Council awards contract for Alameda Brio rapid transit system

City Council Tuesday awarded an $11 million contract to Martinez Bros. Contractors, LLC for the construction of the Alameda Brio system.

The rapid transit system will connect the Mission Valley to Central and Downtown El Paso.

The overall cost of the project is $38.3 million, city officials said. The approximately 14.5 mile route will offer faster and more reliable transportation similar to that provided by light rail systems in much larger cities, city officials said. The BRIO has the added advantage of having a much lower implementation cost.

“Council’s action is a huge milestone in our efforts to improve public transit,” Sun Metro’s Jay Banasiak said in a news release. “This Brio project, the second in El Paso, will enrich our customer service by allowing us to get riders traveling on Alameda Avenue to their destination much quicker than on our traditional fixed routes.”

The Brio uses modern, rubber-tire, high capacity vehicles; improved fare collection systems to move riders along more efficiently.

The Alameda corridor will receive 29 dedicated Brio stops and 14 brand new buses, both of which will be Wi-Fi ready and ADA accessible.

Sun Metro is also planning to construct Brio systems along Dyer and Montana.