Is Spur 601 unfinished?

We see work on our freeways on a daily basis but one finished highway project has some El Pasoans asking if it’s really finished.

It’s no secret El Paso’s highways have gone through a major makeover.

From the Americas Interchange expected to be completed in late summer or early fall to the Spaghetti Bowl. They are all part of ongoing highway improvement projects.

“We probably have somewhere between 27 and 32 projects,” said Bob Bielek, Texas Department of Transportation district engineer.

Bielek tells ABC-7 the projects have a hefty price tag.

“In the last five years it’s been a total of $1.8 billion,” Bielek said.

The improvements have come with some beautification.

Each project has been sprinkled with color and accents that make them unique.

But it’s the Spur 601 that has some people asking, is it really finished?

“The Spur 601 was completed just before I got here so it was completed in 2010-2011,” Bielek said.

It’s very easy to notice that the columns under the Spur 601 are accented with lone stars and a decorative brick but if you take a look only short distance away the columns are plain, no accents, no color.

The plain columns begin and end right at the fence line of the Fort Bliss National Cemetery.

“What I’ve asked staff is what happened and the response I got was a request from Fort Bliss through the State Historic Preservation Officer just to leave them plain,” Bielek said.

So the next time you drive under the Spur 601 don’t think of it as unfinished. Think of it as a tribute for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.