Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has announced that the joint venture formed by J.D. Abrams L.P. and Kiewit Infrastructure South Company was chosen as preferred bidder to develop the Loop 375-Border Highway West Extension Project in El Paso.

The project cost is estimated at US$800 million. The project involves the design and construction of the portion of the Loop 375, which also is known as the Border Highway West Extension. The contract also involves the maintenance of the project for a period of 15 years.

The highway will be four lanes that will extend for nine miles, seven miles of which will be toll lanes, officials said on Thursday. Existing lanes will remain untolled.

Ted Houghton, Commission Chairman, stated in a written statement:

Last fall, EL Paso placed number 53 on Forbes' coveted list of The Best Places for Business and Careers, a national ranking that clearly exhibits the tremendous growth and value of this area. We must do everything we can to accommodate this growth and help enhance commerce, and I can't think of a better project do that than the extension of Loop 375 Border Highway West.

Alfonso Fernandez, area manager for Abrams, stated:

We're excited about being recommended by the commission. We're ingrained in this community and this is one of the biggest transportation contracts that has ever been put out in the El Paso area and what better than to have a local hometown contractor perform it.

The project will add capacity by providing a new four-lane, controlled access facility from Racetrack Drive, near Doniphan Road to just west of Downtown and then to U.S. 54 making a full circle around the city by connecting to the portion that links U.S. 54 to Zaragoza Road in East El Paso.

The construction of this segment of Loop 375, or the Border Highway West Extension, will be broken up into three sections with construction starting at Racetrack Drive to Executive Center, then moving onto to Santa Fe Street and Santa Fe Street to U.S. 54.