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El Paso MPO approves $2 million studies and plan updates for border highway connector and port-of-entry projects
Summary
The El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization approved agreements and plan amendments to study traffic impacts from a proposed Border Highway Connector, finalize functional classification for the route, add an international ports ITS project to the TIP and accept a non‑federal match agreement for a border‑crossing systems analysis.
The El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization on Jan. 20 authorized staff to finalize multiple agreements and amend regional plans to advance studies and design work tied to the Border Highway Connector and international ports of entry.
Board members authorized the executive director to execute a non‑federal match agreement with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to complete the international border crossing systemwide analysis tied to a $2,000,000 grant. The board was told the total local match required for that study is $403,000 and will be split among the City of El Paso, El Paso County and the State of New Mexico.
The MPO also approved a funding agreement with the New Mexico Border Authority to fund a separate Border Highway Connector Phase 2 traffic‑impact and improvements feasibility study, also described to the board as a $2,000,000 effort. That phase will model how traffic from a proposed new connection north of the Santa Teresa port of entry could route east toward Sunland Park and ultimately into El Paso, and will identify potential intersection hotspots and preliminary improvement costs.
MPO staff obtained board approval to submit a functional classification request to New Mexico and the Federal Highway Administration to designate the proposed border connector as a principal arterial. The board approved corresponding amendments to the Regional Mobility Strategy and metropolitan transportation plan to clarify the connector’s design as a four‑lane divided arterial, to set project limits consistent with current travel‑demand modeling and to update cost and funding amounts.
Separately, the MPO programmed a $2,000,000 federal award — FHWA’s SMART (Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation) program funds — for an intelligent transportation systems (ITS) design and regional integration project at the downtown international ports into the Transportation Improvement Program. City staff notified the MPO that the City of El Paso received the grant award; the MPO added the federally funded project into its short‑range program as required when federal money is awarded.
Executive Director Eduardo Locarno framed the changes as largely procedural cleanup to make project descriptions match the latest project development and modeling, and said procurement will follow to hire consultants for work the MPO will not perform in‑house. "This completes the match so that we can begin with that study," Locarno said when describing the non‑federal agreement for the border crossing analysis.
The board approved each item by voice vote. No roll‑call tallies were provided in the meeting record for those motions.
Why it matters: The studies and plan updates will feed modeling and project definitions used by New Mexico and local partners as the Border Highway Connector and related port‑of‑entry improvements move from environmental review and design toward construction. The decisions affect freight routing, potential local intersection improvements and future requests for state or federal construction funds.
What’s next: MPO staff said it will begin procurement for consultants to support the traffic and hotspot analyses and will coordinate with New Mexico DOT, the Border Authority and local jurisdictions as the studies proceed.
