The next step in an ongoing process to build a highway deck plaza in El Paso has been taken with the beginning of an official pitch for State of Texas funding.
Members of the El Paso City Council have given their approval to a resolution allowing the city to apply for two Texas Department of Transportation grants for the project.
The vote is part of an official process required by the agency giving evidence of the support of the council for the project.
What is being called the I-10 Upper Deck project will see, if enough funding is finally secured, the transformation of a bridge spanning I-10 in downtown El Paso into a park.
As envisioned, the plaza will have a length of some five city blocks and will include all the amenities of a park, including grass, trees, shrubbery, gardens, and benches.
The non-profit group Paseo del Norte Community Foundation has estimated that it may cost upwards of $207 million to design and build the plaza, with $105 million going for the first phase project and nearly $102 million targeting the second phase.
It is expected that the Texas DOT will decide on the grant funding request sometime in August.
June 23, 2025
By Garry Boulard
A rendering from the Texas Department of Transportation shows a lowered Interstate 30 with a deck park at Exposition Avenue. 04232014xNEWS
