By Ricardo Mora
Great cities are shaped by bold, visionary ideas and they succeed when public, private and nonprofit leaders come together to bring those ideas to life.
Just consider the iconic public spaces we admire in cities across the country.
San Antonio’s River Walk began as a flood control measure and has become one of the most recognizable urban destinations in Texas. New York City created the High Line, a 1.45-mile linear park built on a former elevated freight rail line. Austin transformed Lady Bird Lake, a river-like reservoir, into an active waterway and hike/bike space. These reclaimed spaces now deliver powerful benefits for residents and drive tourism, housing and economic development.
Today, cities across the United States are capping freeways with transformative parks and civic spaces. Phoenix built the 32-acre Margaret T. Hance Park over their Interstate 10 freeway tunnel. Dallas opened the 5.5-acre Klyde Warren Park in 2012 above the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, now the city’s top tourist destination and future home to a new 1.7-acre expansion and visitors center. Boston developed the 1.5-mile Rose Kennedy Greenway over Interstate 93 as part of the historic “Big Dig.”
Austin, Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City and Seattle are all developing deck, cap and stitch projects over their highways.
These landmark projects were made possible by visionary leadership and collaboration across sectors. The El Paso Chamber has championed this model by advocating for transformational infrastructure projects through our Mobility Coalition – projects that create long-term opportunities for economic growth and regional prosperity.
El Paso is no stranger to collaborative wins. The new Texas Tech Fox Cancer Center is advancing thanks to the leadership of state lawmakers, Texas Tech and University Medical Center leaders, and private philanthropy. La Nube STEAM Discovery Center came to life through a public-private partnership between the city of El Paso and the philanthropic community.
We are using this same collaborative approach to advance the Deck Plaza, a once-in-a-generation effort to cap I-10 with greenspace and quality-of-life amenities for residents, visitors and community development.
Thanks to the leadership of state Sen. César Blanco, Speaker Pro Tempore Joe Moody, and our state delegation, the project has received a $10 million legislative appropriation to support deck design. This early milestone is critical as TxDOT prepares to reconstruct I-10 in the central corridor.
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar is also working to secure $5 million in federal funding, with matching support from the city of El Paso and the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation. We hope to bring more good news and updates to the community in the near future.
The Deck Plaza gives us the opportunity to reclaim valuable space over I-10, stimulate economic growth, and create a signature urban park for residents and visitors alike. We’re grateful for the growing collaboration among federal, state and local leaders – and for the support of public and private stakeholders.
With these historic commitments, we’re steadily assembling the resources needed to turn this bold vision into reality — step by step, partner by partner. We invite you to be a part of the collaboration. Learn more at www.downtowndeckplaza.org.
Ricardo Mora is president & CEO of the El Paso Chamber.
The post Opinion: El Paso’s future takes vision and collaboration appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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