Public To Comment On Socorro Road Project
EL PASO, Texas – A controversial road project is back on the table again. The project is the possible extension of Eastlake Boulevard to North Loop.
Currently, commuters trying to get to North Loop from Eastlake have to go a long way around. TXDOT engineers said they’re looking into two options on how to extend Eastlake to North Loop.
The first would use an existing part of Old Hueco Tanks Road, but the problem is that there is a neighborhood there. The second option would bypass that neighborhood and connect to North Loop with a route that doesn’t have a road on it right now.
Ideally officials would prefer to use that second option, but really the decision is up to Socorro, officials said. Because the street will be in Socorro, a small portion of the money for the project would come from the city’s construction fund.
In order to move forward Mayor Trini Lopez said they are required to get the public’s input. That is because about 80% of the money that would be used to complete the project is federal, and whenever federal funds are used, public hearings on the issue are mandatory.
Once Socorro has acquired the right of way and all the funds they need, TXDOT engineers said they could deliver the project within a couple of years, but as of mid-June there is no definitive timeline.
