To better understand the expansion’s impact on surrounding neighborhoods, the El Paso Streets Coalition commissioned an independent expert report titled “Stopping the I-10 Widening: and Finding a Better Path to the Future for El Paso” (Mark L. Stout, PhD, August 2025). The analysis shows that the expansion from Executive Center Boulevard to Copia Street could be better executed with community involvement. The report underscores the importance of restoring neighborhood connectivity, preserving cultural heritage, promoting economic growth and job opportunities, expanding mass transit, addressing health and environmental concerns, and strengthening the local tax base.

Construction of freeways in the 1950s and 1960s devastated minority and low-income neighborhoods, including those in El Paso. The 1957 construction of US I-10 led to the destruction of streets like Manzana Avenue, Madera Street, and sections of Copia and Piedras Street, displacing many Black and Brown families and businesses. The cultural legacy of these communities was largely disregarded and erased.

Today, these neighborhoods face disproportionate pollution and extreme heat, continuing a legacy of environmental injustice funded by public resources.