Texas State Highway Loop 375 Explained

State:TX
Type:Loop
Route:375
Maint:TxDOT
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:Loop 375 highlighted in red
Length Mi:49.21
Established:1963
Beltway City:El Paso, TX
Direction A:CCW
Direction B:CW
Terminus A: in El Paso
Junction:
  • in El Paso
  • in El Paso
  • in El Paso
  • in El Paso
Terminus B: in El Paso
Counties:El Paso
Previous Type:Loop
Previous Route:374
Next Type:Loop
Next Route:376

Loop 375 is a beltway that partially encircles the city of El Paso, Texas. The beltway is mostly a freeway, except for its northern section, which includes at-grade intersections. The highway passes through various areas of El Paso, funneling traffic within and around the city. The road is known locally under different names, as Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive in the northern section, Purple Heart Memorial Freeway in the northeastern section, Joe Battle Boulevard in the eastern section, the César Chávez Border Highway in the southern section, and the Border West Expressway on the southwest section.

Route description

Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive

Loop 375 begins clockwise at an intersection with I-10 near Canutillo. Heading east, the highway enters and passes through the Franklin Mountains State Park and the Fort Bliss Castner Range before leaving at Northeast El Paso, where it meets US 54. The highway passes through Northeast El Paso before entering Fort Bliss.

The section through Franklin Mountains State Park includes many road cuts which expose outcrops of Precambrian rocks, which are some of the oldest in Texas.[1]

Purple Heart Memorial Freeway

After entering Fort Bliss, the highway bypasses Biggs Army Airfield to the north and east, and meets Spur 601 east of the airfield, before leaving at an intersection with US 62/US 180 in Southeast El Paso.

Joe Battle Boulevard

After leaving Fort Bliss, the highway passes through Southeast El Paso, heading south through residential neighborhoods, before curving southwest to meet I-10 at a stack interchange. Continuing southwest, the highway passes through more neighborhoods before meeting the El Paso Ysleta Port of Entry.

César Chávez Border Highway

After meeting the El Paso Ysleta Port of Entry, the highway curves northwest, following the Mexican border along the Rio Grande. Heading into downtown, the highway intersects US 54 at an interchange, passing unter the El Paso BOTA Port of Entry. The highway continues west into downtown, ending at US 62/US 85 Paisano Drive in downtown.

Border West Expressway

The newest segment of Loop 375, the Border West Expressway, passes from downtown through a narrow gap between UTEP and the Mexican border. Between Interstate 10 and US Route 85 (the CanAm Highway), the route is elevated above railroad tracks.[2] The segment serves as an alternate route to I-10 to relieve traffic congestion in and around downtown El Paso.[3]

The project, originally known simply as the Loop 375 Extension, was approved in September 2007.[4] The Border West Expressway name was adopted in 2014. Construction began in 2015 with a planned completion date of late 2017, but this was pushed back to 2019.[5]

The extension was planned as a four-lane toll road built by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) with tolls collected by the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA).[6] However, when the extension opened for traffic on October 3, 2019, no tolls were collected.[7] CRRMA planned to start charging tolls once given approval by TxDOT,[8] but this did not occur. Eventually, on October 26, 2023, CRRMA and TxDOT agreed to remove tolls on the expressway altogether, as CRRMA determined the road would have operated at a loss if tolls were implemented. The road is set to be integrated into the State Highway system once the tolling equipment is removed.[9]

History

Loop 375 was designated on January 26, 1962, from I-10 southeastward, eastward, southeastward, and southward to the Zaragosa International Bridge. On January 1, 1965, the section of FM 259 from I-10 to US 80 (now SH 20) became part of Loop 375. On April 1, 1968, Loop 375 was extended northwestward 12.5 miles, and the section to the Zaragosa International Bridge became a spur connection. On January 29, 1991, the section from SH 20 northeast to Loop 375 was also added, which when constructed, the old route of Loop 375 was to be deleted. On April 24, 2008, this section was deleted, but was restored as Spur 276 on July 31, 2008, but this was changed to Spur 16 on July 26, 2012, probably due to a reference to the old Loop 16.

Future

The Texas Department of Transportation announced plans to add toll lanes to the Border Highway portion of Loop 375 between Downtown El Paso and the Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge.

In 2012, construction commenced on an upgrade of the Transmountain Drive section of Loop 375. This expansion was controversial, as this section passes through the protected Franklin Mountains State Park.[10]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Geological Excursions to a Transmountain Precambrian Adventure. utep.edu.
  2. News: November 13, 2014 . Loop 375 Extension Now Called 'Border West Expressway' . El Paso Development News . August 20, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141223152345/http://www.elpasodevnews.com/2014/11/loop-375-extension-now-called-border.html . 2014-12-23.
  3. Web site: Border West Expressway. Texas Department of Transportation. May 20, 2018.
  4. Web site: Loop 375 Border Highway West Extension . January 3, 2019 . Texas Department of Transportation.
  5. News: Ochoa . Adrian . March 9, 2018 . Completion of Border West Expressway is delayed further . . . August 20, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180310073950/https://www.kvia.com/news/el-paso/completion-of-border-west-expressway-is-delayed-further/714159949 . 2018-03-10.
  6. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions Border West Expressway . https://web.archive.org/web/20200207082954/http://borderwestexpressway.com/en/learn/frequently-asked-questions . 2020-02-07 . Border West Expressway . Texas Department of Transportation.
  7. News: October 3, 2019 . El Paso's new Border West Expressway opens to motorists . . . October 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191010134656/https://www.kvia.com/news/el-paso/el-paso-s-new-border-west-expressway-opens-thursday/1128296145 . 2019-10-10.
  8. Web site: Border West Expressway Loop 375 Toll Lanes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200811160253/https://www.crrma.org/past-projects/border-west-expressway-loop-375-toll-lanes . 2020-08-11 . 2023-12-16 . Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority.
  9. News: Montañez . Rosemary . October 26, 2019 . Loop 375’s Border West Expressway becomes non-tolled state highway, despite being free of charge . . . October 28, 2019.
  10. Web site: Loop 375 – Transmountain West – Sundt. Sundt.