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El Paso commissioners direct staff to press TxDOT for changes to downtown I-10 plan
Summary
The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to ask TxDOT to reconsider its preferred downtown I-10 plan, request more public comment time and remove planned Texas-turn and high-speed frontage elements that residents say would harm neighborhoods.
The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to ask the Texas Department of Transportation to reconsider key design choices in the Downtown I-10 (Reimagine I-10) project and to seek more time for public comment before the agency finalizes a preferred alternative.
The court asked staff to draft a formal letter opposing TxDOT—s preferred alternative, reiterating the county—s prior support for an alternate plan (identified in court materials as Alternative F), and to request an extension of the public comment period. The letter will also tell TxDOT the court opposes continuous U-turn ("Texas turn") lanes and freeway-style, high-speed frontage adjacent to neighborhoods and small businesses.
Why it matters: Residents, neighborhood groups and business owners told commissioners they fear the preferred design will widen existing physical and social divides created when I-10 first ran through Eastside neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s. Speakers said the draft environmental document underestimates construction impacts and long-term traffic and public-health consequences for adjacent blocks.
Public comment drove the discussion. Vicky Hamilton of the East Side Central Coalition said the project—s outreach and timetable disadvantaged the community: "They issued this just before Labor Day...their public meetings were on a holiday...so people were not" available to participate. Other commenters, including the Community First Coalition, submitted written statements arguing the draft environmental impact statement overstates population growth and omits a meaningful economic accounting of building and housing loss.
Court deliberations focused on three practical requests: 1) ask TxDOT to re-evaluate the preferred alternative and carry forward or re-analyze alternatives that avoid widening and elevated frontage next to homes and small businesses; 2) request more public comment time so affected communities can review and respond; and 3) urge removal of continuous-turning-lanes and high-speed frontage that would permit faster traffic at neighborhood front doors. Commissioner David Stout, who moved the measure to draft the letter, said the court should use the comment period to press for urban-design approaches compatible with downtown redevelopment and neighborhood protections.
The action was procedural: the court voted to proceed with a draft letter and to circulate a revised draft to commissioners before submission to TxDOT ahead of the agency—s October comment deadline. The court did not adopt a final, signed position at the meeting; staff will return with the final letter as requested.
The county administration noted it will consult the county engineer—s draft and incorporate public input when preparing the letter. The court also asked staff to identify constructive alternative design suggestions that TxDOT can analyze alongside the preferred plan.
Looking ahead: The county will submit its letter before TxDOT—s comment deadline (the county and staff discussed a target tied to the October 14, 2025 DEIS deadline) and will continue outreach to neighborhood groups and the city office to shape potential design and mitigation language.
