Up to $1 million in federal funding for the ongoing development of an El Paso walkway may soon be coming out of Washington.
Texas Congresswoman Veronica Escobar has asked that that funding be included as part of the big fiscal year 2022 Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee Appropriations bill.
Described largely as a water-front shared-use path, the latest segment of the Paso Del Norte Trail will run adjacent to the Franklin Canal, passing by a mostly commercial and industrial part of the city.
The new funded segment, running from the entrance of the El Paso Zoo to Tobin Place, like the rest of the trail, is designed to be used by both pedestrians as well as cyclists.
Escobar has described the project as green infrastructure that will “give residents access to a walking trail and active lifestyle.”
In a statement, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, remarked that “connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists” is a major component of El Paso’s quality of life, along with “establishing multi-modal transportation options for our citizens.”
Altogether, the Paso del Norte Trail is expected to be nearly 70 miles long upon completion, traveling through a wide variety of neighborhoods and open space in both the city of El Paso and larger El Paso County.
At least 20 miles of the trial have so far been constructed.
The overall subcommittee appropriations bill provides $84.1 billion in spending for a wide variety of housing and infrastructure projects and has now passed the full House.
By Garry Boulard
