Emergency, city officials say they have alternate route outlined

For the next five weeks, Raynolds is shut down at Alameda for road work by TXDOT.

It's part of the Alameda project, which started at the beginning of the year.

The construction adds to an already congested area of south central El Paso, and it could pose a challenge for ambulance drivers.

"One of the biggest concerns for us regarding UMC is they are the level one trauma center for the city, so access has to be very quick and very accessible for us," the Deputy Chief of El Paso's fire department, Chris Celaya, told KFOX 14 Tuesday.

George De La Torre, a spokesperson for El Paso's fire department, said Saturday the department been working alongside TXDOT and city officials to outline a new route for those emergency vehicles.

De La Torre said the new emergency route is to go south on Raynolds, under the bridge to Alberta, then south on Boll and east onto Alameda, which goes right into the hospital's emergency entrance.

Meanwhile, one driver KFOX 14 spoke with said the construction isn't too much of an inconvenience during slow days like this Saturday.

"It's a little bit of a hassle, but like, I don't have to go through here during the work week," Matthew Adams said.   

Because this project is affecting emergency routes, TXDOT is said to have made this project a priority to finish it as soon as possible.

Texas Tech University police are also working with the fire department to clear roads for critical patients when necessary.