Contributed by Charlie Cardenas, P.E., Traffic Engineering

New – Chaparral Street and Schatzell Street Intersection

Monday – Friday

During the week of January 14, 2013 and for approximately five weeks, the intersection of Chaparral Street and Schatzell Street will be closed for major utility work.

Schatzell Street:  From Shoreline Boulevard, Schatzell Street westbound traffic will be detoured onto Water Street.

In addition, Schatzell Street will be closed to through traffic between Water Street and Mesquite Street.  Parking will be permitted on this section of Schatzell.

Chaparral Street:  Chaparral Street will become a two-way traffic between Lawrence Street and Schatzell Street where parking will be allowed on this section of the Chaparral.  Motorists are cautioned to be aware of those vehicles that are entering and exiting this section of Chaparral at the Lawrence Street intersection.

McBride Lane (Between Leopard Street and IH-37 Eastbound Frontage Road)

Monday – Friday James Street and Erin Drive:  Erin Drive will be closed at the McBride intersection.  Access to James Street and Erin Drive will be through the IH-37 frontage road and both streets – James and Erin – will be closed to through traffic.

McBride Lane:  McBride Lane will be closed to traffic between IH-37 frontage road and Hampshire Road.  Eastbound traffic on IH-37 frontage road will be detour onto to southbound Navigation Boulevard, onto westbound Leopard Street, to McBride Lane.   Traffic on McBride Lane will be detoured onto westbound Hampshire Road to South Padre Island Drive.

Kostoryz Road

Saturday – Friday (24-hour closure)

Northbound Kostoryz Road traffic will be shifted onto the southbound lanes between S.P.I.D. and Sunnybrook Road, and again shifted onto the northbound lanes approximately 500 feet past Sunnybrook.  Traffic, on these two sections of Kostoryz Road, will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction.   In addition, traffic on eastbound McArdle Road will be shifted onto the westbound lane where traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction through the Kostoryz Road intersection.

New – Staples Street (Williams Street to Saratoga Boulevard)

Saturday – Friday (24-hour closure)

Wooldridge Road:  The Wooldridge Road traffic will be shifted onto the westbound lanes and traffic will be reduced to one through lane in each direction through the Staples Street Intersection.

Staples Street:  Contractors will shift the southbound Staples Street traffic and reduce it to one through lane in each direction from the Moore Plaza entrance through the Williams Drive intersection.  Southbound drivers will have dedicated right and left turn lanes at Williams Drive.  Northbound drivers will have a dedicated right turn lane at Williams Drive but “No Left Turns” will be permitted.

On Staples Street, from Wooldridge Road to north of Holly Road, there are two lanes of traffic open in each direction.  Staples Street traffic, between Cain Drive and Bonner Drive, will be shifted onto the northbound lanes and traffic reduced to one through lane in each direction.

Cain Drive:  Cain Drive is closed at the intersection of Staples Street.  Traffic detours will be through Burton Lane to Holly Road.

Sarazen Drive:  Contractors will permit only inbound traffic to enter Sarazen from Staples Street, and traffic exiting must continue north on Sarazen and exit onto Wooldridge Road.

New – Rodd Field Road and Williams Drive

Saturday – Monday

Contractors will shift traffic onto the northbound lanes and reduce traffic to one through lane in each direction at the Rodd Field Road and Williams Drive intersection.  The “No Left Turns” will continue to be enforced.

The City of Corpus Christi continues to monitor the potential of severe weather over the next 24 to 48 hours while making a variety of preparations for public safety throughout the city.

Many city departments are preparing just in case weather conditions result in hazardous conditions including the potential for flooding or high winds. Crews are pre-staging roadway barricades, clearing storm drains as well as notifying contractors to secure constructions sites for potential high winds and heavy rains.

The City urges citizens to stay informed regarding changing weather conditions and observe any warnings issued by local officials.

2013_January Crime Stoppers Month

The Texas Governor declared January as Crime Stoppers Month in Texas.

Crime Stoppers sponsors a campaign every January to increase awareness of its successful crime reduction efforts. Crime Stoppers has created an effective method to solve crimes by the combination of media awareness, monetary rewards, and anonymity for those who provide information about unsolved crimes. The Crime Stoppers programs bring together businesses, citizens, law enforcement, and the media to make our communities a safer place.

Crime Stoppers has been particularly effective in Texas where anonymous tips have led to 175,000 arrests and $1.2 billion in recovered property and seized narcotics since the inception of the program in 1976.

The official declaration was signed by Texas Governor Rick Perry on December 12, 2012 which proclaimed January 2013 to be Crime Stoppers Month.

The C.C.P.D.’s commitment to “Keep Corpus Christi Safe” has continued with its “Zero Tolerance No Insurance Initiative”

On Saturday, January 5, 2013, a total of 88 cars, trucks, and motorcycles will be auctioned at the Corpus Christi Police Department’s  Vehicle Impound Lot located at 5485 Greenwood Drive during our monthly auction. The site has four paved acres for an auction lot.

Approximately 15 of these vehicles are “No Insurance” impounds. On Friday, January 4, 2013, the general public will be allowed to register and view the vehicles to be auctioned from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no registration fee.

On the day of the auction, the general public can continue to register and view the vehicles from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The auction will commence promptly at 10:00 a.m.   The vehicles to be auctioned can be viewed at www.siskauction.com. An auction list may also be downloaded from the same website.

The department’s strong stand and enforcement of this “Zero Tolerance No Insurance Initiative” will continue and all vehicles involved in accidents will be impounded and the driver cited if they are unable to provide financial proof of insurance. Driver’s license and proof of financial responsibility checkpoints will continue to be conducted at the Shift Captains’ authorization.

Officers issued 5,509 citations and impounded 1,212 vehicles for Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility during 2011.  During 2012, Officers issued 5,756 citations for Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility and impounded 1,009 vehicles for the same charge.

The Corpus Christi Police Department has enforcement data from the New Year’s weekend to share with the public.

The operational period between December 28, 2012 until 9am on January 1, 2013 The Corpus Christi Police Department arrested 23 impaired drivers. There were:

• 1 Driving Under the Influence arrest for a person under the age of 21 who consumed alcoholic beverages and drove;
• 19 Driving While Intoxicated as a 1^st time offense for D.W.I.;
• 1 Driving While Intoxicated arrest with 3 or more previous convictions for D.W.I.;
• 2 Driving While Intoxicated arrest with blood alcohol content over .15.

Corpus Christi Police Officers also made 2 arrests for reckless driving in an effort to reduce hazardous driving on the city streets.

Corpus Christi Police also received 143 fireworks complaints for the New Year’s Holiday. The Corpus Christi Police makes every effort to work as an equal partner with the community to reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime, and enhance public safety.

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers organization is thankful to the public for participation to apprehend criminals and is pleased to report statistical information about the activity of the program for 2012.

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers Organization is a venue for the public to provide anonymous information to the Corpus Christi Police Department about unsolved crimes. The proposed vision statement for the Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers is to facilitate the public with the best and safest outlet to provide anonymous information to law enforcement that may not have been collected otherwise while utilizing the latest technological trends available and paying a reward to tipsters for information that leads to an arrest.

There were 2,253 tips called into Crime Stoppers for 2012 which resulted in 130 arrests and 177 cases cleared. The anonymous tips resulted in $19,650 worth of recovered property, $27,195 in street value of narcotics seized, and 10 weapons recovered. Those who provided information that led to the arrest of criminals were paid rewards. The total amount of rewards approved this year was $19,841.

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers 501.3(c) organization began in October 1981 by a group of citizen volunteers and has facilitated 2,793 arrests since inception. The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers Board currently has 13 citizen volunteers. All the money paid in rewards to tipsters is generated from donations to the program. No tax dollars fund the Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers program.

An example of a good Crime Stoppers tip was October 2, 2012 at 2222 Capitan #B. Corpus Christi Police Narcotics Vice Investigators acted on a tip and seized 20 pounds of marijuana, 8.43 grams of cocaine, and $14,520 in cash.

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers Organization is thankful for the public support to hold criminal accountable for their actions and encourages anyone with information about unsolved crimes to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888TIPS.com. The organization also has the Tipsubmit mobile app for users to provide tips on their smart phone. Everyone is encouraged to research reported criminal activity in their area by visiting the website, Crimereports.com and there is an option to provide Crime Stoppers with information about the crimes featured on that site. If the information provided to Crime Stoppers leads to an arrest, the tipster could receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.