Londoners are protesting the lack of pavements along London Pirate Road

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Residents in the London Towne subdivision protested with signs today, but it had nothing to do with politics. Residents told KRIS 6 News that their children had to cross a busy London Pirate Road, saying, “There’s no sidewalk” and that “the kids were almost hit.” Residents also said that children have to walk in ditches to be safe.

Nikkie Pereira, a London Towne resident, pointed out what the yard sign said. “Compulsory school, optional safe access?” We all know that our children have to go to school. It should be there every day. Unfortunately, their access to school is insecure.”

Another resident, William Hargraves, said: “The bare minimum is to build a sidewalk.”

Pereira and Hargraves were just two of several London Towne residents protesting the lack of sidewalks along London Pirate Road. They directed their concerns to Braselton Development.
“It’s very scary for a 12-year-old or a 10-year-old to walk on these roads with all these cars going by. If the road is super congested, like you saw this morning, there is no safe way for them. So the safest way is the ditch,” Pereira said.

Bart Braselton, owner of Braselton Development, tells KRIS 6 that building a sidewalk may sound simple, but he explained why, in this case, it’s not.” When the subdivision was built, that road (London Pirate Rd) was a county road, owned by the county, and the county does not allow sidewalks on its streets.”

Braselton added that the city of Corpus Christi has only annexed the road itself, not the land surrounding it, further complicating matters.
“That ties a lot of hands because then it falls within the city’s policies. That’s why we offered to go with the owners to ask for a sidewalk to be put there,” Braselton said.

There is a temporary solution now: this granite path. Residents, however, said they were not happy about it.

The granite path.png — London Towne resident William Hargraves commenting on the granite path

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

Braselton said the temporary path is ADA compliant and is used by the city of Corpus Christi for their walking paths. He also noted that he has moved up the timeline for building the next unit at London Towne, which he said will eventually solve the problem.
“We have construction drawings in progress for the next London Towne facility, which includes connecting sidewalks to Lady Claudia Blvd, which connects to the school,” Braselton said.

This permanent solution would include a concrete path to the school in the London Towne subdivision. It could be finished as early as fall 2025, according to Braselton.

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