North Mesa Construction Is Wrecking Commutes & Frustrating Businesses Again

Welcome to 2021, where construction is still ongoing and traffic is a mess amidst an ongoing pandemic.

Is it just me, or does it seem that North Mesa has been under construction for what appears to be a lifetime?

Last year during the GO-10 project, freeway traffic was diverted onto Mesa Street, causing damage to the street due to heavy traffic flow, requiring the road to be redone.

State Highway 20, better known as the North Mesa Street rehabilitation project, began last year in April, with the entire project projected to be completed by Spring 2021.

Yet here we are talking about the Mesa Street construction all over again and just weeks away from the estimated date of completion.

As Mesa Street is down to one lane again from Baltimore Dr. Near UTEP to Brentwood Avenue near Executive, motorists and businesses continue to deal with congestion and construction.

While we can all agree that Mesa Street's reconstruction is essential, it also creates havoc for businesses in the area and commutes.

For the last week or so, motorists have been trying to find ways to avoid Mesa Street by attempting to cut through the back end of our KISS-FM Studios. 

The problem is that while our back street entrance does lead to the front of our building onto Mesa Street, it's not a road, alley, or shortcut. It’s private property. 

Our neighbors, Ruli's International Kitchen, also faced the same problem as motorists kept jumping the curb from our parking lot onto theirs and even at times crossing through the drive-thru, which is, of course, only for Ruli's patrons. 

Ruli’s International Kitchen is just one of many local businesses that have been affected by the ongoing construction during an already difficult time as they continue to deal with an ongoing global pandemic. 

But I feel you - I, too, have been affected by the latest Mesa Street construction as I try to make my way to work every morning. But as frustrating as construction is at the moment, it doesn’t mean that we get to make up our own road rules while speeding through private property. 

Instead of crossing over businesses parking lots, drive-thrus, and private property, we should make an effort to buy local up and down Mesa Street. Because at the end of the day, local businesses need our support much more than we need a shortcut.