Contact Person(s):

Charles Kooshian
Salvador Gonzalez-Ayala

E-Mail Workgroup

Project Description:

This research project intends to develop for El Paso and Juarez a system of fully controlled access roadways, which should allow for fast communication between major urban sectors, as well as between these and the access points to the city. Special attention will be given to the connections with the international crossings and to the freeway network in El Paso.

The plan will focus on the completion of a calibrated/validated travel demand model to forecast future vehicle traffic in the system. Preliminary engineering design schemes will also be accomplished. This project will build the foundation for further development of construction plans and promote the project within the community. In addition, the ease to forecast vehicle traffic will allow for potential evaluation of its impact on air quality.

An aspect of this project will be to improve the flow of traffic in the El Paso area to reduce congestion on I-10 between the U.S. - 54 Interchange and Yarbrough Blvd. It is possible to reduce congestion on I-10 E East of the US-54 interchange by improving access to Loop 375 E. Improved access to Loop 375E will redirect traffic, provide alternate routes, improve emergency response, reduce commute time, and improve air quality along the I-10 corridor.

Cost / Cost Effectiveness:

Taking advantage of the research work on Juarez transportation that IMIP (Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación) has conducted since 1996, in cooperation with TXDOT and TTI (Texas Department of Transportation / Texas Transportation Institute), it is estimated that this research project will take 9 months for development, from the time of funds allocation, at a cost of $145,000 US (no funding sources are yet available).

Significance of Impact:

Knowledge of the “automobilization” effect that unrestricted vehicle capacity induces, in addition for the need of giving preference to collective transportation modes, has prompted the policy of charging a user-toll in this roadway system. In addition to allowing the control of traffic congestion levels (through congestion pricing), this user-toll scheme would provide the financial means to construct and operate such a costly infrastructure, but necessary for the economic growth of the region.

By guaranteeing agile traffic flow and at the same time minimizing any encouragement of private vehicle use, this “tollway” system provides the conditions for potential emission reductions from mobile sources, even though at the moment it is difficult to estimate its proportion. It is necessary though, to underline the importance of implementing this tollway system after the initial public transit corridors have consolidated their demand.

However precluding the possibilty of developing toll-based -roadways, the need for funds to reduce congestion through CMAQ mechanisms in the U.S. and thru State and Local sources in Cd. Juarez is imperitive.


Feasibility:

There is credible evidence of the technological feasibility of implementing the project, since there are many of such tollway systems successfully operating in cities throughout the world.

The financial feasibility must be determined as part of this research project by establishing the demand elasticity with the user-toll and consequently the parameters for investment equilibrium. Preliminary talks with community leaders have provided divided opinions on the subject; those against it stereotype it as an elitist or money-thirsty project. It must be understood though, that urban and transportation economic concepts are not necessarily common knowledge, and thus prior to asking for social acceptance or simply rejecting the concept, there must be an educational process about its potential benefits.