The Borderland has seen intense rainstorms this monsoon season and it even caused Cool Canyon Nights to be moved. Over the past few weeks, the El Paso area has been drenched with monsoon storms which has caused some severe damage to different areas in the city. Homes have been damaged, areas have flooded, and even some neighborhood roads have been filled with dirt, rocks, and other debris.

Every Thursday night, we've been having our concert in the canyon, Cool Canyon Nights, in the Northeast part of El Paso. To get to McKelligan Canyon where the concerts were held, concertgoers would have to drive or walk up a two-lane road to the venue.

Earlier this season, people were trapped up the road when it started raining and the road becoming dangerous with water and mud. Then, after more days and nights of rain, the concerts in the canyon were finally moved to an area that is less likely to flood. It made me wonder just how bad the damage to the road must be. So I headed to the northeast part of El Paso and walked up to the canyon on Sunday.

When I first looked up the road towards the canyon, I could already see the dirt and rocks that still littered the roadway. It would be a bumpy ride for any car heading up the mountain.

Lisa Sanchez
Lisa Sanchez
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A little farther up the road behind the sand and rocks, I saw the first signs of some serious road damage caused by the rain. On the side of the road, there were parts of the road that had crumbled underneath the asphalt. When I got closer, I saw the foundation under the road was washed away, and many areas under the asphalt actually had nothing underneath. It looked like it would just take another storm to make some areas fully crumble to the ground.

Lisa Sanchez
Lisa Sanchez
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As I continued walking up the road, I saw several more areas where the side of the road was completely gone, and there was no shoulder.

Lisa Sanchez
Lisa Sanchez
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This area of the road had a steep dropoff to the desert and could easily become dangerous if two cars had to pass by each other while driving.

Lisa Sanchez
Lisa Sanchez
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You could also see just how fast the water must have been traveling when the damage was done. Trees were ripped up by their roots and the branches looked like they were being pushed hard by the rush of the water.

Lisa Sanchez
Lisa Sanchez
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Looking at the damage at serval points up to the amphitheater, it's easy to see why the venue needed to be changed. The road would be treacherous for cars to pass by on the road, but then if you add in the pedestrians who enjoy using the road for exercise, there is no way everyone could be using this road. Hopefully, we'll see the road fixed as soon as the monsoon season is over. Until then, if you want to see the last Cool Canyon Night's performances, you'll have to head downtown to the Convention Center Plaza. Find out more details about Cool Canyon Nights at their website.

 

 

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