Residents upset with ongoing traffic issues in the Enchanted Hills neighborhood
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- Residents in the Enchanted Hills Neighborhood in West El Paso say the I-10 Widening West project started off as an inconvenience but has grown into a safety hazard.
Christian Lopez, President of Enchanted Hills Neighborhood Association, says due to the construction there is one road in and one road out of their neighborhood. Lopez says hundreds of vehicles including commercial trucks cause traffic congestion because they are forced to travel through the residential area.
Lopez says this increase in traffic has him and other neighbors worried about everyone's safety especially children who are expected to wait at the bus stop.
"We do not want the stereotypical process for government agencies to fall into where the only action is done in a reactive manner. When tragedy hits," Lopez says.
TxDOT spokeswoman, Jennifer Wright, says part of the reason they are doing the I-10 Widening West project is to help accommodate the increase in traffic. Wright says over time the area has changed from a rural to an urban area.
"We were able to open up the frontage road past Enchanted Hills as a relief. But then when it came time to construct that much anticipated Los Muchis overpass, we did have to close it again so that crews could have room to build retaining walls, bring in equipment, place beams and pave that overpass," Wright said.
According to Wright, the Los Mochis overpass is expected to be open to traffic by Spring 2025, and the underpass with the U-turn lanes will open in the Fall of 2025.
