Park improvements reach halfway point as Corpus Christi works to revitalize neighborhoods near Harbor Bridge

Corpus Christi’s park upgrades aim to renovate neighborhoods impacted by the Harbor Bridge construction, with work expected to finish this fall.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Four Corpus Christi parks affected by construction of the new Harbor Bridge are about 50% complete with a series of renovations aimed at improving recreational spaces and revitalizing nearby neighborhoods, according to city officials.

The upgrades include new basketball courts, an amphitheater, a softball field, picnic areas, enhanced playgrounds and a community garden. 

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For many longtime residents of the Hillcrest neighborhood, the renovations are welcomed and long overdue.

Koltan Webb, who has lived in Hillcrest since 1966, said it was once a vibrant neighborhood and a gathering hub for the city’s Black community.

“I’ve been here since 1966. 60 years,” longtime Hillcrest resident Koltan Webb said.

Although Webb now lives in another part of the city, he said he still considers Hillcrest home.

“We had a tradition here, you know, from like Easter Sunday, the park be packed, Juneteenth, the park be packed, and when I was a kid, the Hillcrest Park used to be just packed,” Webb said.

The park many residents know as Hillcrest Park is officially named Dr. H.J. Williams Park. Once the renovations are complete, it will feature new recreational amenities designed to attract residents from across the city back to the neighborhood.

Deanna King, president of the NAACP Corpus Christi chapter, grew up a block away from the park.

“Hillcrest, it was very lively, basically close, tight-knit,” King said. “A lot of the buyouts have pushed people to other parts of Corpus Christi, and so we don’t have that many Hillcrest neighbors there but the ones that are there want to stay there.”

King said she hopes the park improvements will help breathe new life into the community.

“People are going to actually probably flock off over there to see all the new renovations, the new parks. It’s going to be good for Corpus Christi,” King said.

In addition to Dr. H.J. Williams Park, improvements are underway at T.C. Ayers, Ben Garza and Washington Coles parks. 

Jeff Edmonds, the City of Corpus Christi’s Director of Engineering Services, recognized that the project has taken a while, and said construction timelines were coordinated with work on the Harbor Bridge.

“We really had to coordinate that with the Harbor Bridge construction. So now that that has been completed, it allowed us to move forward on that. And I would ask people to be patient with us during construction,” Edmonds said. “I’m 100% confident that the end product is going to more than offset any of the inconveniences caused by the construction.”

For Webb, the renovations represent more than new amenities, they offer the possibility of restoring long-standing community traditions.

“A lot of people are going to come back, especially like the first Easter Sunday that it will be operating,” Webb said.

City officials estimate the park improvements will be completed around October.

A separate project, an aquatic center that will be located at T.C. Ayers Park, remains on its own construction schedule and is expected to be completed in May 2027.