Mother and her two sons review boards and materials at an outdoor fair

The concept for a deck park was originally introduced by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as part of their Reimagine I-10 planning process. TxDOT has received $500 million to reconstruct I-10 from Spur 66 near UTEP to just east of downtown, which they expect to begin in FY27-28.

To further the idea for a green cap over I-10 in the downtown corridor, the City of El Paso received a $900,000 FY21 RAISE grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and $450,000 in matching funds from the Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation to conduct a Feasibility Study for the project.

The City engaged Stantec to conduct the study. A series of interactive meetings were held with the community to shape the vision for the Deck Plaza that would include high-quality amenities like an amphitheater, field house, children's playground, dog park, and more.

Based on the Feasibility Study, the total cost of the project is $207 million (in 2027 dollars) for the design and construction of the 6.5-acre park from Kansas Street to Santa Fe Street to include the cap structure and park amenities. An additional $32 million may be required by TxDOT for retaining walls to hold deck structure.

The detailed Feasibility Study and Project Budget can be found in the Project Library.

Rendering of an dog park surrounded by native desert flora on a sunny day.

Schematic of proposed five-block cap of I-10 in downtown El Paso.

Schematic Plan El Paso Deck Plaza

Deck Plaza Goals

Promote an Authentic Cultural Crossroads

Meet Unmet Needs and Aspirations

Reconnect Uptown, Downtown, and UTEP

Unlock Downtown's Potential

Nuture Cutting-Edge Sustainability

Build a Deck Plaza that is Worth Building

Project Timeline and Funding

$74.15 million committed to project.

With the Feasibility Study and Economic Impact Study complete, the City of El Paso, County of El Paso, and Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in April 2026 to engage in a public-private partnership to support the project, which has received $74.15 million in funding commitments to date.

The Downtown Deck Plaza Foundation has committed to raise $35 million in private philanthropy to support park amenities.

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar secured $3.15 million from Federal Community Project Funding to support the cap structure and supporting infrastructure.

The El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization approved $25 million to support the cap structure and supporting infrastructure.

The County of El Paso approved $1 million to support project design.

Texas State Senator Cesar Blanco and the El Paso State Delegation secured $10 million from the Texas Legislature to fund the design of the cap structure. The City of El Paso approved an Advanced Funding Agreement with TxDOT to begin this design.