Another Interstate 10 expansion project beginning in West El Paso

Vic Kolenc, El Paso Times
Updated ·3 min read

Editor's note: This story was updated to correct number of lanes being added in expansion.

Another big construction project is set to begin Tuesday on Interstate 10 in West El Paso.

Just over seven miles of I-10, from the Mesa Street interchange to Vinton Road, is to be widened from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. Other work, including reconstructing bridges and reconfiguring entrance and exit ramps, also will be done on that stretch and another 3.5-mile stretch from Vinton to the New Mexico state line.

The $174.3 million project, being done by Sundt Construction, a Phoenix area-based general contractor, is expected to take 3 ½ years, Texas Department of Transportation, or TXDOT, officials said.

Jonathan Concha, TXDOT El Paso West Area engineer, on May 25 talks about the $174.3 million project to add lanes and make other improvements to Interstate 10 from Mesa Street to Vinton Avenue in West El Paso.
Jonathan Concha, TXDOT El Paso West Area engineer, on May 25 talks about the $174.3 million project to add lanes and make other improvements to Interstate 10 from Mesa Street to Vinton Avenue in West El Paso.

It comes almost two years after completion of the $172 million GO 10 project, also done by Sundt, which expanded lanes and did other extensive work over several years on I-10 from Sunland Park Drive to Mesa Street; and just over a year after the $31.7 million Executive Center Boulevard interchange was rebuilt, according to TXDOT information.

Those caused some traffic headaches for motorists.

But drivers shouldn’t worry about the new construction project, TXDOT officials said.

“Impacts to the traffic should be minimal,” Jonathan Concha, TXDOT El Paso West Area engineer, said after a recent press conference announcing the project.

That’s because traffic will be shifted to the highway’s shoulders, keeping two lanes open on each side of I-10 during the project, he said.

However, some overnight closures will be needed at the start of the project to install barriers so the lanes can be shifted, Concha said.

“This project will enhance safety in the area as well as increase mobility for our region,” he said.

Eduardo Calvo, executive director of the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, which coordinates transportation projects for this area, said, "Projects like this is a tremendous benefit to the region, not just for mobility but also all the safety enhancements, economic development for our region as well."

A $174.3 million project to widen Interstate 10 from Mesa Street to Vinton Avenue in West El Paso is scheduled to begin May 31. Reconfiguring entrance and exit ramps and rebuilding bridges are part of project. This is I-10 and Mesa on May 26.
A $174.3 million project to widen Interstate 10 from Mesa Street to Vinton Avenue in West El Paso is scheduled to begin May 31. Reconfiguring entrance and exit ramps and rebuilding bridges are part of project. This is I-10 and Mesa on May 26.

Besides widening 7.5 miles of I-10, the project also will include:

►Reconfiguring 26 entrance and exit ramps so traffic merging and exiting occurs on frontage roads to prevent traffic backups on I-10.

►Installing wrong-way driver alert systems on the 26 ramps, to help prevent drivers from entering I-10 in the wrong direction.

►Rebuilding 22 bridges.

►Building new, wider bridge at Thorn Avenue.

►Building new overpass interchange at Los Mochis Drive.

►New lighting, four messaging signs, and nine closed-circuit cameras also will be installed.

This shows a section of the 7.5 miles of Interstate 10 that is to be expanded and other improvements made in the $173.4 million project, slated to begin May 31.
This shows a section of the 7.5 miles of Interstate 10 that is to be expanded and other improvements made in the $173.4 million project, slated to begin May 31.

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The additional lanes are designed to adequately handle traffic on I-10 from Mesa to the New Mexico state line until at least 2045, and likely longer, said Raul Ortega, director of transportation planning and development for TXDOT's El Paso area. Traffic is projected to increase on that 11-mile stretch of I-10 from about 120,000 vehicles per day now to about 160,000 vehicles per day by 2045, according to TXDOT information.

Widening the 3.5-mile stretch of I-10 from Vinton to the New Mexico state line was supposed to be part of the new project, but not enough funding was available, Concha said. That stretch is to be widened in the near future, he said.

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Also, the Artcraft Road interchange on I-10 in West El Paso is to be rebuilt in the future. That $193.5 million project is scheduled to go out for bids in 2024, TXDOT officials said.

Meanwhile, an I-10 expansion project is continuing in East El Paso. One lane is being added to each side of the highway on a 2½-mile stretch from Eastlake to Horizon boulevards. The $18 million project, being done by International Eagle Enterprises, an El Paso contractor, began in January and is expected to be completed in early 2023.

More information and project updates available on TXDOT's I-10 Widening-West Facebook page.

Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Another Interstate 10 expansion project beginning in West El Paso