Loop 375

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Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive is a scenic expressway taking Loop 375 across the Franklin Mountains. 04/25/17

State Loop 375 forms a three quarter beltway around El Paso, traveling 48.99 miles from Downtown to SH 20 at Canutillo. The majority of the highway is a limited access freeway, with expressway standards along Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive across the Franklin Mountains. Exceptions include the two-lane extent west of IH 10 at the north end along Talbot Avenue, and the initial stretch of SL 375 between Santa Fe Street and Park Street to the south of Downtown El Paso.

State Loop 375 Guides

Loop 375 was designated in 1963 as part of the 1963 El Paso Freeway plan. The first leg completed was the Woodrow Bean Trans-Mountain Highway, which opened in 1970. This section of highway was TxDOT's largest excavation project to date.

By 1976, the section of Loop 375 from Downtown southeast to the Zaragoza Bridge, and north to US 62/180 was completed. The frontage roads between US 62/180 and US 54, through Fort Bliss, were completed in 1994.

The state legislature named SL 375 between Santa Fe Street and Zaragoza Road the Cesar Chavez Border Highway in 2001. Construction of freeway main lanes, and conversion of the existing divided highway into a limited-access freeway, began in earnest as a reliever to IH 10. Following two years of construction and costing $63 million, the eight mile section of freeway from Pellicano Drive north to U.S. 62 & 180 (Montana Avenue) opened on the East Side of El Paso on June 7, 20061

A three phase project upgraded the full cloverleaf at the I-10/Loop 375 Americas interchange into a systems exchange. The $48 million second phase was completed in fall 2015, adding three of the four flyovers directly connecting both freeways. Previously motorists navigated along the frontage road system of both roads to complete movements.2

A $50 million project completed upgrades along Loop 375 between Trans Mountain Road, west of U.S. 54 (Patriot Freeway), and Dyer Street (U.S. 54 Business). Work on the extension was finished in fall 2014. Also completed at that time was the $61 million Interstate 10 West/Trans Mountain Road project. That project expanded Loop 375 into a four-lane divided highway with frontage roads, and added the two flyovers linking the freeways.2

Tolled express lanes were added to a nine mile section of SL 375, between U.S. 54 (Patriot Freeway) and Zaragoza Road, during a $55 million project from July 2011 to January 2014.2 Operated by the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, the César Chávez Express Toll Lanes utilized the left-hand lane of each SL 375 roadway, with variable rates charged. Due to operating costs exceeding revenue, toll collection along SL 375 ceased on August 10, 2017.3

A ground breaking ceremony took place on November 12, 2014 for the Loop 375 Border Highway West extension, a 7.5 mile long toll road extending SL 375 northwest from Downtown El Paso along the Rio Grande and U.S. 85 (Paisano Drive) to IH 10 near the Mesa Hills community. Rebranded as the Border West Expressway, the estimated $500 million project was initially anticipated to run through Fall 2017.4

Under construction since Spring 2015, the Border West Expressway converges with IH 10 by Sunland Park Mall and Racetrack Road at Doniphan Drive. Subsequent delays pushed back the scheduled completion of the toll road to Fall 2018 and then the end of Summer 2019. Total costs for the Border West Expressway are $680 million.5


Sources:
  1. "Loop 375 lanes open." El Paso Times (TX), June 7, 2006.
  2. "El Paso's I-10, Loop 375 ramps in $48M second phase." El Paso Times (TX), April 22, 2013.
  3. "Tolls on Border Highway end starting at midnight Wednesday." El Paso Times (TX), August 9, 2017.
  4. "El Paso's Border West Expressway breaks ground." El Paso Times (TX), November 12, 2014.
  5. "As Border West Expressway Project winds down, changes set for Downtown streets." El Paso Herald-Post (TX), April 29, 2019.

    Connect with:
    Interstate 10
    Interstate 110
    U.S. 54 - Patriot Freeway
    U.S. 62
    U.S. 180
    Spur 601 - Liberty Expressway

    Page Updated 07-18-2019.

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