El Paso is a famously easy place to fall in love with. From the city’s vibrant culture to its reputation as one of the safest cities in America, visitors and new residents are often charmed by its friendly longtime residents and the amazing desert mountain views.
Each new building or infrastructure project will impact El Paso’s future generations. The Sundt Construction team takes this to heart, so their friends and family can continue to be proud of and call El Paso their home.
“We all work so hard because it’s personal to us; we are all El Pasoans – this is our home,” said Joseph Riccillo, Sundt’s El Paso Project Director. “What we build impacts everyone’s lives within our city. That is what motivates us each day to build quality projects that we are proud to show our family and friends when we drive past each building or along a road.”
Sundt has a unique opportunity to build several projects with direct, positive impacts on the quality of life in El Paso. “You look at the projects we’ve completed or building, and there is a direct correlation to our region’s well-being and safety,” Riccillo added.
That correlation proved to be true in August 2019. Sundt completed the El Paso Regional Communications Center in 2018. Before constructing the innovative new 911 Center, the region’s emergency responses were not managed from a single location. The new building was designed to eliminate delays by creating a collaborative hub that significantly decreases response times in the region.
The response center played a critical role in helping El Pasoans during the tragic mass shooting in August 2019 at a Walmart store. As the entire community watched the situation unfold, calls poured into the communications center, and emergency responders arrived at the scene in record time.
“The design of the facility enabled emergency response units to respond cohesively and quickly,” said Riccillo. “The building received national attention for its integral role in the emergency response on that day.”
In 2012, El Paso voters approved the Quality of Life bonds. The new award-winning Eastside Regional Park built by Sundt, known as “The Beast Urban Park,” is a project approved by voters to enhance the well-being of the flourishing Eastside. The massive complex serves as a space for El Pasoans to get outside, move and be active. The park features an outdoor waterpark and a community center, but perhaps its most exciting feature is its competition natatorium.
Before the construction of the Beast, none of the area pools met the University Interscholastic League’s standards for swimming competitions. However, this new natatorium includes an Olympic-sized pool that can host large swimming competitions and brings El Paso’s amenities up to par with other Texas cities.
“East El Paso is the fastest growing and largest area of town. Residents here voiced overwhelming support for more parks and indoor recreational opportunities,” said Riccillo. “These public spaces encourage a healthy lifestyle and thus improve a community’s quality of life.”
With growth comes growing pains and the need for improved transportation. Two recently completed Sundt projects give El Pasoans greater access and relieve congestion in critical areas of Interstate 10.
Sundt completed the national award-winning Go 10 collector-distributor (CD) lanes six months ahead of schedule in 2019. The CD Lane systems allow first responders better access and more room to address incidents along the highway.
“Our team went above and beyond on this project, especially in helping TxDOT after an 18-wheeler crashed not far from our jobsite,” said project manager Rudy Elias. The accident occurred outside the CD lanes project limits, but the crew’s proximity to the site allowed them to assist and restore a critical part of the city’s infrastructure in two days.
That initiative led TxDOT’s El Paso District to continue to work with Sundt on its I-10 Connect project, improving access between I-10 and Loop 375. The project reduced congestion at one of El Paso’s busiest junctions and eliminated spillover onto one of the city’s main roads. These changes helped decrease air pollution and alleviate congestion leading to the Bridge of the Americas port of entry.
It is not every day a contractor can profoundly impact a community like Sundt has. The company has contributed to El Paso’s growth and success, from safer transportation and improved affordable housing to increased access to medical care and faster emergency responses. The El Paso team is currently working on two new projects that will be just as impressive and significant to the region: the Mexican American Cultural Center and Eastside Regional Police Command Center.
“Our Sundt office has been fortunate to work on several large projects that have had a direct, visible effect on every El Pasoan, and that makes us very proud,” said Riccillo. “The team is wonderful and works hard to make El Paso better; the work they’ve accomplished is incredible.”