Street, sidewalk, and park infrastructure needs remain high budget priorities to improve the quality of life for our families and neighbors in District 2. I have made progress on creating more parks and open spaces within a heavily infilled area.
The process to allocate money for streets and to select streets for repair lacked transparency. I advocated for a better process to make sure city residents have an understanding of how the selection process works. First, I assessed the 2012 street repair list and identified streets that had been removed. The money that was shifted to other areas was returned to this fund and all the streets were repaired. Then, I helped create the Pavement Condition Index Study. This index puts a scientific system in place to repair streets in need, instead of City Representative preference. I am confident this mechanism will bring transparency and fairness to the selection of street repairs across the city.
Street safety has long been ignored on heavy roadways in District 2. Dyer Street and Montana Avenue, owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), are major arterials that have not been upgraded in years. A successful collaboration between the City and State has been established to advance work on roads throughout El Paso. The Dyer Master Plan, approved by the City, will complement land use and aesthetics. This plan led TxDOT to engage in a similar plan that focuses on safety and landscaping. This year, Montana Avenue will receive a complete facelift, between Piedras Street to Trowbridge Drive, with added sidewalks, landscaping, ADA accessibility, and crosswalks.