Jan. 16—SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Four years after a reckless driver smashed them to pieces, county officials have announced two new toll booths and a re-entry lane will be built at Isla Blanca Park.
Construction on the project will begin this week and, weather permitting, will be completed by the end of April.
"These new improvements will increase accessibility and safety for the visitors at Isla Blanca Park," said Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr., who called the beach-front facility "not only the Crown Jewel of the Texas Gulf Coast, but the Crown Jewel of the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico."
Cost of the new entry toll booths will be $386,000 and construction oversight will be provided by the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority. A&I Custom Manufacturing LLC has been selected as the contractor, and Gomez Mendez Saenz is the architect of record.
The new toll booths will significantly improve the time lag parks visitors now spend passing through the temporary toll booths to enter the park, and things were especially aggravating this past summer.
"On busy weekends we do get a backup, but last summer the reason for the backup was due to the situation with the pandemic," said County Parks Director Joe E. Vega. "It was very hard for us to find temporary toll collectors. Sometimes we were only working with one toll collector at a time."
Located on the southernmost tip of South Padre Island, the park offers a mile of sandy gulf beach as well as beachfront pavilions, food and beach rental concessions, over 600 full hook-up RV sites and a boat ramp.
Along with Beach Access No. 5, Isla Blanca is the most popular county beach park.
Once complete, the new toll booth system will add a re-entry lane where people with an annual pass stuck to the driver's side windshield can proceed through an automatic gate to enter the park. Quicker access also will be available to those who purchased a daily pass and left the park temporarily.
"If you already have an annual pass, or you've already purchased your daily pass, you don't have to go through the toll collection booth where they charge you," Vega said. "You can easily go through the re-entry lane, and it's a lot easier access and lot faster to get into the park."
Once the new system is in place, it also will mean the end of cash-only entry, allowing visitors to use debit and credit cards to pay, too.
During construction, new temporary toll booths will be set up. Traffic entering the park will be redirected to turn right on Wallace L. Reed Road, then a quick left into a parking lot leading toward a service entry gate. This area will be the temporary location of the toll booths and entry lanes during construction.
All county officials ask is that park-goers to bear with it all until construction is complete.
"We kindly ask for the public's patience and cooperation during construction, as we strive to make the necessary improvements for the benefit of our end users," said County Commissioner Sofia Benavides, who represents Precinct 1.
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