CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Residents of the London Towne subdivision protested with signs today, but they had nothing to do with politics. Residents told KRIS 6 News their children were forced to walk along a busy London Pirate Trail, stating “There are no pavements” and “the kids were almost shot.” Residents also said children had to walk through ditches to stay safe.

Manuel Venegas

London Towne resident Nikkie Pereira showed what the sign in her yard said. “School is mandatory, safe access is optional?” We all know that our children need to go to school. They need to be there every day. “Unfortunately, their access to the school is not safe.”

“The minimum requested is for a sidewalk to be installed,” said William Hargraves, another resident.

Pereira and Hargraves were just two of several London Towne residents protesting the lack of pavement along the London Pirate Trail. They directed their concerns to the builder, Braselton Homes.
“It’s very scary for a 12-year-old or 10-year-old to walk on these roads with so many cars approaching. If the road is extremely congested, as you saw this morning, there is no safe route for them.” So the safest way is the ditch,” Pereira said.

Manuel Venegas

Bart Braselton, owner of Braselton Homes, explained to KRIS 6 that building a sidewalk may sound simple, but in this case, it’s not. “When the area was built that road (London Pirate Rd) was a county road, it is owned by the county and does not allow paving on county streets.”

Bart Braselton

Braselton added that the City of Corpus Christi only annexed the roadway, not the land around it, which further complicates matters.
“That ties a lot of people’s hands because then it comes into the city’s policies. That’s why we offered to petition with the homeowners to get a sidewalk there,” Braselton said. he said.

There is currently a temporary solution: this granite road. However, citizens stated that they were not satisfied with this situation.

Manuel Venegas

“This will last until the next rain and then the granite will be pushed aside. I asked four or five builders I know in the neighborhood,” Hargraves said.

Braselton said the temporary trail is ADA compliant and is used for the city of Corpus Christi’s trails. He also said he was making progress on the timeline for the construction of the next unit at London Towne, which he said would ultimately solve the problem.
“We have construction drawings in progress for London Towne’s next unit, which includes connecting sidewalks to Lady Claudia Boulevard, which connects to the school,” Braselton said.

This permanent solution will include a concrete path from the London Towne subdivision to the school. According to Braselton, it could be finished in the fall of 2025.

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