The proposed deck plaza over Interstate 10 in Downtown El Paso has attracted tens of millions of dollars in public and private funding commitments, including donations from some of the city’s wealthiest families.
But its supporters still face a substantial funding shortfall and a shifting timeline to secure enough money to build the park.
Proponents of the project say they now have until the end of 2027 to secure about $32 million for retaining walls needed to support the park, according to Tracy Yellen, president of the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation.
A nonbinding partnership agreement between the city, county and the foundation initially set this past October as a deadline for a multi-million-dollar funding commitment.
The Texas Department of Transportation, meanwhile, expects to begin reconstructing I-10 through Downtown in early 2028, with the agency scheduled to solicit construction bids in December 2027.
The families of Fred Loya and Woody Hunt publicly pledged last month a combined $30 million toward the proposed six-and-a-half-acre park, which would cover five blocks of I-10 between Santa Fe and Kansas streets.
Those donations represent a substantial portion of the $35 million in philanthropy the Deck Plaza Foundation has pledged to raise for the project. But supporters have been accounting for that private funding for more than a year.
The foundation says it has $74.15 million in funding commitments from private donors and various public entities toward the estimated total project cost of about $239 million.
A complex funding plan
The deck plaza is closely tied to TxDOT’s Downtown 10 project, an estimated $1.3 billion reconstruction and widening of roughly six miles of I-10 between Executive Center Boulevard and Copia Street.
The state plans to replace aging pavement and bridges, widen portions of the freeway and reconfigure ramps and frontage roads. TxDOT intends to proceed with the highway reconstruction regardless of whether the park is built.
RELATED: El Paso leaders face October deadline for $6 million deck plaza funding decision
The project presents an opportunity to construct retaining walls and other infrastructure capable of supporting a deck above the freeway while TxDOT is already rebuilding the highway.
Supporters have argued that failing to incorporate that infrastructure into TxDOT’s construction plans could make the park substantially more expensive and difficult to build later.
“We know we have this choice that you either build a freeway the way it’s being proposed, or you build it with a six-and-a-half-acre park green space with amenities over the top,” Yellen said.
In April, the El Paso City Council and County Commissioners Court approved a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation that identified October 2026 as the deadline to secure local matching funds needed for an advance funding agreement with TxDOT. The agreement made financing one of the conditions for advancing the project.
Yellen told El Paso Matters that the foundation understood the timeline for committing funding for the retaining walls had shifted to the end of 2027.
She said the additional time would help supporters identify funding for the retaining walls and eventually the cap structure over the freeway.
“It’s not been something we’ve requested. We’re working on TxDOT’s timeline,” Yellen said.
TxDOT, meanwhile, said timelines can change.
“Downtown 10 – Phase 1 is currently estimated to let for construction in December 2027, with construction expected to begin in early 2028,” the agency said in a statement to El Paso Matters. “As with all projects, the estimated let date is subject to change.”
The April agreement between the city, county and Deck Plaza Foundation describes the project as occurring in several phases, beginning with design and “future-proofing” of the freeway. That work could include reinforced retaining walls and center support columns to bear the weight of the deck, as well as modifications to accommodate safety systems for the tunneled freeway beneath the deck plaza.
After future-proofing, later phases of work would involve constructing the cap above the freeway itself and then building the park’s amenities on top. Yellen said the foundation is working with its public partners to secure funding for the retaining walls before turning its attention to the cap itself.
“Ideally, we can have the cap built or build the cap while the freeway is under construction so you only do that once,” she said.
The deck plaza’s estimated cost is based on a feasibility study commissioned by the foundation and completed in 2024. The study estimated it would cost $207 million – in 2027 dollars – to design and construct the cap and park amenities. The foundation says an additional $32 million may be needed for retaining walls.
The project’s financial picture, however, is complicated by the different sources of funding and the distinct construction phases those dollars would support.
The foundation reports $74.15 million in commitments, including $35 million in private philanthropy intended for park amenities, $25 million approved by the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization for the cap and supporting infrastructure, and $3.15 million in federal funding for similar work.
The total also includes $10 million the Texas Legislature allocated to the project for design during the previous legislative session, as well as $1 million from El Paso County.
El Paso families put names behind project
The uncertainty over construction financing comes amid the series of high-profile donations from some of El Paso’s most prominent business families.
The Fred Loya family on Oct. 14 announced a $20 million contribution toward the proposed park, which would be named the Fred Loya Family Deck Plaza in honor of the late insurance businessman Fred Loya Sr.
Days later, the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation announced a $10 million gift for a planned indoor recreational sports facility at the park.
The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Fieldhouse would feature six to eight interchangeable courts for basketball, volleyball, soccer and pickleball, along with space for tournaments and community events.
The donations follow a $1 million gift from Casa Auto Group for a dog park.
“There’s very diverse support for this, and I think there will be continuing support for this project,” Joshua Hunt, executive vice president of Hunt Companies, told El Paso Matters following the family’s announced donation. “The Loya family led with a magnificent leadership gift, and I think you’ll see other families and businesses follow that.”
The three publicly announced contributions total $31 million, approaching the $35 million the foundation committed to raise through private philanthropy.
“We continue to reach out to individuals, families, corporations and foundations to invest in the project like the Loyas and the Hunts and the Casa Auto Group have already,” Yellen said.
Yellen said the donations demonstrate confidence in the proposed park and its potential benefits for Downtown.
“We are so grateful for their trust and confidence and also their belief in the vision for the project and what it will do for El Paso,” said Yellen, who also leads the Paso del Norte Community Foundation.
Another $25 million sought from Texas Legislature
The deck plaza’s supporters also plan to pursue additional funding from the state.
Yellen said the city intends to request $25 million from the Texas Legislature during its session beginning in January 2027, which could help pay for the retaining walls or construction of the cap. The city listed the deck plaza request within its formal legislative agenda, stating it would be in “coordination with the Office of Senator Blanco and all members of the State Delegation.
That proposed funding would be in addition to the $25 million approved by the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the $10 million lawmakers allocated to the deck plaza in 2025.
The request will also come after the Nov. 3 election, which saw Democrats win control of the Texas House and governor’s office for the first time in decades. Republicans retained their majority in the state Senate. Whether lawmakers in the majority-Democratic state House or in the GOP-controlled state Senate will agree to provide another $25 million for the El Paso project remains unclear.
State lawmakers will convene in Austin for the next legislative session from Jan. 12 through May 31.
Who will pay to operate the park?
The deck plaza has generated support from local business leaders and elected officials, including Mayor Renard Johnson, who argue that it could help revitalize Downtown and attract new housing, businesses and visitors.
The park would feature an outdoor amphitheater, green space, playgrounds, gardens, a dog park and the proposed indoor sports facility.
Its supporters point to Klyde Warren Park in Downtown Dallas, which opened in 2012 above a sunken freeway and has attracted visitors and residential development to the area.
An economic impact study commissioned by the Deck Plaza Foundation estimated that the El Paso park could generate nearly $1 billion in economic activity over 30 years, including construction spending, jobs and activity associated with visitors and nearby development.
The deck plaza has faced opposition from residents, elected officials and some political candidates who have long argued that local El Paso taxpayers may ultimately have to cover part of the deck’s construction funding shortfall.
Although the city has not committed to paying for construction of the park, critics argue local governments could face pressure to contribute if private donations and state and federal funding fall short, and that public dollars should instead be prioritized for street repairs, drainage improvements and other infrastructure needs.
The controversy became a recurring issue during the Nov. 3 City Council elections. In District 8, which encompasses Downtown where the park would be located, incumbent city Rep. Chris Canales has been critical of the project and argued now is not the time to prioritize the deck plaza. Canales will be on the ballot of a runoff election next month against challenger Matthew Guzman, a vocal supporter of the deck project as a potential economic boost for the city.
The project’s price tag also could change as more detailed engineering plans and construction bids are received.
Another concern is who would pay to maintain and operate the park once it opens. Consultants who conducted the feasibility study for the project estimated operations and maintenance expenses could range from $5.8 million to $7.3 million annually when the park is fully built.
The April memorandum said the city would own the deck plaza through agreements with TxDOT, while the foundation would take responsibility for operating and maintaining the park and its amenities.
Yellen said the nonprofit plans to raise private funding to cover programming, routine maintenance, security and other operating expenses, following the model of nonprofit-operated deck parks in Dallas.
“We would commit to raising the money needed to support ongoing operation and maintenance,” she said.
The project also remains intertwined with the controversial Downtown 10 highway expansion.
Neighborhood organizations and other opponents of the widening have questioned whether adding highway lanes is necessary and raised concerns about increased traffic, pollution and TxDOT’s planned acquisition and demolition of properties immediately north of I-10 in Downtown.
For Yellen, the freeway reconstruction presents an opportunity to add a new major public space in the heart of El Paso that hasn’t existed since I-10 was constructed through the city’s urban core decades ago.
“We’ve seen the value of these spaces in other communities and how they have transformed their downtowns and reconnected parts of their downtowns that have been disrupted by freeways,” she said.
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