Sunland Park to connect Texas and New Mexico through Rio Grande Trail

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico ( KTSM ) – Work is now underway for the portion of the Rio Grande Trail that will extend 10 miles throughout the City of Sunland Park, and connect with the Santa Fe Trail and the rest of the state of New Mexico. The trail is expected to go as north as the state of Colorado.

The 67 miles of the trail that extend throughout El Paso County have been completed and end at the intersection of Racetrack and Doniphan Drive, where Sunland Park will be tasked with connecting the states of Texas and New Mexico.

“This area is going to be very ceremonial,” said Sunland Park City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante. “We’re envisioning a safe crossing point that provides a unique experience. This would be a very large bridge structure. We would envision that to be well over 20, 23, 25 feet up in the air, spanning across the railroad tracks and Doniphan. We want it to remind us of our border area, our culture, our language. We want to integrate art, color and history.”

The City of Sunland Park wants to ensure that the 10 miles of trail extending through the city highlight its different “assets.”

Plans include connecting the trail to Mt. Cristo Rey, the city’s new Sports Complex and Multipurpose Center that is currently under construction.

Sunland Park has already made investments worth $700,000 to complete a portion of the trail that runs parallel to the Rio Grande, and under the Corporal Jose Zamora Bridge, which has murals that highlight different historical landmarks of the region.

“We’re making these investments in a synergistic manner where people can enjoy both the outdoors and the commercial spaces that we’re working to create. In reality, at the end of the day, we want to make sure that we create safe, comfortable and healthy environments where people want to live, work and play each and every day.” said Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea.

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