A major roadblock that was stalling the long-delayed Pellicano Drive expansion in far East El Paso has been cleared, paving the way for construction to resume on a portion of the unfinished roadway.
An agreement was finalized Aug. 13 between the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, which is overseeing the expansion for El Paso County, and the surety – the bond company secured by J.A.R. Concrete, the original contractor that defaulted on the project. Hawk Construction, a local contractor hired by the surety, will complete a section of the pro.
A timeline for getting the heavy machinery back in motion will be set following a walk-through and preconstruction meeting with the new contractor and the CRRMA in the two coming weeks.
The work on the westbound portion of the road from Aircoupe Way to Joe Battle Boulevard should take a year to complete. That includes construction of a new transition to the existing roadway at Aircoupe Way and two drainage ponds. However, the second phase consisting of the eastbound lanes with amenities will still remain to be completed.
“We have worked with Hawk (Construction) on a number of occasions, and we’re very happy. In fact, they’ve got two projects with us right now,” said Raymond Telles, executive director of the CRRMA.
Hawk Construction Owner Jorge Ojeda said he has a good working relationship with the CRRMA and experience with highway projects, which will help his team finish the work on Pellicano Drive.
Ojeda said workers will try to minimize the impact to drivers as they work, especially knowing how long the community has been waiting for it to be completed.
“I am very aware of how it’s been, and I’m sure we’ll have a lot of eyes on what we’re doing,” Ojeda said. “We’ll do the best to perform and deliver like we always do.”
Telles said the first phase of the work that Hawk will complete will cost about $7 million. The work will be paid with funds from the existing project balance from federal, state and local dollars and the $6 million the county agreed to contribute as gap funding through vehicle registration fees. J.A.R. was paid about $10 million for the work it had completed.
The original contract for the entire project was set at $21.6 million. The CRRMA is trying to determine if there will be any costs above the original estimate.
The cost estimates for the work on the second phase have not been completed. That work from Aircoupe Way east to Darrington Road includes completing the eastbound and westbound segments of Pellicano Drive, medians, sidewalks, landscaping, safety lighting, concrete pavement and storm drainage for a six-lane divided roadway.
El Paso County Commissioner Illiana Holguin, whose precinct includes the Pellicano Drive area, expressed hope that residents will receive an update on the project in the near future.
“Now that all of the agreements have been signed, we expect to receive a timeline for construction very soon and will share that information with residents as soon as we have it,” Holguin said.
The county signed a contract with the CRRMA in 2017 for the $21.6 million Pellicano Drive project, which included reconstruction and improvements. J.A.R. was hired for the Pellicano Drive improvements, but a slew of complications that befell the contractor, including bankruptcy proceedings and appeals, led to further delays in getting the work back on track.
At issue were two agreements with the surety United States Fire Insurance Company – the bond company secured by J.A.R. to ensure that the work would be completed if it defaulted on the project. One agreement was an amended scope of work for completing the first phase of construction with funding approved by the El Paso County Commissioners Court in July. The second was a “takeover” agreement for the surety to step in to finish the defaulted project that J.A.R. did not complete while an appeal is still pending.
“The delays with the completion of Pellicano … have been incredibly frustrating for the residents and businesses of that entire area,” Holguin said. “
The surety did not respond to El Paso Matters’ request for comment. J.A.R. Construction could not be reached for comment.
Read more about the need for the agreement with the surety and funding for Pellicano Drive
The work to improve Pellicano Drive began in 2020 and was expected to be finished in two years. Construction began to stall in July 2022 and came to a full stop in 2023, in part, because J.A.R. filed for bankruptcy and subsequent legal proceedings that are still not fully resolved. The contractor finished about 47% of the job.
The work at Pellicano Drive was for the three-mile stretch from Joe Battle Boulevard east to Darrington Road/Berryville Street for a six-lane divided roadway with a slew of amenities. But drivers have been left maneuvering a two-mile stretch of Pellicano Drive from Joe Battle Boulevard to Aircoupe Way.
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