The City of South Padre Island has its fingerprints on significant projects that will affect the island for years. The Second Causeway and Convention Center Expansion Project highlights the island’s future. Here is what we know.

Second Causeway

TxDot announced updated plans for the project in early February. The second causeway will be near the South Padre Island Convention Center. The total project length will be close to 11 miles. An environmental clearance is expected by the Spring of 2026, with construction to start soon after. The completion time of the project is expected to be 3-5 years, with a cost of $700 Million—$1 Billion.

Convention Center Expansion

Convention and Visitors Board Director Blake Henry and Gignac Architects provided a rendering of the expansion during the April 17th City Council meeting. The expansion is expected to add over 27,000 square feet to the Convention Center, bringing the total to 50,000 square feet. Among the additions are a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, a theater for local plays, and multiple meeting rooms for any business conferences using the Convention Center.

The hot topic around the expansion has been the concern over the habitat for the Birding and Nature Center. Henry has stated multiple times and in different Council meetings the importance of the Birding and Nature Center habitat to the community residents and tourists to the island. Henry has stressed that the habitats will not be affected. However, many individuals from the community have expressed their concerns about the project. Final renderings have yet to be presented to the City Council, although they are expected in the coming months.

Wind and Water Sports Venue

The City Council terminated the contract with Hanson Professional Inc. for all services related to the Venue on May 15th. There is no projected timetable for the project to be completed.

Wendi Delgado, the City of South Padre Island's Director of Operations, announced the Capital Improvement Plan for the years 2024-2028 during the June 19th City Council Session. At the top of the list were beach renourishment, dune restoration, the Coastal Management Program, the Marisol Boat Ramp and Infrastructure, and Street reconstruction and maintenance.