El Paso’s $97M streetcar project picking up speed

EL PASO – Construction on a $97 million project to restore streetcar services to the Downtown area could begin by the end of the year, according to transportation officials.

The 4.8-mile streetcar line will provide service from the Paso del Norte Port of Entry in Downtown to the West El Paso neighborhood that is home to a campus of El Paso Community College, the University of Texas at El Paso and several hospitals.

State funding would support the project.

Construction will be tricky as the route passes through the busy arts, business, government, entertainment and shopping districts in Downtown, said Raymond Telles, executive director of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, which is overseeing the project.

The firm that will build the project is expected to be selected from a shortlist of four finalists in August.