Ground has been broken for the Texas State Aquarium's largest expansion in the organization's nearly 25-year history.
Ceremonies were held Wednesday in Corpus Christi for the $50 million project including a four-story wing called Caribbean Journey.
Aquarium officials in June announced plans for the 65,000-square-foot wing that will join the original Gulf of Mexico exhibit building. The Caribbean Journey will complete the final two phases of the aquarium's master plan. Construction should be completed by early 2017.
Aquarium president Tom Schmid says the new wing means visitors will get to see more fish, sharks and other sea creatures. The complex will also include an education center.
Officials say more than 11 million visitors have been through the Texas State Aquarium since it opened in 1990.
