City Council Approves Study Into Expansion Of Port Of Entry

By Darren Hunt

EL PASO — City Council approved $1 million for funding a study into the expansion of the Zaragosa port-of-entry.

Council also voted to withhold approval on funding a different study into having a port-of-entry built, somewhere between the Zaragosa bridge and the Bridge of the Americas.

A 2006 study by the Metropolitan Planning Organization indicated a ‘need’ in El Paso for both expansion of current bridges and the construction of new ports to alleviate long wait times and more efficiently cross international commercial traffic.

Terry Quezada of the city’s Engineering Department said both projects need to be weighed equally for the sake of long-term international commerce.

“It’s not just that one item would be sufficient, but that we have to look at both of these projects in order to address traffic not only for today but for the planning horizon which is to 2030,” Quezada said.

Federal funding will pay for 80% of the study and the city will use certificates of obligation for its $200,000 share of cost.