El Paso’s Toll Road Will Remain Free A While Longer

The new westside toll road is still free to use and it looks as though it will stay that way into the new year.

The Border West Expressway was going to be free for all to use for a brief introductory period and it now appears that it will remain that way into 2021. The tollway was created by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) and officially opened in October of 2019. Over a year later, there is still no charge to use the roadway ... which is fine with me!

As for when they will eventually begin charging the tolls, all I found on the CRRMA website was this:

The CRRMA is working with TxDOT on determining when to end the toll deferral period and to begin collecting tolls. Rest assured that when the time comes, we will issue plenty of media and press releases so that no one will be surprised by the tolls. You can also keep an eye on the signs posted before entering the roadway – they currently note the toll charges as $0.00 but will change when the tolls begin.

So, for now, you can continue to use this quick and easy route to cruise back and forth between El Paso's east and west sides for nothing. If you haven't tried it yet, you should. It really is a time saver ... especially when rush hour and/or construction and highway closures jam up I-10. Those issues don't look like they're going away for a while either.