Interesting Articles regarding LP 375 Expansion (El Paso, Fort Bliss: buying, construction, live in)

[ikanep]

El Paso Inc (http://www.elpasoinc.com/ReadArticleSearch.aspx?xrec=4003 - broken link)

Transmountain up for $79M makeover (http://www.elpasoinc.com/readArticle.aspx?issueid=259&xrec=4638 - broken link)

[atrabilius]

They could have connected Trans-Mountain to Art Craft Road at I-10 to make a continuous freeway running from the Santa Teresa port of entry across the mountains and Fort Bliss to the Zaragoza Bridge when they had the chance, but now, as I understand it, there's residential development in the way around Northern Pass and Resler. But, yeah, I think they can definitely use this freeway on the west side.

[Chuco]

Good articles and I am happy to say that this part of the freeway was officially approved earlier today by the state and should get built within the next few years. The cost will be $79 million and will help in completing Loop 375.

It will include decorative flyovers, murals, and have a full fledged stack interchange between I-10 and Transmountain (Loop 375). it will make it a lot easier to connect from one freeway to the other freeway. People will no longer have to stop at the Transmountain intersection, which will be a huge plus for everyone who uses those roads.

As part of the $1 billion mobility plan that was approved last year..It was originally planned as a $17 million simple expansion of Transmountain Rd. from 2 lanes to 4 lanes, but that was going to be it. Now it will instead be converted into a $79 million 4-lane freeway that will make life easier for people going to or coming from either side of the mountain. I applaud those people that made this deal go through!

Approved:
State commission approves freeway construction from I-10 to Franklin Mountains - El Paso Times

Here is the newest article from the El Paso Times:
Trans Mountain 4-mile project OK'd - El Paso Times

[Caltep]

With all this development of residential in the west but all business/employment slanted more to the east, the clog at Resler/Sunland Park area can only get worse. This takes care of the heinous Transmountain corridor. I live in that area and don't see how this will help congestation in the long run. Widening of Transmountain will still create bottle neck when it narrows to one lane after S. Desert by the Outlet Mall.

[Chuco]

Do you mean by Talbot Ave? If yes, then it would be nice if they widened the southern part of TransMountain as it becomes Talbot, but there are a lot of private business there, so they would probably have to buy out a lot of private property from many local owners in that area to widen Talbot. To create the new Transmountain Freeway won't be hard when it comes to buying the land as there are only a few owners of the land there and they have all said they are willing to sell the land to the state.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by Caltep

With all this development of residential in the west but all business/employment slanted more to the east, the clog at Resler/Sunland Park area can only get worse. This takes care of the heinous Transmountain corridor. I live in that area and don't see how this will help congestation in the long run. Widening of Transmountain will still create bottle neck when it narrows to one lane after S. Desert by the Outlet Mall.

Yeah, like I believe I said, they could have connected Loop 375 directly to Art Craft Road at I-10 when there was nothing but undeveloped land north of Helen of Troy. Now, once the new freeway is built, to get to Doniphan from it you can turn onto I-10 and go south to Art Craft or go down Talbot through Canutillo when you could have just kept going west past I-10 and gotten off at Doniphan and avoided all those narrow streets in Canutillo.

It seems to me that the West Side can use another major north-south arterial. Or more. They've got Sunland Park/Shadow Mountain/Westwind/East Redd Road; maybe they can keep extending Redd Road north, to Transmountain and beyond, and they'd have this additional major north-south road, but I don't know if that's in the plans. It would probably funnel more traffic onto Mesa and I-10 anyway.

[Gary Siete]

AFAIK the plan is to widen Talbot west from South Desert to the drainage ditch and then make a new bypass following the ditch at a southwest angle down to Doniphan. (see map below) . This gives better access to the Outlet Mall and also access to Doniphan without running traffic through the residential areas.



http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=31....=79912%2C%20TX

Edit: found these:
Proposed Spur 276, El Paso, TX, Intersection with Talbot Ave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqn3F-sXrJE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkZRnWv3yts

[Gary Siete]

Also proposed is a "Northeast Parkway" bypass - connecting Anthony, via the Anthony Gap, with RailRoad Drive/375 in the Northeast.

Northeast Parkway Route Location Study - El Paso, Texas

[atrabilius]

I thought they picked Alternative C and were planning construction already.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by Gary Siete

AFAIK the plan is to widen Talbot west from South Desert to the drainage ditch and then make a new bypass following the ditch at a southwest angle down to Doniphan. (see map below) . This gives better access to the Outlet Mall and also access to Doniphan without running traffic through the residential areas.

Yeah, okay, and they could extend Spur 276 past Doniphan and the Rio Grande to Art Craft if they wanted to, maybe via Strahan Road or Upper Valley Road.