On the road Looking north from the golf cart overpass at the Newport Dunes Golf Club, traffic can be seen streaming down State Hwy. 361 near Mustang Boulevard on Saturday, July 23. The Texas Department of Transportation plans to eventually widen the section of the highway between Mustang Boulevard and Avenue G. Part of that section would end up being four lanes wide, and part would be five lanes wide, with the additional lane being a center turn lane. TxDOT is awaiting funding for the project. STAFF PHOTO BY DAN PARKER The Port Aransas City Council has given the state some input on just how and where the city thinks State Hwy. 361 should be widened.

The council held a vote on the matter on Thursday, July 21, after the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) asked that the city state its wishes.

There are no immediate plans to start construction, but TxDOT wanted the city’s position on the matter so that the state agency will be ready to quickly proceed if funding becomes available, according to Tom Tagliabue, a TxDOT spokesman.

The council passed a resolution, 7-0, supporting a plan that would mean expanding the two-lane highway from a point in the area of Mustang Boulevard to Avenue G.

The plan would mean widening the highway to four lanes throughout the length of the project and inserting a center turn lane from a point starting just south of Sharkey’s Bar and Grill Beach Club and extending north to Avenue G.

A raised concrete median containing vegetation would be included in the project, according to Deputy City Manager Dave Parsons.

Now that the city has said what it wants the expansion generally to look like, TxDOT can go ahead with drawing up specific plans for the project, Parsons said.

TxDOT also must have an environmental study done because wetlands lie in the project area, Parsons said. The study will determine how any damage to wetlands can be mitigated, he said.

Questions? Comments? Contact Dan Parker at (361) 749- 5131 or dan@portasouthjetty.com.