How Should El Paso Beautify Our Traffic Signal Boxes?

New Braunfels, Texas, is joining San Marcos, Texas in bringing art to the cities drab, (ok - ugly), traffic signal boxes. Could El Paso be next? If so, what should we paint?

Traffic signal boxes are big, (usually), metal boxes that contain all the electronic wizardry that keeps the traffic lights at intersections. They're just there and, usually, are pretty much ignored by everybody.

Bland boxes that we just kind of ignore but that's changing.

Rather than just having big, blank boxes at every intersection, New Braunfels and San Marcos gathered together some artists to "pretty 'em up" some.

If the concept feels familiar, it’s because similar efforts have been gaining traction across the region in recent years. San Marcos issued a comparable call for traffic box designs as recently as 2024, continuing its push to expand public art installations throughout the city. The ongoing program builds on earlier efforts dating back to 2018 and throughout the years, when the city first began wrapping utility boxes with original artwork as a way to deter graffiti and add visual interest to busy corridors. - mysanantonio.com 

Decorating Traffic Signal Boxes?

A variety of designs have been used for the boxes in other cities, you can see a couple of them here.

El Paso Traffic Signal Box Ideas

So, what design ideas could El Paso use on our traffic signal boxes. City Council would probably find a way to sell the spaces to advertisers but, for true El Paso beauty and pride, here are my suggestions.

Just a few ideas, we could do just about anything, really. Maybe historical moments like the 4 Dead In 5 Seconds gunfight. Or, historical places like The Tap. Recreating a painting by the late Hal Marcus would be awesome.

READ MORE: Budweiser Clydesdales Visit The Tap

Things that are gone like the ASARCO towers or Cohen Stadium could be memorialized. along with iconic El Paso businesses like Lucchese Boots or Barnett Harley Davidson.

I'd like to see this happen in El Chuco. Not only to make the city pop a little but also to help local artists gain a following. They could leave their info via a web address or a small QR code at the bottom of their design.