Traffic study will determine changes in downtown roads
Two months ago the plans for City Hall didn’t extend beyond office work, and meetings. Now, there is a plan to demolish the building and build a downtown ballpark.
It seems like a stretch, but the recent sighting of traffic equipment around downtown is connected.
When you create a stadium, you also create waves of traffic patterns. In a downtown that can become congested with multiple events taking place, it’s a consideration workers for the city of El Paso need to consider.
“We look at it as a network,” explained Alan Shubert, an El Paso city engineer.
Each time you hear a bump as a car drives over a wire, it’s more data for city staff to compute. According to Shubert, that data is also being broken down by a third party helping determine future traffic engineering moves.
“Missouri is going to be down to one lane, and we might take a little bit off Santa Fe or Durango,” said Shubert. “Although, we don’t want to do anything until we establish what kind of effect it’s going to have on the traffic circulation and the patterns.”
Before any concrete is poured, concrete plans must be made for streets surrounding the downtown ballpark site. Shubert explained that while Durango and Santa Fe streets could shrink, they likely wouldn’t lose any lanes.
“It does need the lanes that it’s got because it carries an awful lot of traffic, and that is another consideration.”
Another consideration includes a future downtown arena. If the city were to opt to build one, work performed on streets now can’t create extra issues for downtown streets. Shubert said those factors will also be considered.
