TxDOT: Portion of Montana Ave. will become an expressway

The Texas Department of Transportation is rolling out another major construction project to relieve traffic on Montana Avenue in east El Paso.

TxDOT’s chief engineer Bob Bielek said Montana Ave. will be transformed into an expressway with six lanes and new frontage roads.

Construction will span from Gobal Reach to Zaragoza.

“Montana is exceeding its capacity. If you look, we get tremendous backups going westbound in the morning, likewise, we have backups eastbound in the evening,” Bielek said.

In order to build it, Bielek said westbound frontage lanes will be built north of Montana, but the current westbound lanes will eventually be demolished to make room for the expressway. The current eastbound lanes will turn into the frontage lanes.

TXDOT will also have to build overpasses and ramps and will include a shared-use path, bike lane, sidewalks, and landscaping.

The project is expected to cost $121 million with construction scheduled to begin January 2019.

“The area has seen significant growth in recent years and it shows no signs of slowing. The elimination of frequent signal lights and the addition of a shared use path and sidewalks will address safety and the addition of direct connectors and frontage roads will improve mobility in that part of East El Paso,” Bielek said.

TxDOT is hosting a public hearing Thursday, August 2, at the R.E.L. Washington Elementary School Gymnasium, 3505 Lee Trevino Drive.

The first part of the meeting starts at 5 p.m. and will be an open house format. The second half of the meeting starts at 6 p.m. with a formal presentation and public comment.

TxDOT officials said this is one of the last phases before the start of construction.