EL PASO, TEXAS — The Texas Department of Transportation is close to opening a new runaway truck ramp on Loop 375/Transmountain near Interstate 10 in El Paso — the first mechanical arrest system of its kind in Texas and the first median-mounted runaway ramp in the nation.
TxDOT announced the project update on April 6, 2026. The ramp is designed to stop a 90,000-pound truck traveling at 90 mph and will give commercial vehicles experiencing brake loss a stopping option before reaching I-10. Because the ramp sits in the median of the roadway, trucks must use the left lane of Loop 375 westbound to access it.
The ramp marks the fourth runaway truck ramp on the roadway and the first dragnet — or mechanical — arrest system deployed in El Paso. TxDOT constructed it in the median due to the narrow footprint available at that location.
Michael Beason of engineering firm Beason Brackin described the significance of the design. “This is probably the most unique trap that we’ve designed,” Beason said. “First being the first mechanical system installed in Texas, but it is in a median, and we’ve never done a median application. This is the first of its kind in the nation.”
The runaway ramp is expected to open in summer 2026.
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