October 25, 2021

Downtown Deck Plaza needs your help

In 1969, work was underway to extend the federal Interstate 10 (I-10) through El Paso to link the cross-country, east-west highway from Jacksonville, Florida, to Santa Monica, California. A monumental project designed to support transportation and trade, the project disrupted the heart of Downtown El Paso — and the fabric of El Paso’s urban core  with a sunken freeway.
 
Today, we’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to change that. 

Whether you live, work, own property, or just travel through downtown, the Downtown Deck Plaza needs your help. Community support and involvement are critical to bringing this vision to reality. We look forward to working with the community on a design process for the Deck Plaza to ensure that it is a place for individuals and families across our region to enjoy. 

The idea of placing a Deck Plaza over I-10 in Downtown isn’t new. It’s also something which has been done in many other communities. In places like Dallas and Phoenix, Deck Plazas built over urban freeways have catalyzed growth, development, and excitement. They have created important amenities that enhance downtown work-life and livability.

The Paso del Norte Community Foundation established the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation to support the vision for a Deck Plaza over I-10 in the downtown corridor.  To learn more about the project and to get involved in future planning efforts, log-on to: https://www.DowntownDeckPlaza.org.