El Paso residents petition for safety measures at intersection near I-10

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — South central El Paso neighbors are frustrated after a dangerous intersection continues to be a problem for neighbors in an area just off I-10 East, near Trowbridge and Geronimo.

Neighborhood association vice president Ignacio Molina said it had become a safety issue in the past and he feared the worst if things didn't change.

“Well, our concern is for the safety of the children playing in this park,” Molina said.

Molina and other neighbors started a petition to bring more awareness to the city.

“We have a lot of people who don't control their speed coming down Cleveland from the highway that way,” Molina said.

According to Molina, he has witnessed near misses and would like to see changes. He said the city was supposed to install cameras to monitor speeding, but had yet to see any progress.

“I wish they would move a little faster before we have a tragedy here,” Molina said.

Another neighbor who signed the petition, Richard Lucetta, said the neighborhood is home to the most vulnerable population.

“It’s an old neighborhood and there are a lot of grandparents here, but there are also a lot of grandchildren,” Lucetta said.

City of El Paso Department of Streets and Maintenance Deputy Director Randy Garcia said the city is aware of the problem and is working on a solution.

“We moved forward and made striping, signage and street lighting improvements at the intersection of Clark and Cleveland Street. Before that, it was a little dark, so we added lighting, we improved the striping, added more signage to make the street better known,” Garcia said.

Garcia told KFOX14 that additional work may be needed, but they will look at everything and make additional improvements if necessary, including making it more difficult for truck drivers to pass through these areas.

“We have designated truck routes, Trowbridge is one of them along that area, but we have put up signs prohibiting trucks from driving through the area, like Cleveland Street,” Gracia said.

According to Garcia, trucking companies say they have a strong stance on their truckers not driving in residential areas and sticking to the truck route that was previously established.

RECOMMENDED: El Paso celebrates new $23 million fire station to improve emergency response downtown

Sign up to receive the best and interesting stories from our community and surrounding areas once a day in your inbox.