Work Progresses on El Paso Streetcar Rehabilitation

By Armando Landin
 
The vehicles that will be used for the upcoming streetcar project, currently under construction, will use the same bodies as those seen on city streets decades ago in El Paso.

The color scheme El Pasoans will see on streetcars once they make their return to Downtown streets in late 2018. (CRRMA)

And now we're getting a peek at the rehabilitation process for those streetcars taking place thousands of miles away.

Downtown El Paso Alive with Investment

A Comprehensive List of Downtown Projects   

By Armando Landin   

A couple of years back, it was the hope of City officials that a new baseball stadium and other Quality of Life projects would breathe new life into Downtown revitalization efforts and spur private investment in El Paso's largely-ignored center.

Downtown El Paso is seeing a clear surge of investment with private and public projects spread throughout the area. 

The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas are now in their third season, and two short years after Southwest University Park opened its gates on the site of the former City Hall, signs of burgeoning investment are becoming clear.

Workers to Begin Laying Streetcar Rail in June

By Armando Landin   

The streetcar project in Downtown El Paso has been chugging along for months, but has mostly been focused on utility relocation. That will change in June when crews begin laying rail along the streetcar route.

This cross section shows how the streetcar rail will be embedded in a concrete slab. Rail recently arrived in El Paso and will soon be laid for the streetcar project. (CRRMA)

The first shipment of rail has arrived in El Paso and will be kept in storage until needed. The rail pieces were manufactured in Austria and brought by train from the Port of Houston.

Traffic Alert: Downtown Lane Closures Will Affect I-10 Exits

Lane closures necessary for work related to the streetcar project in Downtown El Paso may cause backup on Interstate 10 exit ramps in coming weeks.

Officials with the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authorith (CRRMA) are encouraging drivers to seek alternate routes.

Yandell Drive will be reduced to one westbound lane at Stanton Street beginning Monday, April 4, 2016, just one block away from merging traffic using the westbound Mesa Street exit at Downtown. This may have the biggest impact on commuters as actual lane reduction may begin two blocks before the actual closure.