El Paso spends $2M on new San Jacinto Plaza restrooms now open to the public

EL PASO, Texas -- The long-awaited restroom facilities at San Jacinto Plaza in downtown El Paso are finally open to the public.

The renovated plaza had been without restrooms for several years.

Previous attempts at having restrooms there had been plagued by vandalism, crime and homelessness.

That left residents with few options when coming downtown for major events like the recent tree lighting ceremony.

The city spent over $2 million on the project, which also includes a new visitor center. Construction was slightly delayed after some asbestos was found and had to be cleared out.

The restrooms hours of operations will reflect the San Jacinto Park hours of 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

“Originally those bathrooms were meant to be built in a leased space but we found it more economical to purchase the building which delayed the start of the project to build a better project," said Michael Vonasek, the assistant director of construction for the city's capital improvement department.

The facilities feature monitors with coming attractions as well as security cameras and personnel on hand as a safety measure.