EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The City of El Paso has officially launched its new Vision Zero Quick Build Program to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries through targeted, data-driven safety improvements, the City announced.Vision Zero is a Citywide initiative aimed at eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries while prioritizing safety improvements “based on data, equity, and feasibility,” the City said.
This Vision Zero Quick Build Program allows residents to request low-cost, rapidly installed infrastructure solutions that increase safety on high-risk City-maintained roadways.
For a roadway to be considered for the quick build program, it must be a paved street within El Paso City limits that is maintained by the City of El Paso and is also located on or within a quarter mile of the High Injury Network (HIN). The High Injury Network consists of City-maintained local streets with the highest concentrations of injury crashes. Locations with a history of fatal or high-injury crashes will be evaluated and selected based on safety concerns, project readiness, and cost-benefit, the City said.The Vision Zero Quick Build Program will be led by the Capital Improvement and Streets and Maintenance departments. Members of the public can now submit a project request via the Capital Improvement Vision Zero webpage using the Quick Build Project Submission Portal. Submissions will be considered for project selection. The Vision Zero Quick Build submission portal is available by clicking here.Final project locations, designs, and materials are subject to approval of the city traffic engineer and will take into consideration the impact on transit routes, stops, and operations. Improvements to a street can consist of the following amenities and services: Curb extensions and chicanes (s-shaped curves), pop-up bike lanes, traffic circles and solar lighting; lane reconfiguration and signal timing alternations; and median closure/turn restrictions.The Vision Zero Quick Build Program has an annual allocation of $750,000 from City of El Paso’s General Fund to support the projects including planning, design, traffic studies, materials, and construction. The program’s funding is contingent on annual General Fund allocations, and programming will be set bi-annually based on available budget…