May 2014: TxDOT to demolish Lincoln Center
There is final confirmation that the Lincoln Center will be demolished.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has been talking about tearing down the building to make way for freeway expansion.
A group of El Pasoans have been trying to save the Lincoln Center, arguing it’s part of El Paso’s history.
It housed the first Hispanic and African American school in the city.
TxDOT sent a letter to State Sen. Jose Rodriguez las Friday, saying the building will have to come down.
“We must move forward with plans to remove the buillding from our right of way,” says the letter.
In a letter dated May 12, 2014, Rodriguez wrote a letter to the executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation expressing his disappointment in the decision.
Rodriguez also asked for a demolition date.
El Paso’s Metropolitan Planning Organization voted unanimously May 3 to move forward with plans to alleviate congestion on I-10 near U.S. 54.
Two of the 13 proposals included potentially demolishing roughly five homes, and a couple of warehouses, in addition to the Lincoln Center.
TxDOT engineer Bob Bielek told ABC-7 May 3 that choosing a plan that doesn’t affect the Lincoln Center area could inconvenience 10,000 to 15,000 people a day.
The MPO didn’t approve any specific proposal May 3.
TxDOT was to begin working with the Federal Highway Administration to assess the environmental impact of each proposal but the choice was in TxDOT’s hands, MPO Director Michael Medina told ABC-7 May 3.
