Crews remove speed humps in front of Cathedral High
Crews have begun removing some of the speed humps the City of El Paso spent nearly $9,500 to install in front of Cathedral High School less than a year ago.
It’s part of the Downtown streetcar project that started in late December and that will force the closure of several streets in Downtown and West-Central El Paso.
The speed humps were put in in February, but were followed by some controversy after it was discovered how and why the city approved the installation.
About a year ago, City Rep. Larry Romero, a Cathedral alum, requested the humps and they were approved by City Manager Tommy Gonzalez shortly after. City officials confirmed Gonzalez attended two community meetings where residents expressed concern over traffic safety on Stanton Street near Cathedral High. Gonzalez then approved the speed humps, meant to slow traffic in the area.
However, the City of El Paso requires residents to submit an application to request street changes using its Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. ABC-7 learned late last year there was no evidence the city followed its own process.
ABC-7 discovered the city used more than $9,000 from its general fund to pay for the speed humps, instead of the NTMP.
On Wednesday, the El Paso Times reported that the speed humps were in fact paid for with money from the NTMP and not the general fund as city officials had said. According to the newspaper, city Chief Financial Officer Mark Sutter in September directed a budget transfer from the NTMP to the general fund to cover the cost of the project, about seven months after the installation.
In an email, Sutter told the Times that Gonzalez, “did not direct funding issues. Staff had inventory available from the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, so that inventory was used and the program was reimbursed from the general fund.”
The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority is in charge of the streetcar project that is expected to cost $97 million, and be completed in 2017.
Drivers and residents should expect current closures and detours for several weeks.
