Residents create petition for permeable arroyo sidewalk

A group of El Paso residents have created an online petition for a permeable sidewalk in West El Paso.

The petition states residents would like to add a sidewalk down Virginia which leads into the Billy Rogers arroyo and the El Paso Tennis and Swim Club to New York Avenue.

“This has been a scary street in the past for pedestrians given that there is really not an adequate road shoulder, combined with the curve at the bottom of the arroyo that makes seeing walkers difficult. As the summer swim league season approaches, more and more kids will also be walking to the club,” Anne Giangiulio stated.

Giangiulio and her children regularly walk through N. Virginia but find it difficult and dangerous because the road is narrow and there’s no sidewalk. She and others like Katie Bishop tell ABC-7 it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

“Now, as a mom of twins, I have a really wide stroller and there’s barely any leeway if you’re walking your dog, let alone a stroller that’s three feet wide,” Bishop said.

“It gives you like a heart attack a little bit as a parent trying to make sure your kids are right where you need them to be,” Giangiulio said.

Giangiulio created an online petition on Change.org which has garnered the support of more than 250 residents. She’s hoping the city can build a sidewalk to keep residents safe.

“It’s clear there’s a desire for this and community.”

She and other residents asked that the idea be added into phase two of the Robinson Street Improvements Project but city officials say that scope of the project was approved back in 2016.

“The original scope for Robinson Phase Two includes Robinson down to Ochoa. It does not include any portion of Virgina Street,” City Engineer Sam Rodriguez said.

City representative Peter Svarzbein says his office has already put out a budget request.

“My office was proactive in putting out a budget request to go and look at considering this as a project for the upcoming budget season,” Svarzbein said.

If it is approved, the city would need to ensure it’s ADA compliant and does not interrupt the vegetation in the arroyo, something city officials say is doable.

“The reality is that you can construct anything, without minimizing the impact to vegetation and the arroyo if and when the project is approved,” Rodriguez said.

This project would still need to be approved by city council. If approved, they’d look into the design and evaluate what the scope and what the impact will be like in order to determine the cost.

The group would also like the sidewalk to be eco-friendly as it would possibly run through the Billy Rogers arroyo. Giangiulio says she’s requesting it be made of permeable material such as recycled glass.