Find tips and information about how you can improve your commute!

 www.lacnm.com/driveless.

Hilltop House Demolition Underway

All Rite Construction, under contract with Los Alamos County Public Works, has begun demolition of the former Hilltop House hotel and gas station, located at the NM502/Central Ave roundabout. Regular truck traffic will be entering and exiting the project site throughout the duration of the project. Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians are asked to use caution in the area of the work zone. Demolition is expected to be completed by January 2023, weather permitting.

Canyon Rd Reconstruction

TLC Plumbing and Utility, under contract with the Los Alamos County Public Works Department is working on Phase 2 of the three-phase project on Central Ave and Canyon Rd. Phase 2 includes the section from the Aquatic Center western driveway to 39th St. This work is scheduled through November. 

Crews will be working on Saturdays September 17 and 24. Construction hours are Monday through Friday 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. To stay on-schedule and avoid weather delays, crews will have an earlier start time.

Access to the Aquatic Center and Canyon Village Apartments continues to be provided from the east via Central. LAPS Staff Parking Lot and IHM Catholic Church continues to be accessible from the west via Diamond Dr and Canyon through the work zone. Sidewalk closures are posted with detour signage to keep pedestrians clear of the work zone. 

Atomic City Transit and Park and Ride staff have adjusted bus routes accordingly. Services such as mail delivery, trash and recycling collection, and emergency services will be maintained. 

Motorists and pedestrians are asked to use caution around construction activities, avoid entering the work zone and obey all work zone signage. Motorists are asked to utilize Trinity Drive as much as possible as the main thoroughfare between neighborhoods and the downtown area.  

Phase 3 begins November 16 and will complete the final pavement surface between the Aquatic Center and the Nature Center. Completion of all three phases of the project is scheduled at the end of November 2022.

The Tennis Courts located on Canyon Rd will remain closed, as the area is being utilized as an equipment staging area for the duration of the project.

Phase 3 begins November 16 and will complete the final pavement surface between the Aquatic Center and the Nature Center. Completion of all three phases of the project is scheduled at the end of November 2022.

Sherwood Blvd and Aztec Ave

Star Paving Company continues road and drainage improvements on Sherwood Blvd between Piedra Loop and Aztec Ave.   

Sherwood continues to be closed to through traffic from north of Aztec to Grand Canyon Dr, with grading of the roadway underway in preparation for paving. Residents on Sherwood will be required to enter and exit Sherwood from Aztec during this time.  

The second and third phases of the project are set to begin on September 19, with crews beginning milling of the roadway from Grand Canyon to Piedra Loop. The Eastbound Lane of Grand Canyon at Sherwood will be closed in preparation of pavement reconstruction. Please follow detour signs. 

Work Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Work schedules are subject to change pending weather conditions and any material shipping delays. 

Traffic devices and detour signs are in place to help motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians navigate around the work zone.  

Vehicle access is limited to those who reside in the immediate work area and mail delivery, emergency services, trash, and recycling collection. For safety of the traveling public, residents are asked not to remove or relocate traffic control devices, signs, and barricades. Area residents who may have special access needs are asked to contact the Public Works Department.

Cumbres del Norte Road Improvements 

Minor activities, and punch-list items will be performed over the next few weeks with minimal traffic impacts.

DP Rd Utility Infrastructure Replacement and Roadway Reconstruction 

A contractor working for Qualcon Builders will continue construction of the remaining sidewalk sections, replacement of broken curb and gutter, street light installation and clean up and grading along the sides of DP Rd.

Tuesday, September 20, crews will be assisting the Bluffs apartments with a street light base installation on DP Rd across from the Knights of Columbus. There will be a one-lane closure and a flagger operation for the day.

All construction activities will impact DP Rd from Trinity Dr to Fire Station #2 with segments of the roadway periodically restricted to one-lane traffic controlled by a flagger. One-lane traffic restrictions will occur only during hours of construction potentially from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.  

This work in DP Road is related to the Canyon Walk Apartments and The Bluffs senior housing (under construction). All remaining construction activities related to the reconstruction of DP Rd are now expected to be completed by the end of September 2022 (weather permitting).

Traffic & Streets Projects: 

The projects listed in this section are being managed by County Traffic & Streets Division staff. Please slow down and use caution within the construction work zones. Call Daniel Blea, Traffic and Streets Manager for concerns, 505-663-8206.

Diamond Dr Island Tip Painting Project

Crews will continue painting island tips along Diamond Dr beginning September 12 at 8:00 a.m. The project will continue until complete. Crews will be utilizing a mobile traffic control operation where flagging may occur intermittently. Please watch for crews and their equipment and slowdown in the work zones. 

Barranca Mesa Roadway Crack Sealing

Crews will be working on Barranca Mesa to do crack sealing on Los Pueblos and area side streets beginning Monday, September 19 daily from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. until the project is completed. A flagging operation will be in place, as needed.

Pajarito Cliffs Site Roadway Crack Sealing

Crews will be working at the Pajarito Cliffs Site and on Camino Entrada to do crack sealing beginning Monday, September 19 daily from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. until the project is completed. A flagging operation will be in place, as needed.

Non-County Projects: 

The following road construction updates are posted below in the interest of keeping residents informed but are being managed or conducted by others. Please obey all traffic devices and slowdown in work zones.

Taos St Sewer Line Repair

TLC plumbing will be working on Taos St to do sewer line repairs. Taos will be closed beginning Tuesday, September 20 beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. Door hangers will be posted to inform residents in the immediate area of the road closure. Assistance will be provided for residents to get in and out of the street. Contact Ernesto Waldo at TLC plumbing with concerns, 505-798-1103.

LANL: Omega Bridge Maintenance

Crews will be performing maintenance on Omega Bridge from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. September 12-22 and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. September 23-25. North bound lanes are currently closed. Two-way traffic is on the south bound lanes.

ADVANCE NOTICE

NNSA/LANL: NM4/East Jemez Road Intersection Upgrade Scheduled to Begin Soon

Preparations are scheduled to begin this month for improvements to the intersection project at NM4 and 501/East Jemez Rd, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) as part of a settlement agreement with the State of New Mexico.

There should be no traffic impacts for this phase of the project. The major construction activities will begin in Spring 2023.

The NNSA and New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) partnered to redesign and rebuild the intersection. NMDOT competitively selected and awarded the construction contract last month to Star Paving.

“This project accomplishes three objectives,” said NNSA Los Alamos Field Office Manager Ted Wyka. “We continue to fulfill the terms of our Settlement Agreement with the New Mexico Environment Department by performing our final supplement environmental project by making improvements to our WIPP transportation route, while also improving traffic safety for laboratory commuters, and reducing commute times for the many employees who live off the hill.”

The project is the final supplemental environmental project performed pursuant to the 2016 Settlement Agreement with the State of New Mexico in lieu of potential penalties associated with a 2014 contamination event at DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad.

In the Settlement Agreement, DOE and NNSA agreed to spend up to $12 million to improve DOE-owned transportation routes used to ship transuranic waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to WIPP. With the award of this construction contract, which is estimated at $7.5 million, NNSA will ultimately provide $17.3 million to improve transportation routes supporting the Lab and surrounding community.

Upon completion, a four-way intersection with additional lanes and safety features will improve the flow of daily traffic through the intersection that leads west to LANL and south to White Rock. Additionally, the work will facilitate the National Park Service’s creation of a new parking area at Bandelier National Monument’s Tsankawi unit east of the intersection.

The following is a list of all the Supplemental Environmental Projects per the Settlement Agreement at LANL:

• WIPP transportation route improvements included the East Jemez/NM-4 intersection upgrade
• Design and Installation of Storm Water Engineering Structures
• Water Line Improvements and Metering Upgrades
• External, Independent Environmental (Triennial) Regulatory
• Supplemental Environmental Sampling and Monitoring

For the intersection project, the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office will coordinate with the State of New Mexico, New Mexico Department of Transportation, Los Alamos County, Santa Fe County, the National Park Service, Pueblo de San Ildefonso, and Triad National Security, LLC.