El Paso enlisted a respected engineering company to be its lead design firm for one of the first private-sector, pass-through financing transportation projects in the United States - the Spur 601/Inner Loop design-build-finance project.

The Spur 601 project is anticipated to generate more than $30 billion in salaries, sales, and property taxes and 40,000 new jobs. The citizens of El Paso are enjoying an increase in mobility, convenience, and safety while accommodating

the military influx.

The $367-million project is critical to the Pentagon’s plan to station more than 50,000 soldiers and family members at Fort Bliss. Pass-through financing uses intelligent transportation systems to record traffic volume. Payments are made to the facilitator based on traffic volume. This method enables the construction of the highway much earlier than through the usual design-bid-build process.  The project encompasses construction of a new 7.5 mile freeway connecting US 54 and Loop 375.

The Spur 601/Inner Loop Project Was Designed by URS Corporation based in San

Francisco, California.  This project was a gold medal winner in the 2010 Texas

CEC Engineering Excellence Awards Competition.