Upper Valley residents vote electronically for River Bend Drive project

Residents in an Upper Valley neighborhood got to vote electronically Wednesday night for changes they’d like to see on a major neighborhood thoroughfare.

River Bend Drive between Frontera and Sunset Drive in west El Paso may look a lot different in a few years if the city approves funding for long-term transportation plans.

Wednesday night City Representative Cortney Niland and the City of El Paso’s Transportation Planning invited people who live in the neighborhood to see design options.

About 50 people attended the meeting at Zach White Elementary. They were given electronic remotes to vote for the plans they liked. Once all the options were read, they were given 10 seconds to vote for their favorite.

Options included everything from a shared use path for hikers and bikers, pedestrian lighting and even the design of the crosswalks.

Some residents were impressed with the options while others had a lot of questions.

“The way River Bend is right now it isn’t very attractive for use and it’s not set up to be a safe place for kids to really utilize,” resident Scott Cutler said. He took the time to fill out a comment card for planners to read later on.

Another resident, Jose Del Val, said he believes the changes are necessary to make the neighborhood more appealing and increase home values.

River Bend Drive runs along the Montoya Drain. Planning options include the creation of a first-of-its-kind greenbelt trail, according to a press release.