Bad cellphone service along Loop 375 and Spur 601 could be putting drivers at risk.

But a contract signed by Ft. Bliss could help fix the problem.

Tim Cooper drives along the Loop 375 five times a week. "I've been driving from El Paso to Las Cruces for about two years now," he said.

He's concerned about the bad service in the area not only because calls are dropped but because emergency calls can't be made. Cooper said, "I don't have any bars at all. I can't it make a call. It just won't go out."

Cooper said he's never been in an accident but has seen plenty along Loop 375 and SPUR 601 and he's stopped to help but couldn't.

"It's pretty bad being a public servant; it's pretty bad that you're not able to help them and call 911," said Cooper.

KFOX14 spoke to El Paso 911 dispatch to see if they've had dropped emergency calls along these roadways. They
said they don't keep track of that but have dropped calls throughout the city.

But Ft. Bliss officials said they are aware of the problem.

"Soldiers have frequently informed our leadership, the commanding general, command sergeant major, that they need better cellphone coverage out here in East Bliss and Far East Bliss," said Ft. Bliss spokesman, U.S Maj. Myles Caggins.

KFOX14 put different cellphone to the test and drove along Loop375 and SPUR 601. We found different cellphones had bad service in some areas and no service at all in others.

We contacted different cellphone providers; Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile to see if they were aware of the problem. T-Mobile was the only one to call back. They said they were aware of the issue and the problem is there just aren't enough cellphone towers in the area.

Caggins explained why. "Ft.Bliss is on federal property so before the private cellphone companies can build towers they have to get authorization to use our land," he said.

T-Mobile said their competitors have already moved forward to build new towers in the area and they will be speaking with Ft. Bliss next week.

Caggins confirmed this and said, "Companies have to ask for permission from our superiors in Washington. We've expedited that process as much as we can and they're already starting to stake out areas where these new towers will be built."

Sprint and Verizon are getting ready to build a total of 14 towers on post. Caggins said they should be up and running by spring.