Nearly $100 Million In State Funding Approved For El Paso Trolley
The return of an El Paso trolley system is one huge step closer to reality.
ABC-7 has learned the Texas Department of Transportation is ready to hand the Sun City $80 to $90 million to pay for nearly the entire project.
But it’s all contingent on a Tuesday City Council vote.
That vote — now on the council’s agenda — will be on whether to approve $4 million dollars for an environmental and design study for the trolley, clearing the tracks for the nearly $100 million in state funding.
“It really is a no-brainer,” said City Representative Steve Ortega. “Consistently the trolley has ranked very high when we ask the community what are some of the amenities that they’d like to see. So I’m really excited about bringing back this part of El Paso’s heritage to the modern day.”
Ortega could hardly contain his enthusiasm about Thursday’s news, crediting El Pasoan Ted Houghton, who happens to be the chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, for securing the funds. Houghton declined comment on Thursday.
“It goes to show you what happens when you have some people who can pull some weight in Austin for our community,” Ortega said. “We get results.”
The route will run along either Oregon or Stanton streets, from the Downtown bridge to UTEP.
“The benefits are you are bridging the two most dense pedestrian areas in El Paso,” Ortega pointed out. “No. 1 the bridge area Downtown and No. 2 UTEP. In between there you have Downtown and all of its attractions, you have the El Paso Community College campus, the medical campuses with Providence Hospital and Las Palmas and then you have the university.”
ABC-7 spoke with several El Pasoans about the project.
“I would definitely use it,” said UTEP student Karla Garcia.
“It seems like a good way to invest money,” said Ben Duran. “I’ve never been on one so I’d like to see how it is.”
Others said they can’t wait to see it become a reality.
“That’s actually a pretty great idea,” said Central El Pasoan Cruz De La Riva. “I’m all for it, definitely. I would actually use it. I live right in the area. I like to go Downtown, I like to come up here by UTEP sometimes to eat, so it would be perfect for me.”
As for Tuesday’s vote, Ortega said: “I don’t think anybody would be foolish enough to vote against this. This is basically money that is going to fall in our laps from Austin. If we choose not to take it, it’ll go to Dallas, it’ll go to Houston or it’ll go to San Antonio.”
A recent study showed the trolley could bring a 4-to-1 to 11-to-1 return on investment in the first 15 years, since businesses would be expected to spring up around it.
Other studies show trolleys to have a relatively high cost per passenger mile.
Ortega said the trolley could be running as soon as late 2014.
