Improving Safety and Reducing Congestion at Major El Paso Interchange

HDR's Bill Fleming Writes About 'Winds of Change' for Roads & Bridges Magazine

Wind turbine blades, typically about 250 feet long, frequently block and close the intersection where State Highway 178 (Artcraft Road) meets Interstate 10 in northwest El Paso, Texas. 

The arterial road is a major route from nearby New Mexico to the interstate system. Wind turbine production facilities located about 10 miles west in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, use the busy road to reach I-10 — and from there, the rest of North America.

Hauled on specialized, purpose-built trailers, the wind turbine blades cause closures at the intersection multiple times a day, causing significant delays for the local community and complicating access for businesses at the intersection, a growing commercial area of El Paso. 

HDR’s Bill Fleming, south central highways lead, wrote about addressing the challenges at the intersection for Roads & Bridges magazine. Fleming shared about how the $244 million SH 178/I-10 Artcraft Interchange Project will add capacity, enhance safety and increase the reliability of travel in the corridor.

“Accomplishing this has required a project approach able to adapt as the design progressed and a commitment to collaboration and communication that keeps the project moving forward with the support of the large group of stakeholders invested in its success,” Fleming wrote. “The result is a corridor that is designed to make trips easier, safer, more efficient and more reliable for all.”

Read the whole article "Winds of Change in El Paso” in the February 2025 issue of Roads & Bridges.