Gomez Road Bridge... Still Possible.
The dust has settled for the time being and most Upper Valley residents have a sense that the proposed Gomez Road Bridge is extinct. One valley resident José Roque said "We won. They won't build the Gomez Bridge... it's over".
The question that many Upper Valley residents don't ask is where are the tens of thousands of residents that will move up on the mesa going to drive to get to jobs in El Paso and the Upper Valley. The Green Group, a conglomerant of El Paso and Mexican investors have obtained nearly 20,000 acres of land in the desert. This land is located between Santa Teresa and the border with Mexico and it will surely impact all communities in the Upper Valley.
When asked if it seemed that the Gomez Road Bridge could be placed back on the table even though the valley residents claimed to have won a victory, Sunland Park Mayor Ruben Segura said “it was because maybe it was not sold the right way or presented .... who ever wants to develop it has a of proof burden." Segura indicated that the real decisions will be made in the Metropolitan Planning Organization "MPO".
Recently, the City of Sunland Park and Doña Ana County were at odds on who was going to maintain and service the water for the Santa Teresa area of Sunland Park. In that case the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in favor of Sunland Park and the Santa Teresa.
The real water issue was who was going to provide water to the Green Group develpments on the mesa. Again, it was Sunland Park vs. Doña Ana County. Recently, the City Council of Sunland Park voted in favor of a regional water authority. This could mean that the water dispute is closer to resolution and thus the start of development by the Green Group is near.
When asked if the decision by the El Paso City Council concening the Gomez Road Bridge is locked; staff indicated that a decision by one administration is not binding on another.
For some reason, there is still no development along the route that the bridge and road extension to McNutt would take. There are a couple of old trailer homes and a few homes standing in the way from Redd Road to McNutt highway.
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Editor, Upper Valley Beacon
Copyright 2004 Valley Publishing Company
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