City working to minimize effect of building demolitions on Downtown events

The City of El Paso is working with the Downtown Management District to ensure that the demolition of City Hall and Insights Museum will not affect Downtown events too much, said City Engineer Alan Shubert on Monday.

“Nothing about construction is easy. It’s always a challenge to try to keep access, try to get people in and out,” he said.

A quick community calender check shows that the last couple weeks of April, which is the time period when city hall will most likely come down is pretty packed with downtown events. There’s even going to be some outdoor festivities – such as Dia de los Ninos on April 27.

“Anytime you get into a street project or anyting else – sometimes there’s unforeseens, where you have to change things on an hours or two notice but we’re actually starting as of last week – weekly meeting with the Downtown Management District,” said Shubert.

City engineers are working with the Downtown Management District, who’s keeping Downtown agencies, like the Convention and Visitors Bureau, plus Downtown venues privy on all the construction that may affect them.

Shubert added the part of the demolition that will affect traffic the most will be hauling off the debris from the demolition.

He said crews will take Santa Fe street to I-10 when they haul off all of those materials. For Insights, that’ll be going on late March and for City Hall, it’ll be late April.