TXDOT to Present Preferred Route for Border Highway West

The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) will present its preferred route for the Border Highway West project at a November meeting. The nine mile project would extend Loop 375 approximately seven miles north and west from its current Downtown terminus, where it would connect to an interchange with Interstate 10 just south of Sunland Park Drive. TXDOT has considered four Alternative routes and will announce that Alternative 2 is the preferred route.

The Preferred Route will travel south of Chihuahuita.

The Preferred Alternative consists of two different sections known as Border A and Rail Yard B. The Border A section travels south and west of the Chihuahuita neighborhood along the Rio Grande and would require only two residential displacements in the preliminary plans.

The Rail Yard B section would run roughly parallel to Interstate 10 on Asarco land, then turn west just before Executive Boulevard. The route would then cross land currently owned by Cemex and turn north again as it approaches Paisano.

According to the upcoming meeting notice, this route "allows for impact avoidance and minimization for a number of resources, fulfills the purpose and need for the project, and provides feasible engineering alternatives. The Preferred Alternative best balances the expected project benefits with the overall effects."

The Preferred Alternative would require acquisition of 42 commercial properties overall, most of which would be along I-10 across from UTEP and along Paisano Drive east of Downtown. The final route may change and is subject to community input.

Meeting Information:

November 15, 2012
4:00 p.m. - Open House
6:30 p.m. - Presentation
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center
Wiggins Way

TXDOT Project Page: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/project_information/projects/el_paso/border_highway_west.htm

Previously:
Loop 375 West Extension Grows Eastward
TxDOT May Fast Track I-10, L-375 Projects