There’s a little bit of work to be done” Gonzalez said.
Octavio Saenz, spokesman for TxDOT, said the signs will be placed in several locations between Remedios and the entrance of Boca Chica Beach.
Saenz said the state agency had been contacted by Cameron County to see just who could put up the signs since TxDOT is in charge of the highway.
SpaceX already has assigned parking for its employees who use a shuttle to get to the worksite, officials said.
Melissa Elizardi, public relations officer for the county, said an exact location where the public will be able to park has not yet been determined — nor has a date been established for when the restrictions will begin.
“That is still in the works,” she said.
However, authorities in Cameron County would be in charge of making sure the public abides by the no-parking signs.
“I think DPS or any law enforcement agency with jurisdiction there (would be able to issue a citation for parking in a no-parking zone),” Gonzalez said. “What the law requires there is that there be signage so that people don’t park and then get a ticket and not know that they shouldn’t have.”
“Right now what they need to know, is first the signs go up and then enforcement will begin and hopefully that will fix the congestion situation,” Gonzalez said.
