EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Businesses and residents in far East El Paso were relieved to finally see construction crews and movement at the site of the long-delayed Pellicano widening project after years of traffic nightmares. Construction had been stalled for over 3 years.

“At times, I felt like giving up. But right now? We’re grinding. Knowing that the construction is going to be done soon, what’s 10 months to 6 years?” said Bryan Romero, the owner of Pepe’s Barbershop located off of Pellicano Drive by the construction site.

Romero said he opened up his shop eight years ago and had developed a good clientele base in the first two years before construction on Pellicano began. He is now hopeful he could return to that level of production.

“I hope that my business is good enough. To be visited by people and barbers that want to work here. Because if it really is the construction that slowed my business down, I told one of my customers, ‘Man, if things go well consistently for two years, what’s stopping me from expanding to the rest of El Paso?” Romero said.

“It’s been long overdue. The traffic here has been really terrible for a very long time. So, since I’ve seen the construction crew out there, already working, it’s been, very welcome sight. I’m looking forward to the relief of all the traffic,” said Jose Valenzuela, a resident in the area.

“It’s a big relief because it has been a hassle because it’s just one lane both ways,” said Estefania Villalobos, another resident in the area. “I always tried taking shortcuts, other ways, because it does take a while to get out of Pellicano.”

As we previously reported, construction of Phase 1 — the westbound segment between Aircoupe and Loop 375 — of the project officially resumed under Hawk Construction last month, three years after construction halted.

Phase 1 construction of delayed Pellicano project now underway

The project came to a full stop back in 2023, after J.A.R. Construction, the original contractor, filed for bankruptcy and was unable to complete the project, making the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) negotiate an interlocal agreement with the County and a takeover agreement with the surety bond holder.

On Wednesday, Dec. 17, El Paso County Commissioner Iliana Holguin and President of Hawk Construction Jorge Ojeda addressed the media at the now active construction site to provide a detailed update and timeline on the project.

“The County decided that right now the most important thing was to get the road built, because we know what a horrible situation it has been for the residents and the businesses of this area,” Holguin said. “The great thing is that the end date for this construction is one year after the contractor took over the project, which was Sept. 30. So by Sept. 30 of next year, the road is scheduled to be completed.”

Ojeda said that over the past couple of weeks, his crews focused on doing off-site work, including construction on the detention pond near the construction site and improving drainage.

He said they also assessed the construction site to identify any issues that could cause delays down the line, and are now ready to begin construction of the road.

“So far, we’re on track. We actually had initially anticipated beginning construction work until the beginning of January, so we’re about a couple of weeks ahead of schedule so far. So we’re trying to take advantage of every little bit of time that we can,” Ojeda said. “We feel like we addressed, or at least found most of the items that we can anticipate. You never know what may come down the road once you start digging and really looking underneath.”

The project’s cost so far has reached $26 million. $20 million was secured through a federal grant, and the other $6 million was provided by the County earlier this year.

Holguin said that when Phases 1 and 2 of the project are finished, the County will be able to properly assess how much more funding the project will need to bring it to completion. She also said the legal battle with the original contractor is ongoing.

“We’re going to seek reimbursement of those funds from the contractor’s insurance company. That’s why contractors are required to get sureties, to ensure that the road the work gets completed. So the bankruptcy proceedings are still going on. The county is going to seek to get all of our funds reimbursed to us.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.