Fresh concrete, earthwork, and a steady buzz of heavy machinery are now impossible to miss near Stan Roberts Sr. Avenue east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, as construction on the long-planned Borderland Expressway kicks into a more visible gear in northeast El Paso. Crews have been shifting traffic patterns and scheduling overnight closures while Phase 2 moves into main lane work on the roughly 10.8-mile bypass that is intended to route large trucks and through traffic around downtown and ease congestion on I-10.
A new photo gallery from the El Paso Times shows poured foundations and construction equipment at the Stan Roberts worksite, with images credited to Omar Ornelas. The shots give a close-up look at the traffic switches and embankment work crews are tackling this month.
Project footprint and phases
The Texas Department of Transportation’s El Paso District describes the Borderland Expressway, designated Spur 320, as an approximately 10.8-mile corridor that will be built in three phases from the Railroad Drive area to FM 3255 (Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). TxDOT says the work includes frontage roads, main lanes, bridges and a shared-use path, and notes the project first went before the public in 2018.
Funding and the final phase
Funding for the El Paso District has been progressing as well. Local coverage reported the district is slated to receive about $2.1 billion through Texas’s 2026 Unified Transportation Program, and in August 2025, the Texas Transportation Commission approved roughly $150 million aimed at completing Phase 3. KVIA reported the UTP allocation, and Senator César J. Blanco’s August announcement details the $150 million commitment for the final phase.
What crews are doing now
The first one-mile frontage segment between Railroad Drive and Dyer Street opened to drivers in February 2025, and crews have since shifted their focus to the longer Phase 2 work zone. Local TxDOT schedules and weekly work notices list full roadway closures and traffic switches on FM 3255 (Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) between Stan Roberts and O’Hara as part of current operations. See the latest local closure advisories on the TxDOT El Paso closures page for detours and nightly work windows.
Local planning and development
Regional planners and business groups say the bypass could reshape the economic map for northeast El Paso by improving truck access and making land along the corridor more attractive to logistics and industrial users. The El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization has included Borderland Expressway phases in its project lists and TIP materials, noting construction timelines and funding needs in regional planning documents. El Paso MPO documents describe the project’s role in the broader transportation program.
Tips for drivers…