Hiring freeze affects TxDOT’s ability to fix eyesores along I-10

There is a lot of construction still going on along I-10 in El Paso, but even in those areas where construction is not happening, there are lots of eyesores that need fixing.

“There’s different dynamics happening right now with TxDOT,” said TxDOT El Paso District spokesperson Jennifer Wright.

The state agency is having to prioritize much-needed fixes on the freeway that have quickly become eyesores for El Pasoans, Wright said.

“There’s a lot of work to be done and Gov. (Greg) Abbott has imposed a hiring freeze, on the State of Texas, I think entirely, but certainly there is a hiring freeze going on now at TxDOT,” Wright added.

In addition, TxDOT is currently working on a new maintenance contract. “That always adds an inordinate amount of time whenever you are negotiating contracts,” Wright said.

One of those fixes is needed on I-10 East just before the Hawkins exit, where a concrete wall was smashed and three orange barrels mark the spot. It’s been that way for at least six months.

“I’ve noticed that the roads are in disrepair a lot, there’s pot holes and stuff like that, that you figure should be fixed and you’re right it hasn’t been fixed,” said El Paso driver Robert Mendoza, who has seen some of the eyesores.

“We still pay our taxes, but it doesn’t seem we get the attention that we should be getting,” Mendoza said, “You don’t see that kind of stuff in Dallas or Austin or Houston or any of these other places.”

“We are negotiating a new maintenance contract and that should be finalized in the near future and then we will look at all the work that needs to be done and do them according to safety instead of aesthetics,” Wright said.

Wright added TxDOT has been able to fill a few very necessary positions during the state hiring freeze, but with 20,000 miles of roadway in the El Paso District, TxDOT is still limited at this point when it comes to maintenance.