Outdoor Sunland Park Concert Draws Thousands, Backs Up Traffic For Miles

A concert to raise awareness about the escalating violence in Ciudad Juarez raised questions from drivers and neighbors around the area where the concert was held.

Tens of thousands of people gathered at an open field near Sunland Park City Hall in New Mexico for Thursday’s concert, which was put on by the non-profit “Amor Por Juarez” awareness campaign in partnership with local radio station Exa FM.

Anapra Road was blocked off at the intersection with McNutt for more than 24 hours in anticipation for the event. Traffic backed up for miles into I-10 West as concert goers started to arrive Thursday evening. The first act took the stage at around 6:30 PM, but business owner Robert Ardovino told ABC-7 the road closure started early Wednesday afternoon.

“There really was no forethought in traffic direction or signage or how businesses in the community would fare,” he said. Ardovino said neither he nor other neighbors in the area were notified about the closure. He said his restaurant, Ardovino’s Desert Crossing, had already received several calls from confused customers who would not find their way around the detours.

“People are just not getting through,” he said. “I think (the city of Sunland Park) has an inexperienced administration and they had no idea how to deal with events this large. They just needed to think about it a little bit and let everyone know what was going to happen.”

Ardovino said he supported the concert and its cause, but would have liked some notice about the traffic mess and road closure that came with it.

As for the concert, organizers said they expected upwards of 25,000 attendees. Mario Porras with Amor Por Juarez said proceeds from the event will go to non-government affiliated organizations in Ciudad Juarez working to provide help and support for young people in the city.