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Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) Cost of Living Index: El Paso, TX
El Paso has a composite index of 85.6, meaning it is approximately 14.4% more affordable than the average U.S. city. The national baseline is always set at 100.
Housing (Index: 67.1)
Utilities (Index: 91.4)
Food (Index: 92.2)
Key Takeaways
Important Notes
Defense Service Network (DSN) Dialing Instructions
The DSN is the provider of long-distance communications service for the Department of Defense (DoD). Every installation has a special DSN number and the numbers vary by world-wide location. In order to place a call using DSN, the caller must be using a military phone on an installation. Cell phones cannot dial DSN numbers. When dialing a DSN number from a United States installation to another United States installation, it is unnecessary to dial the DSN 312 area code. When dialing a DSN number to/from overseas locations, the DSN area code must be included.
DSN for 741-xxxx is 711DSN for 742-xxxx is 712DSN for 744-xxxx is 621DSN for 313-xxxx is 666DSN for 568-xxxx is 978DSN for 569-xxxx is 979
NOTE: “xxxx” represents the last four of the telephone number. All on post calls must be dialed using seven-digit dialing. This will apply to all 568, 569 and 741, 742, 744 numbers. Exception will be JTFN 99-313-xxxx.1) The access for local off-base calls dial 99.2) The access code to make DSN dial 94.3) The access code to make FTS dial 97.4) The access code to make international dial 97011.5) On-base emergency numbers (911) and operator assistance (0)
Fort Bliss is a Strategic Deployment Platform that executes deployment operations enabling rapid and efficient unit deployment and re-deployment. Simultaneously, Fort Bliss Garrison provides facilities and services through a professional workforce that assists units in sustaining their readiness and promotes a safe and secure installation, empowering Soldiers, Families, and Civilians to thrive.
Information obtained from https://home.army.mil/bliss/about/Garrison
Fort Bliss. After the end of the Mexican War the need to defend the new border, to maintain law and order, to protect settlers and California-bound migrants from Indian attacks, and to survey for a new transcontinental railroad compelled the United States government to establish a military post on the Rio Grande in the area of El Paso del Norte (now Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua). On November 7, 1848, the War Department instructed the Third Infantry to take up quarters at the pass, and Bvt. Maj. Jefferson Van Horne led 257 soldiers, including the regimental staff, six infantry companies, and a howitzer battery, west from San Antonio. They arrived in the area on September 8; on September 14, four companies were quartered on Coons' Rancho, formerly Ponce's Ranch, in downtown El Paso. About one-third of the troops occupied the presidio at San Elizario, an old Spanish garrison twenty miles southeast of El Paso.
The War Department closed the post and presidio in September 1851 and withdrew the troops to Fort Fillmore, forty miles to the north. A military post was reestablished on the Rio Grande in January 1854 when Lt. Col. Edmund Brooke Alexander, with four companies of the Eighth United States Infantry, rented quarters at Magoffinsville, a hacienda three miles east of Coons' Rancho. On March 8, 1854, the official name of the post became Fort Bliss, in memory of Lt. Col. William Wallace Smith Bliss, Gen. Zachary Taylor's chief of staff during the Mexican War and later his son-in-law.
Lt. Col. Isaac V. D. Reeve was in command of Fort Bliss on March 31, 1861, when it was surrendered to the Confederate authorities of Texas. Confederate lieutenant colonel John Robert Baylor then occupied the post with elements of the Second Regiment of Texas Mounted Rifles. Brig. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley used Fort Bliss as a base from which to invade New Mexico but was repulsed in mid-1862 and driven from West Texas. Elements of the California Volunteers commanded by Col. James H. Carleton reoccupied Fort Bliss for the Union. Under Carleton's protection Mexican president Benito Juárez survived in El Paso del Norte in 1865–66 and received supplies from north of the border before driving the French from Mexico.
In 1867 the post at Magoffinsville was swept away by a Rio Grande flood. The troops moved three miles north and named their post Camp Concordia in March 1868. On March 23, 1869, the camp was renamed Fort Bliss. The War Department closed the post in January 1877, just before the Salt War of San Elizario flared. A military board, however, convened to investigate the reopening of the post as a result of the violence; the board recommended in 1878 that Fort Bliss be reestablished, and the post was moved to downtown El Paso, which soldiers called Garrison Town.
In late 1879 the government purchased land at Hart's Mill, three miles west of downtown El Paso, and Fort Bliss became a way station for troops pursuing renegade Indians. After Geronimo surrendered in 1886, the government began to abolish small, isolated posts and replaced them with new facilities near railroads. Fort Bliss was almost supplanted by Fort Selden, eighteen miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, but was kept in El Paso by community leaders, who contributed about $7,000 for the purchase of land on Lanoria Mesa, five miles east of town. Congress then committed $300,000 for new facilities. Fort Bliss moved to its sixth and final home in late 1893.
After the Mexican Revolution started in 1910, the army gradually increased its troop strength at Fort Bliss. Eventually 50,000 men, mostly national guardsmen, were based at the facility. Fort Bliss also changed from an infantry station to the largest cavalry post in the United States. Gen. Hugh Scott commanded briefly in 1914, and Gen. John J. Pershing took charge from 1914 through much of 1916. When Francisco (Pancho) Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico, in March 1916, Pershing led a punitive expedition south, and Fort Bliss became Pershing's primary supply base.
The First Cavalry Division was activated in 1921. With the arrival of the Eighty-second Field Artillery Battalion in 1921, Fort Bliss hosted its first artillery unit. During the 1940s the fort grew from a few thousand acres to more than one million, becoming roughly seventy-five miles long and fifty-four miles wide. Most of its area lies in New Mexico. By June 1943 Fort Bliss had phased out horses, and the cavalry had become mechanized. With the First Cavalry Division's departure in 1943, the fort became primarily an artillery post.
William Beaumont General Hospital opened at Fort Bliss on July 1, 1921. On July 1, 1972, the hospital dedicated a twelve-story facility, and on April 1, 1973, the hospital became the center of a three-state government medical complex known as William Beaumont Army Medical Center. In 1919 the Fort Bliss Flying Field was established. In 1925 it was renamed Biggs Field, an army flying field used by the Border Air Patrol; in 1947 it became Biggs Air Force Base. During its service, the base handled blimps, DH4s, B-17s, B-29s, B-50s, B-36s, B-47s, and B-52s. In July 1966 the air force base reverted to Fort Bliss, becoming Biggs Army Air Field.
Fort Bliss became an antiaircraft training center in September 1940. German rocket experts, including Wernher von Braun, lived and worked there shortly after World War II. In 1946 Fort Bliss became the United States Army Anti-aircraft Artillery and Guided Missile Center and later the United States Army Air Defense Center. The base hosted in succession Nike-Ajax, Nike-Hercules, Hawk, Sprint, Chaparral, and Redeye missiles and other antiaircraft weapons.
Fort Bliss played a significant role in training international military students after World War II. Approximately 10 percent of Fort Bliss Air Defense School graduates were from foreign countries. The Third Armored Cavalry has been stationed at Fort Bliss since 1972. In the 1990s Fort Bliss personnel comprised about 20,000 military people and 8,000 civilians. The fort contributed more than $500 million annually to the El Paso economy. In addition, retired service people and their dependents in El Paso numbered in the thousands. From 1977 until his death in 1981 Omar N. Bradley, latest five-star general of the United States Army, lived and worked at Fort Bliss. A cluster of adobe buildings representing the original 1848 post was built and donated to the post by the city of El Paso during the Fort Bliss centennial in 1948. The replica serves as the post museum.
Information obtained from: Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)
Information Provided by Fort Bliss Chief of Plans Analysis & Integration Office (PAIO)
El Paso, Texas – Population and Demographics (2025)
Population Overview
Demographic Breakdown
Fort Bliss is a large military installation that serves a diverse population, including:
Located in El Paso, TX, Fort Bliss is home to the 1st Armored Division. We are a FORSCOM installation comprised of other commands: MEDCOM, JTF-NORTH, TRADOC, USAR, and other elements. Fort Bliss is comprised of approximately 1.12 million acres of land in Texas and New México. The Main Cantonment Area of Fort Bliss is located adjacent to El Paso, Texas. El Paso is a jewel in the desert. Nestled between the rugged Franklin Mountains and the historic Rio Grande, this border community combines the advantages of a major city with the charm of a modern western town. El Paso is a major transportation hub with abundant cultural and entertainment opportunities. El Paso has a low crime rate and an extremely favorable cost-of-living index. Seven in ten El Pasoans are bilingual in English and Spanish.
You can also review the complete Fort Bliss Directory at https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/contact/phonebook.
The El Paso International Airport is located just East of the Main Installation and South East of East Fort Bliss. The number to the El Paso International Airport Military Desk is 915-228-8796 hours 6 a.m. to midnight. Between 12 a.m.-6 a. m. please call Transportation at 915-568-5098. Free shuttle service is offered through the Fort Bliss Soldier Support Center to inprocessing Soldiers and families; however, the families MUST BE TRAVELING WITH THE SERVICE MEMBER. To take advantage of this, service Soldiers must see the Military desk located in the El Paso International Airport.
To access Main Fort Bliss from the airport, Service Members and their families can leave the airport traveling West on Airway and they will enter the Buffalo Soldier Gate.
To access East Bliss from the airport, Service Members and families can leave the Airport and travel west on Airway Blvd making a right hand turn onto Airport Rd. by staying in the right lane, Airport will curve into Sgt. Major Blvd and the MSG Pena Gate will be the main entrance to East Bliss. Staff Duty for Airport transportation call 915-569-5261 24/7 for Reception Company.
All Soldiers arriving to Fort Bliss, Texas, will in-process through the Fort Bliss Reception Detachment. You can expect to be with the Reception Detachment for five days and complete finance, medical, dental in-processing, CIF draw along with the installation welcome brief, A tour of the installation, R2 leader performance class for soldiers in the ranks of CPL-1LT, intermediate drivers training class for soldiers under 26 and H2F screenings.
Uniform: Operational Camouflage Pattern, if signing in Monday through Friday during duty hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Soldiers need the following on arrival/processing:
*Recommend bringing extra copies of assignment orders and DA 31’s.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
All incoming Soldiers will report to the staff duty desk of the Fort Bliss Reception Detachment (Building 1006) located on Carter Street no later than the required report date stated on their assignment instructions. The Fort Bliss Reception Detachment staff duty is manned 24 hours daily. The staff duty phone number is 915-569-5261.
Reception Detachment will not approve Permissive Temporary Duty/House Hunting Leave upon arrival. We recommend you have your departing unit authorize PTDY prior to departure. If a Soldier wishes to take PTDY after their report date, it needs to be requested through their gaining unit. Once a Soldier has signed in, he/she will complete in-processing before signing out on PTDY through their gaining unit. Housing is located at BLDG T-0070 Carter Road (corner of Pleasonton and Carter) and their operating hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (Closed from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.). The Housing Office is closed every third Thursday of the month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Housing Office phone number is 915-568-2898.
If you are arriving to the El Paso International Airport and require transportation to Fort Bliss, Soldiers can call 915-569-5261 to be picked up by the Reception staff duty. Alternatively, Soldiers can pay for an Uber or ride share to the installation (charges will be reimbursed when they settle their travel voucher).
GATES:
Buffalo Soldier24/7Visitor Control Center: 24/7Notice: Buffalo Soldier Gate exit lanes are not equipped with tire shredders.
Cassidy24/7
ChaffeeSunday: ClosedMonday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday: ClosedNotice: Commercial truck traffic will use Buffalo Soldiers ACT to access Fort Bliss on the weekends.
CSM BarrerasSunday: ClosedMonday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday: Closed
McGregor Front24/7Notice: No Visitor Control Center
MSG Espinoza (WBAMC)24/7
MSG Pena24/7
Old IronsidesSunday: ClosedMonday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday: ClosedNotice: Closed Federal HolidaysPFC MinueSunday: ClosedMonday: 5-10 a.m.; 4-8 p.m. (Outbound only)Tuesday: 5-10 a.m.; 4-8 p.m. (Outbound only)Wednesday: 5-10 a.m.; 4-8 p.m. (Outbound only)Thursday: 5-10 a.m.; 4-8 p.m. (Outbound only)Friday: 5-10 a.m.; 4-8 p.m. (Outbound only)Saturday: Closed
Ross School ECPSunday: ClosedMonday: 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m. - noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Tuesday: 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m. - noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Wednesday: 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m. - noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Thursday: 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m. - noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Friday: 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m. - noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Saturday: ClosedNotice: Pedestrian DoD only; No Visitor Control CenterSGT Duran (WBAMC)Sunday: ClosedMonday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday: ClosedNotice: Closed Federal Holidays
SheridanSunday: ClosedMonday: (Inbound lanes) 5-9 a.m. and 2-6 p.m.; (Outbound lanes) 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Tuesday: (Inbound lanes) 5-9 a.m. and 2-6 p.m.; (Outbound lanes) 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Wednesday: (Inbound lanes) 5-9 a.m. and 2-6 p.m.; (Outbound lanes) 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Thursday: (Inbound lanes) 5-9 a.m. and 2-6 p.m.; (Outbound lanes) 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Friday: (Inbound lanes) 5-9 a.m. and 2-6 p.m.; (Outbound lanes) 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Saturday: Closed
Silvestre Reyes (formerly Constitution)24/7
Visitor Control Center, Buffalo Soldier Gate24/7Notice: Buffalo Soldier Visitor Control Center, (915) 568-3215. For information about the DOD Sponsored Pass, Trusted Traveler Program, Community Access Pass, Guest Access Pass Online/Kiosk information, access for Contractors, Taxi/Ride-Sharing Drivers, and Veterans/Primary caregivers, visit the Gate Information webpage at https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/my-fort/all-services/gate-information
Visitor Control Center, Chaffee GateSunday: ClosedMonday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday: 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday: ClosedNotice: For information about the DOD Sponsored Pass, Trusted Traveler Program, Community Access Pass, Guest Access Pass Online/Kiosk information, access for Contractors, Taxi/Ride-Sharing Drivers, and Veterans/Primary caregivers, visit the Gate Information webpage at https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/my-fort/all-services/gate-information
INSTALLATION ACCESS PASS, DIRECTORATE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES (DES)Primary: 915-568-3215Secondary: 915-744-1551
DoD Sponsored Pass
When registering for an online pass, you must enter the information “exactly” as it is on your government-issued identification. Entering information that is not consistent with information on your government-issued identification, i.e., expiration date or name variations will result in your pass being denied. You will be directed to go to one of the Visitor Control Centers located at either Buffalo Solder Gate or Chaffee Gate. Denied pass applications must be resolved at a VCC.
DoD ID cardholders needing to sponsor guests for unrestricted (24/7) access may sponsor visitors in person at the Chaffee Gate Visitor Control Center, Bldg. 2616, Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.-9 p.m., or the Buffalo Soldier Visitor Control Center, Bldg. 5400, which is open 24/7.
DoD ID cardholders can also sponsor visitors by submitting a Fort Bliss Installation Access Pass Application to usarmy.bliss.imcom-central.mbx.fort-bliss-installation-acess@army.mil from a .mil email address. The application must be submitted no later than 72 hours prior to visitor arrival and no earlier than 14 days prior to visitor arrival. If the form is submitted 72 hours in advance, the DoD ID cardholder will not have to be present at the VCC with the visitor. The Fort Bliss Community Access Pass may be issued up to a year.
Trusted Traveler Program
The Fort Bliss Trusted Traveler Program allows Department of Defense Identification cardholders 18 or older to escort up to seven non-DoD ID cardholder visitors (except foreign nationals) within their own vehicle without completing sponsorship paperwork to obtain a pass. Those who exercise Trusted Traveler must escort their visitors while they are on Fort Bliss.
Fort Bliss Community Access Pass
Visitors not affiliated with Fort Bliss can obtain a Community Access Pass after passing a criminal history background check at the Buffalo Soldier Visitor Control Center, Bldg. 5400, 24 hours a day, or the Chaffee Visitor Control Center, Bldg. 2616, Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.-9 p.m.
(NEW) Guest Access Pass Online/Kiosk
To obtain a Guest Access Pass, visitors can:
Pre-register on the Visitor Management System website https://pass.aie.army.mil/?b+=usa&i=fort_bliss&t=v or go directly to a kiosk located at either Buffalo Soldier or Chaffee Visitor Control Center.
Sponsorship can be required (as applicable, IAW Service/Installation Policy).
*NOTE: If derogatory information is determined, the following will occur:
Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
Veterans and primary family caregivers who are eligible for expanded access to Commissary, Exchange and DFMWR facilities and have a Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) must first visit the Fort Bliss Visitor Control Center for a background check and VHIC registration. The Visitor Control Center is located at Chaffee Gate, and open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
All vehicles and occupants entering Fort Bliss are subject to random searches/inspections, and a National Crime Information Center Interstate Identification Index (NCIC-III) background check. Those with derogatory information related to the Army Fitness Adjudication Standards will be denied access to the installation.
Buffalo Soldier - 24/7 Notice: Buffalo Soldier Gate exit lanes are not equipped with tire shredders. Visitor Control Center: 24/7
Cassidy - 24/7Notice: ROAD REPAIRS AT CASSIDY ACP INTERSECTION, Nov. 11, 2024 - Feb. 13, 2025(As of March 2025 repairs are ongoing): Drivers should be aware that Cassidy ACP will undergo road repairs from Monday (Nov. 11) through about Feb. 13, 2025 (As of March 2025 repairs are ongoing). The first phase affects inbound traffic. Traffic control will be installed on Nov. 11; construction starts Nov. 12. As drivers enter the installation, the right lane entering the ACP will be closed. The center lane will have to merge into the left lane after passing through the ACP. Cassidy OUTBOUND traffic is not impacted during Phase I. Pedestrians will be able to access the crosswalk on Sheridan Road. Updates to follow.
ChaffeeSunday Closed, Commercial truck traffic will use Buffalo Soldiers ACT to access FortMonday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday Closed, Commercial truck traffic will use Buffalo Soldiers ACT to access Fort Bliss on the weekends.
CSM BarrerasSunday ClosedMonday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday Closed
McGregor Front - 24/7Notice: No Visitor Control Center
MSG Espinoza - 24/7
MSG Pena - 24/7
Old IronsidesSunday ClosedMonday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Tuesday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Wednesday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Thursday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Friday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Saturday ClosedNotice: Closed Federal Holidays
PFC MinueSunday ClosedMonday 5 - 10 a.m.; 4 - 8 p.m. (Outbound only)Tuesday 5 - 10 a.m.; 4 - 8 p.m. (Outbound only)Wednesday 5 - 10 a.m.; 4 - 8 p.m. (Outbound only)Thursday 5 - 10 a.m.; 4 - 8 p.m. (Outbound only)Friday 5 - 10 a.m.; 4 - 8 p.m. (Outbound only)Saturday Closed
Ross School ECPSunday ClosedMonday 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m.-noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Tuesday 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m.-noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Wednesday 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m.-noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Thursday 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m.-noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Friday 7-8 a.m.; 10:45 a.m.-noon; 2-5:30 p.m.Saturday ClosedNotice: Pedestrian DoD only; No Visitor Control Center
SGT DuranSunday ClosedMonday 5 a.m. – 9 p.m.Tuesday 5 a.m. – 9 p.m.Wednesday 5 a.m. – 9 p.m.Thursday 5 a.m. – 9 p.m.Friday 5 a.m. – 9 p.m.Saturday ClosedFederal Holiday’s ClosedNotice: Duran ACP is the southern access point to WBAMC located off Loop 375’s Iron Medics exit. Espinoza ACP will remain operational 24/7. All emergencies should prioritize the use of Espinoza gate. Espinoza ACP is the northern access point to WBAMC located off Spur 601’s Silvestre Reyes (formerly Constitution) Exit. For more information, visit the WBAMC website, https://william-beaumont.tricare.mil/, and go to the driving directions page. This page will tell you the hours of operation for each gate and where they are located.
SheridanSunday ClosedMonday Inbound lanes: 5 - 9 a.m. and 2 - 6 p.m.; Outbound lanes: 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Tuesday Inbound lanes: 5 - 9 a.m. and 2 - 6 p.m.; Outbound lanes: 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Wednesday Inbound lanes: 5 - 9 a.m. and 2 - 6 p.m.; Outbound lanes: 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Thursday Inbound lanes: 5 - 9 a.m. and 2 - 6 p.m.; Outbound lanes: 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Friday Inbound lanes: 5 - 9 a.m. and 2 - 6 p.m.; Outbound lanes: 5 a.m. - 7 p.m.Saturday Closed
Silvestre Reyes (formerly Constitution) - 24/7
Visitor Control Center, Buffalo Soldier GateSunday 24/7Monday 24/7Tuesday 24/7Wednesday 24/7Thursday 24/7Friday 24/7Saturday 24/7Notice: Buffalo Soldier Visitor Control Center, (915) 568-3215. For information about the DOD Sponsored Pass, Trusted Traveler Program, Community Access Pass, Guest Access Pass Online/Kiosk information, access for Contractors, Taxi/Ride-Sharing Drivers, and Veterans/Primary caregivers, visit the Gate Information webpage at https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/my-fort/all-services/gate-information
Visitor Control Center, Chaffee GateSunday ClosedMonday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Tuesday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Wednesday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Thursday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Friday 5 a.m.-9 p.m.Saturday ClosedNotice: For information about the DOD Sponsored Pass, Trusted Traveler Program, Community Access Pass, Guest Access Pass Online/Kiosk information, access for Contractors, Taxi/Ride-Sharing Drivers, and Veterans/Primary caregivers, visit the Gate Information webpage at https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/my-fort/all-services/gate-information
Sunday 24/7Monday 24/7Tuesday 24/7Wednesday 24/7Thursday 24/7Friday 24/7Saturday 24/7BLDG 54005400 Buffalo Soldier RoadFort Bliss TX 79916
INSTALLATION ACCESS PASS, DIRECTORATE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES (DES)Primary: 915-568-6853Secondary: 915-744-1551
Sunday ClosedMonday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Tuesday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Wednesday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Thursday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Friday 5 a.m. - 9 p.m.Saturday ClosedBLDG 26162616 Chaffee RoadFort Bliss TX 79916
Fort Bliss spans a significant area, encompassing two main sections that straddle the Texas-New Mexico state line. The original section, known as Main Post, sits north of Interstate 10 and east of US Highway 54 (Patriot Freeway). East Bliss, a rapidly growing area that was once Biggs Army Airfield, extends north from Main Post and will eventually house the majority (two-thirds) of Fort Bliss's soldiers. The 601 Spur, or Liberty Expressway, provides easy access to East Bliss. For those seeking the Soldier Support Center, it is located in Building 505 on Pershing Road within Main Post.
Getting Around Fort Bliss: Transportation Options
Here are some ways to get around Fort Bliss:
Unit Shuttles:
Public Transportation:
This information is intended as a guide. Always confirm routes and schedules with your unit or the transportation provider.
The carrying of a concealed weapon on the installation is prohibited, regardless of whether a state or county permit has been obtained. Per AR 190-11, a concealed weapon is any instrument used or designed for the purpose of inflicting grievous bodily harm that is carried on the person in such a way as to be hidden from ordinary view. Folded knives with blades shorter than 3 inches are excluded from this definition.