While doing research for the post about El Paso Country Club’s original location I ran across the Sunday, August 30, 1914 edition of The El Paso Morning Times.
The newspaper was applauding El Paso’s growth. According to the article the population of El Paso 30 years prior (1884) was 500 people. By 1914 it was over 60,000 people. Yikes!
The newspaper printed “a brief list of some of the things that El Paso has”. One item on the list caught my eye:
“Thirty-seven miles of finely paved streets”
Oh for the good old days!
It seems that our progressives have taken us backward.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
I hear ya! We may have many more miles of paved streets today, but they are far short of being capable of being described as ‘fine.’
LikeLike
There have been a lot of comments about the condition of streets, but it really is a big issue. Many streets are literally crumbling. I have even noticed big potholes on Mesa. Many intersections and stretches of streets are covered with rocks after last week’s rains, and no street sweepers or maintenance crews have been assigned to clear them. Forget the rough ride; try stopping on a bed of rocks.
Meanwhile, the city is running a taxpayer-funded TV ad campaign to promote the Brio bus service, yet the new stops, which have taken months to build, have “Not In Service” signs in front of them. The TV commercials promote Chihuahuas baseball and Southwest University Park, which is free promotion for two for-profit entities even though baseball season has ended. Maybe we’re now expected to pay to promote Mountainstar’s business year-round. I don’t believe there was a mention of the Sun Bowl or UTEP football.
LikeLike
Have just driven over 5400 miles up to Canada and back. The only roads as poor as those in El Paso were in remote areas of national parks.
If I were a CEO considering a move here, would the baseball park outweigh the streets, and the Times? I doubt it.
LikeLike
I would suggest that we probably still have 37 miles of finely paved streets. The fact that we have 9000 miles of streets however is problematic.
LikeLike
!!! Comment would be superfluous!
LikeLike
Speaking of the Country Club, no expense is being spared on the stretch of Country Club Rd. that is currently under construction. That stretch is even getting classy antique reproduction street lights that look sort of like those made by the company owned by a council member’s husband and in-laws. I’m sure there’s no connection.
LikeLike
The road will never be done. The city’s Dept of Delay & Obfuscation guarantees it. El Paso CC, a significant local employer, has lost six-figure hosting and catering business due to the delays. I feel for any local business at the mercy of Engineering.
LikeLike
El Paso is in the teenage years of growing up…puberty is no fun!
LikeLike
Our city council and staff are definitely like teenagers. Insolent. Disrespectful. Unappreciative. Lazy. Don’t know the value of a dollar. Always wanting more stuff without having to work for it. Burning through their allowance. Always have their hand out asking Mom and Dad for more money. Should be kicked out of the house and told to make it on their own.
LikeLike
A few weeks ago around the median at the intersection of I-10 and Yarbrough the road caved in due to a sinkhole.
A few days ago the another sinkhole occurred at I-10 and McRae. Both sinkholes were in the same line.
No media reported about McRae to my knowledge.
The problems with the road system seem to be far more dangerous with the problems that you can’t see.
Maybe they will start to care when a sinkhole takes out one of the I-10 overpasses and someone gets killed.
Somehow I doubt it unless that someone “matters”.
LikeLike
I predict that a sinkhole will appear on Mesa Street in front of the new smart development community. The work currently being done on the opposite side of the street and the water runoff have to be weakening that stretch of road. Water coming off the mountain during all these months of excavation has had nowhere to go except into the dirt along the side of the road and under the road. They even dug a large deep hole right next to the road.
LikeLike
That newspaper must be incorrect because the only way to attract people into your town is by spending at least 300k on a bumper sticker-sized slogan. Hell, I finally remembered that l started e-bitching about the shoddy road conditions several years ago on a different blog (using a different but equally stupid, asinine e-name). But don’t worry kiddies, l’m sure the next crop of city reps and mayor will be certified Mensa members who will use there intellectual wizardry to fix this huge mess (cough cough).
LikeLike