ONLY ON ABC-7: Canutillo ISD looks to connect to Spur 16
Canutillo Independent School District wants the area it shares with multiple other schools to be connected to the new Spur 16, so that drivers have more options for getting in and out.
Canutillo High School opened off Interstate 10 between Artcraft and Transmountain in 2006. Since then, drivers have only had one side to get in and out, the east side of the campus.
“Usually it gets really crowded right here. All the cars are right here and then like, through here, it’s hard to get through. If everyone just went down over there, I guess it would be better,” driver Jose Cruz said.
The northwest high school has been a good neighbor, by sharing the only major thoroughfare, Isela Rubalcava Boulevard, with a head start, an early college high school and El Paso Community College Northwest.
“The underclassmen … I feel bad for them. They’re gonna have to deal with a lot of traffic,” one Canutillo HS senior said.
The Texas Department of Transportation and the city of El Paso have already met with the district to come up with plans, and the infrastructure is already there.
“We feel that it would be improvement in our safety and security here in the school district,” Gustavo Reveles, district spokesman, said.
TxDOT spent $13 million to complete the Spur 16 and now Canutillo ISD wants to be connected to it as well.
Drivers who have experienced headaches getting in and out of all four educational centers, as well as the West Side Sports Complex, say the extension can’t come soon enough.
When we asked TxDOT for comment on Isela Rubalcava, the agency referred us to the city. A city engineer says they’re finalizing plans, but construction is contingent on funding from TxDOT.
