A lower speed limit could become permanent on Highway 361 as officials explore ways to improve safety and prevent deadly crashes.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A temporary speed limit reduction on State Highway 361 could become permanent as officials look for ways to improve safety following a series of deadly crashes this summer.

The Texas Department of Transportation lowered the speed limit from 60 to 50 mph along a stretch of the highway. The Corpus Christi City Council is expected to consider making the change permanent from Park Road 22 to Beach Access Road 1, at their October 27 council meeting.

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Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Public Safety has increased enforcement through its State Highway 361 Initiative, which launched in late August following multiple fatal crashes.

Sgt. Rob Mallory with the Texas DPS’s Safety Education said speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving are among the major factors contributing to accidents on the highway.

“Speeding and distracted driving and impaired driving are big contributing factors,” Mallory said.

In the first two months of the initiative, troopers conducted thousands of traffic stops and issued more than 1,000 citations, according to Mallory.

“We’ve made 4800 traffic stops, issued just over 1000 citations. 3600 plus warnings. We’ve made 115 arrests. This is total,” Mallory said.

The speed limit reduction came shortly after the initiative began. Mallory said the highway’s two-lane configuration can create dangerous situations when drivers become distracted or lose focus.

“With it being a two-lane roadway when drivers are not paying their full attention to the task of driving, you know, they start drifting off into another lane, which is the oncoming lane,” Mallory said.

City Councilman Roland Barrera said the road is struggling to accommodate the amount of traffic using it, as the area around it is growing.

“The road hasn’t been able to match the level of activity that’s out there,” Barrera said.

While he supports efforts to improve safety in the short term, Barrera said a lower speed limit alone will not address the highway’s long-term challenges.

Because Highway 361 is a state highway, many of the potential infrastructure improvements fall under the responsibility of state agencies.

“Hopefully it drives people that are more conscient they’ll become more conscientious and the area will be safer until we and the state can come together, to be able to provide with a widening of the road,” Barrera said.

Residents have called for larger improvements to the highway for years.

After hosting a public input meeting in September, TxDOT officials said they are considering several options, including additional lanes, traffic signals and improved lighting.

In a statement to 3NEWS, TxDOT said: “An additional public involvement event was held last month to gather public input on safety improvements and potential design concepts for the SH 361 corridor. TxDOT is planning both near- and long-term solutions to be delivered with a multi-project approach.  Timelines for the delivery of these projects are currently being developed.”

Other potential improvements include center barriers, turn lanes, highway widening and continued increased law enforcement presence.

A 2024 TxDOT presentation indicated construction for the SH 361 Mustang Island project was expected to begin in 2030. However, officials now say that timeline is outdated and that schedules for the proposed projects are currently being developed.