Transportation

With the expansion of Fort Bliss, our local transportation infrastructure will come under additional strain as thousands of new soldiers and families relocate to our community.  I support policies that invest in our country’s transportation infrastructure and keep our system in the best condition possible.  Because the great majority of trade between the United States and its NAFTA partners, Canada and Mexico, is done using surface transportation, I strongly believe that investing in roadways, rail, and land ports of entry is necessary to keep our local economy strong.

Transportation Authorization Projects in the 111th Congress

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is drafting new surface transportation authorization legislation to replace the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (P.L. 109-59), which expires on September 30, 2009.  The Committee will review requests from Members of Congress to designate funding for High Priority Projects (HPP) to ensure the diverse transportation needs from various congressional districts are addressed with the investment provided in this legislation.

Below is the list of projects I have submitted to the Committee for consideration.

Requesting Entity: City of El Paso
Project: Construct additional phase at IH-10 at Loop 375 (Americas Interchange)
Request: $47,800,000

The I-10/Loop 375 (Americas) Interchange is one of the major interchanges in El Paso County for traffic traveling north, east, south and west.  Loop 375 is a beltway around El Paso and it connects four ports of entry from Mexico: Paso Del Norte Bridge; Friendship Bridge; Bridge of the Americas; and Zaragoza International Bridge.  The Americas Interchange is a proposed four-level, fully directional interchange, in its ultimate design, and will be built in phases.  The request is for funding to construct another phase of the fully directional interchange which consists of two direct connectors, expansion of existing frontage to frontage road connections, and expansion of existing cloverleafs.  


Requesting Entity: City of El Paso
Project: Development of the El Paso Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System
Request: Authorization to pursue future fiscal year appropriations

The City of El Paso is seeking to develop fixed guideway transit services in four high capacity corridors that were identified by the El Paso Transit Corridors Feasibility Study.   This request will help access funds for the initial segments of the El Paso Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System.  BRT will streamline transportation throughout the area, reducing commute time for patrons, as well as the area's carbon footprint and overall traffic congestion. This project is considered a “new start” because it requires authorization before it is eligible for federal funding.  This request asks the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to grant this authorization so the City of El Paso can pursue future fiscal year appropriations to develop the system.


Requesting Entity: City of El Paso
Project: Develop a Border Improvement Master Plan to study and consider operational improvements to planned and existing international ports of entry in the El Paso metropolitan area
Request: $1,600,000

A thorough review of the operational and infrastructural needs of our regional ports of entry will not only be valuable to state and local policy makers but also federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and General Services Administration as they make decision about staffing and infrastructure improvements.  This project will develop a Border Improvement Master Plan to study and consider operational and infrastructure improvements and interrelationships of existing and proposed ports of entry along the U.S. - Mexico border from Santa Teresa, NM to Fabens (Guadalupe/Tornillo), TX.  Short, mid, and long-term recommendations will come from this study.  Traffic patterns and impact on the overall transportation network will also be considered.  Use of technology to facilitate border crossings, congestion pricing, segregation of traffic types to maximize existing infrastructure and modifications to existing ports of entry will all be reviewed.

 
Requesting Entity: El Paso County
Project: Reconstruct and expand number of lanes at Rojas Drive from El Paso city limits to Eastlake Blvd.
Request: $1,520,000

Rojas Drive to Eastlake Blvd. is a high volume arterial with traffic currently exceeding 26,000 vehicles per day.  Continued rapid commercial, industrial, and residential development in the region is projected to increase traffic volume to 50,000 vehicles per day within the next 12 months. Development in the area includes a new high school, the relocation of Socorro Independent School District (SISD) Administrative Offices, a new SISD Bus Distribution Facility, and many new warehouse facilities and housing developments.  Expanding the arterial lanes will mitigate congestion and create a safer, more efficient route for local residents, commuters, and commercial vehicles and will help accommodate future growth.


Requesting Entity: Metropolitan Planning Organization/Texas Department of Transportation
Project: Construct an overpass at Loop 375 (Woodrow Bean-Transmountain Road) and Resler Drive Request: $24,111,000

The northwestern portion of the El Paso metropolitan area has experienced substantial growth over the past several years, and commercial, industrial, and residential development in the area is expected to continue.  The increased growth has resulted in an associated increase in traffic volumes.  The proposed project will improve traffic mobility in the area and provide a safer, more efficient transportation route for local residents, commuters, commercial vehicles, and the traveling public.

 
Requesting Entity: University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
Project: Plan, design, and construct a loop road system within and around the UTEP campus
Request: $25,000,000

As UTEP and the City of El Paso continue to grow, traffic in and around the UTEP campus is increasingly becoming more precarious.  This project will provide for the planning, design, and construction of a loop road system within and around the University of Texas at El Paso campus that will improve vehicle access to and from campus and from federal and state highways; improve circulation around campus; improve access to streets and parking areas within campus; and reduce traffic in neighborhoods adjacent to the campus.  Segments of the loop road would also serve as a connector between Interstate Highway 10 and Mesa Street.  Additionally, pedestrian safety will be enhanced through the construction of new bike lanes and sidewalks, medians, crosswalks, bus stops, and improved lighting, street furnishings, and signage.