Doniphan to Paisano connection opens

Drivers heading eastbound will have another route to take when traffic gets congested on I-10.

The Doniphan Dr. to Paisano Dr. connection opened up Sunday morning, and TxDOT officials said it should provide some relief for westside drivers.

“This is a big day for us,” TxDOT spokeswoman Jennifer Wright said. “We had closed down Paisano, over the objections of everyone, for eight months, so that we could get there and do 18 months worth of work for the Borderwest Expressway project.”

There will only be one lane open in each direction in that stretch. But, it should help alleviate the gridlock on I-10 if there’s a stalled vehicle.

“It’s going to act really as a relief valve,” Wright said. “It’s going to be a 35 mile per hour road, but it will keep moving.”

Dan Vitek arrived to the new intersection around 30 minutes before it officially opened. He was the first driver to ride on the newly pave road.

“It’ll take a lot of heat off of the I-10 and it’ll make it easier for a lot people to get to work,” Vitek said. “It’s been a headache, everybody’s dealt with a lot of it…I think this will ease the pain a little bit.”

The Paisano to I-10 connection still remains closed, and Wright said there’s not a specific date for when it should open.