RIding across El Paso

I was asked recently to offer my favorite cross-town route in El Paso. This is a difficult ride no matter what the options, because we lack bike-friendly routes in many areas.
Since I live in the Upper Valley, I occasionally take the long way to the far East Side: Transmountain to Loop 375. This is about 30 miles and involves climbing. It's also not very practical for most West Side-East Side trips.
I've attached a map of my most common route to the East Side. I take Doniphan to West Paisano to Delta to North Loop to North Carolina to Yarbrough. The part of this ride that scares some people is West Paisano. The traffic is fast, but a bicycle is fairly visible as you're going toward Downtown. There are bike lanes/routes designated most of the rest of the ride.
If you're going from east to west, West Paisano is trickier because the street curves in such a way that makes bicyclists less visible. One suggestion is to cut up to Yandell through Sunset Heights and then enter Paisano from Yandell. This involves a steep climb as you go into Sunset Heights, but avoid some of the riskier traffic as Paisano leaves Downtown.
If you are coming from the West Side, there are no good routes. Mesa is the only option for much of the way. At Brentwood you can head over to Stanton and take Stanton to Downtown. Or you can take Executive Center to West Paisano then to Downtown.
Occasionally I've taken Montana from Downtown to the East Side. I don't like it much because there are so many stoplights and so many side streets. It's very easy for a car NOT to see you.
No matter which route you take, cross-town riding is not for the faint of heart. Be as visible as you can be. Use a rear-view mirror if you can.