Why Is East Scenic Drive So Different From West?

One of El Paso's prettiest drives and most iconic locations seems to have dual personalities.  What's the deal with the two sides of Scenic Drive?

Scenic Drive hugs the edge of the mountain as it takes peeps from central to the west side. Someone new to El Paso driving across might think they had traveled from one city to an entirely different one.

Things are very different at each end of Scenic Drive and some central residents want to even things out.

The west side of Scenic Drive looks pretty spiffy and has undergone a lot of renovation and construction, giving it a clean, modern look.

The infrastructure at the eastern end, in central El Paso, is not as well kept, the roads are rougher and the parks could also use a little TLC. Many residents wonder why this disparity between the two sides exists.

Residents in East-Central, near the the entrance to Scenic Drive, believe the eastern side of the road has not been given the same care as the other said, and feel strongly about the disparity in infrastructure poured into each side.

Juan Villalobos, executive project manager at Efficio Construction LLC, sent a proposal to city reps from Districts 2 and 8 which cover the Scenic Drive area.

“With time, we saw Arroyo Park get developed with pathways and landscaping, and then the parking lot off of Scenic Drive on the West Slope, the entry gate, and they did a really nice job, but that never got transferred over to the East Slope. Besides having the gates constructed, that’s about the extent of it,” Juan Villalobos said. - ktsm

You can see a couple of the proposed ideas and read more here.