Construction on Loop 375 catches drivers by surprise

Hundreds of drivers found themselves in a jam afternoon in East El Paso.

The Texas Department of Transportation closed one of the southbound lanes of Loop 375 to work on one of the overpasses at the Interstate 10 interchange. It was closed from Rojas north of I-10 down to North Loop south of the highway.

TxDOT a week ago put up road signs warning motorists about the closure, but many were caught by surprise.

Hundreds of commuters were visibly upset Saturday afternoon. Several drivers said they’d been stuck in traffic for nearly half an hour.

“You know, they’re trying to get El Paso to move up but in the meantime I’m sure we’re going to have to go through a lot of pain,” one man said.

Drivers heading south on the Loop, were forced to exit onto I-10 East, which was also down to just lane. Truck drivers heading toward the Ysleta International Bridge also had to take a detour, which caused traffic to back up for at least three miles.

The closure was expected to run from 7 this morning to about 5, but officials re-opened the lane around 2:30 when construction was suspended.

There were high winds in the area, TxDOT officials could not be reached for comment on why construction was stopped.