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Wednesday, Sep. 9, 1998
Port to manage Tule Lake bridge for city, county
By GLASTON FORD
Staff WriterThe Port of Corpus Christi will take over operation of the Tule Lake Lift Bridge from Nueces County under an agreement approved Tuesday by the port commission.
The smooth operation of the bridge, which crosses the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, is important to the many ships and barges that pass under it to reach port users at the far end of the ship channel, said John LaRue, executive director of the port.
The bridge had been operated under a three-way intergovernmental services agreement, said Nueces County Judge Richard Borchard. The City of Corpus Christi owned it. Nueces County operated it. And they and the port shared expenses, with the port paying 70 percent and the city and county paying 15 percent each, he said.
``From a management point of view, it was a bad situation,'' Borchard said.
``In this case the county felt that since the Tule Lake bridge was really a port-related infrastructure, that the port needed to operate that infrastructure,'' he said.
The port, through the Harbormaster's Office, has the responsibility for directing traffic into and out of the ship channel, LaRue said.
It makes sense for the port to run the bridge, said Bill Dodge, port chairman.
``It is not like we want it, but there have been some coordination problems in the past,'' Dodge said. ``I can't speak to how the current arrangement evolved, but it is pretty complex for what should be a simple operation. (The agreement) saves them a little money but it also should simplify the chain of operation of the bridge.''
Under the agreement the 10 county employees that run the bridge will become employees of the port. The port will also assume the county's portion of the $451,000 annual budget, LaRue said.
Port officials are also negotiating with city officials to take over full funding of the bridge, LaRue said.
The bridge, built in 1959, underwent a $6.4 million overhaul in 1994. The bridge carries two-way road traffic on Navigation Boulevard and one railroad track.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web