The proposed Downtown I-10 Deck Plaza project is on track to see a significant boost in funding.
The Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation announced in a news release Monday, Oct. 12, that the Fred Loya family is set to discuss a "transformational gift" for the 6.5-acre park to be built atop I-10 in Downtown El Paso. The amount of funding to be provided will be announced at a news conference on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
While there are currently few details about the donation, the Deck Plaza Foundation has noted that the project's naming will honor Loya, a longtime El Paso businessman and philanthropist, and his family, as well as the "community first" spirit that has guided his work across El Paso.
The project has collected significant pledges of financial
support since being announced in 2024, including $10 million from the Texas Legislature with a $584,000 city match, $25 million from the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, $3.15 million in federal Community Project Funding, $1 million from El Paso County and $35 million in private philanthropy.
Most recently, the El Paso City Council approved contributing just over $560,000 toward a $10.6-million advanced funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to design the Deck Plaza tunnel and other structural supports.
An economic impact study conducted by HR&A Advisors, a marketing firm with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, Raleigh, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., found that the Deck Plaza will generate $1 billion in total economic output over the next 30 years.
But the project still faces hurdles, including a tight deadline to submit design plans to the Texas Department of Transportation's I-10 Revitalization project and public concern over using taxpayer dollars to fund it.
The Deck Plaza Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Downtown Deck Plaza lands major gift, boosts funding push
