Residents concerned over big rig traffic near the international border crossing

by Diana Washington Valdez \ El Paso Times
Posted: 06/05/2011 12:00:00 AM MDT

Chamizal neighborhood residents said big commercial trucks headed to Juárez through the Bridge of Americas on West Paisano are creating road hazards for everyone.

"The line for the big tractor-trailer rigs on West Paisano backs up at the intersection where Bowie High School is located and even as far back as the Whataburger," said Guillermo Glenn, who has an office on Myrtle Street and works with the Chamizal Neighborhood Association.

Glenn said the problem began when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began checking more vehicles at the international bridges after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in America.

"But the situation got worse when they started the southbound border inspections," Glenn said.

"The trucks were making illegal U-turns in the middle of the Paisano and San Marcial intersection, where school kids cross the streets. They were driving fast and were jumping on the sidewalks. We called the police, but they told us then that the trucks had a right to be on the road."

Some trucks took up two lanes of Paisano and others began driving through the residential streets to take shortcuts, neighbors said. They also blocked the Sun Metro bus stops, preventing buses from picking up and dropping off passengers.

Janet Shang, the city's deputy manager for mobility services, said the problem is complex and requires a multifaceted approach.

Some measures the city recently approved will help in the short term, but others, such as improving the alignment for the approach to the Bridge of Americas, will require coordination with state transportation and U.S. and Mexican officials.
The city now has 22 signs that prohibit trucks from driving through the residential streets in that area, and the city also directed police to enforce the truck ban.

A police operation from April 11 to May 11 resulted in 360 citations, 92 of them issued to truck drivers.

"Once the drivers know that they are being monitored, it will cause them to change their driving habits," Shang said.

"Enforcement is very labor-intensive, but we also plan to incorporate some structural modifications.

"For example, we want to narrow the entrance to some streets to create a physical barrier that prevents trucks from entering the residential neighborhoods."

Longer-term efforts include encouraging trucks to use other bridges besides the toll-free Bridge of Americas.

"Sixty percent of the commercial trucks that cross the Bridge of Americas are 'empties' (that carry no cargo), but that bridge is the only one equipped to screen the 'empties,' " Shang said.

Mexico plans to build a new inspection station at the Zaragoza International Bridge to check the trucks, and this will help relieve some of the traffic jams that spill into South-Central El Paso neighborhoods.

Glenn said Chamizal neighbors are hoping things will change this time.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_18209180