Traffic is moving a little more smoothly along westbound Pellicano Drive in far East El Paso as the dreaded orange barrels that have long restricted traffic are no longer blocking lanes and construction on the first expansion phase inches closer to completion.
The westbound lanes from Aircoupe Way to Joe Battle Boulevard are expected to be complete by the end of December – a welcome milestone after construction came to a halt in 2023 when the original contractor filed for bankruptcy.
While the first phase of the long-delayed roadway is closer than ever to completion, key approvals are still needed before the second phase of the work can begin. The full project is to expand a three-mile stretch of Pellicano into a six-lane divided roadway in the area that’s seen notable commercial and residential development – leading to increased traffic and bottlenecks…