“This ramp is the first to improve connectivity between I-10 and Loop 375, which is one of the main goals on the I-10 Connect project. We are excited to open the first of many newly constructed direct connectors and have drivers experience the improved connectivity for our region,” said Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) El Paso Project Manager Jorge Oregel, PE.
With the opening, a commuter who works in West El Paso and wants to get home in East El Paso can now use eastbound Loop 375 (Border West Expressway) to bypass Downtown then easily transfer to I-10 to continue on their evening commute as usual. This also is a boon to travelers from west El Paso whose destination lies between US-54 and the other connection to I-10 at Loop 375 in far east El Paso.
By the Numbers
- First: This direct connector ramp was the first bridge to start construction in the I-10 Connect Project.
- March 22, 2019: The date work began on the first drilled shaft to support this bridge.
- 1,610.16 feet: Overall length of the new bridge.
- 15: The number of bridge spans.
- 16: The number of bents.
- 24.7 feet: Average height of the bridge.
- 3,628.5: Cubic yards of concrete used in construction of this bridge.
- $3.9 million: Cost to construct direct connector from eastbound Loop 375 to eastbound I-10.
More new direct connector ramps will open in the coming months and the entire project is expected to be complete in less than one year.
The I-10 Connect Project includes 16 new bridges or bridge segments that will also provide direct connectivity from eastbound I-10 to eastbound Loop 375. The project will also provide new direct connectors from I-10 to Loop 375 in both directions via southbound US 54. International traffic bound for the Bridge of the Americas will have their own direct connector ramps, too.
