By JOE R. BOWLING, JR.
“We knew this was coming,” said Port Isabel Police Chief Gualberto Gonzalez, “and we did the best we could.”
This after a set of challenges for the department to control flow of traffic on an expected busy weekend.
“We knew coming in that with one lane on the bridge that it was going to be hard.” said Gonzalez, “What we have been trying to do is come up with a plan that serves the people here in Port Isabel while at the same time not stop people from wanting to come here and visit.”
Friday afternoon the traffic had backed up through the city limits of Port Isabel as visitors made their way to the bridge. Officers were dispatched to intersections immediately and a plan was set in motion on the fly.
“We had issues with people trying to cut in once they got on the bridge itself,” said Gonzalez, “it even caused a wreck when a few cars got together right as it narrowed to one lane. That was when we decided to try and move people onto one lane before they got to the bridge.”
By Saturday evening the traffic was flowing and even a power outage that took out several stop lights didn’t hinder the operations of moving people through the area.
“We still have to stop and come up with some sort of a plan,” said Gonzalez, “and I am speaking for the people here in Port Isabel when I say that they should be able to go to the store without it being a 45 minute trip. I am sure that we can come up with some way to do this because we definitely want people coming to the area but we also want the people that live here to be able to go about their daily routines.”
For more on this story, pick up a copy of the Apr. 25 edition of the Port Isabel South Padre Press or check out our E-edition by clicking here.
