Long-discussed plans for the creation of a deck plaza stretching across Interstate 10 in downtown El Paso have taken a big step forward with an agreement securing $10 million for the proposal.
The imaginative project has been in the talking stage now for the better part of a decade and has centered on building a park on an overpass that will no longer be in use owing to the larger I-10 lane-widening project.
Supporters of what has been called the I-10 Upper Deck have envisioned the park as including trees, grass, bushes, and gardens in a space that spans roughly five blocks. Additional proposed features for the park have included a dog park, performance stage, and even an El Paso Department substation.
Earlier reports have indicated that the project could cost as much as $207 million to complete, with construction occurring in two phases.
Now members of the El Paso City Council have voted to approve an advanced funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation that will provide up to $10 million for the project. In response, the City of El Paso will be required to put up $561,000 in matching funds.
That $10 million would more specifically go to paying for design work for a tunnel that would run underneath the deck plaza.
The design work, and the $10 million in funding, is seen as a necessary precursor to eventually securing funding for the larger deck plaza project itself.
City officials supporting the project have said that they would like to secure federal and state funds as much as possible to see it built.
March 10, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Rendering courtesy of Paso del Norte Foundation
