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Construction News for the
week of April 3, 2023
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Improve your commute! Whether you commute to Los Alamos from Santa Fe, Española, or live locally, why not consider walking, biking, taking the bus, or carpooling instead of driving alone. You'll save money, reduce air pollution, and minimize traffic congestion. Added benefits include improving your health if you're walking or biking, and making new friends if you are carpooling or riding the bus. | |
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Public Works Projects:
The projects listed in this section are being managed by County Public Works staff through contractors. For more information, please e-mail lacpw@lacnm.us, call (505)662-8150, or visit the “Projects/Public Works” link at www.losalamosnm.us. Please slow down and use caution within the construction work zones. Please note the below information is based on a schedule provided by the contractors and may change due to weather or other delays.
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33rd / 34th Street Road and Utility Improvements
TLC Pluming and Utility, in partnership with Los Alamos County Public Works and Utilities, have begun mobilizing by setting up traffic control devices and erosion control measures. Minor activities such as utility exploration and contractor staking will be performed. Construction hours are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Traffic will be restricted: it will be closed to thru traffic, and open to 33rd and 34th Street residents only.
The transit bus stop on 33rd will be temporarily closed throughout the duration of the project. Riders can use the transit stop on 35th Street.
Public Works officials would like to thank the community in advance for their cooperation and patience as this project gets underway. For questions, contact Public Works at lacpw@lacnm.us, or call the main number at 505-662-8150.
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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 Traffic and Streets Manager Daniel Blea for concerns at 505-663-8206.
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Sinkhole Repair on Navajo Road near Los Pueblos Monday through Friday
Weather permitting, crews will repair a sink hole located on Navajo Road near Los Pueblos beginning Thursday, April 6. Work will start at 8 a.m. and end by 3:30 p.m. daily. A flagging operation will be in place.
Atomic City Transit stops in the immediate area will be closed; riders should contact Atomic City Transit at (505) 661-RIDE (7433) for more information regarding the closure and alternative options.
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Excavation Work Across Canyon Road from the Aquatic Center
Traffic electricians will be excavating along both sides of the walkway at the walking bridge across Canyon Road from the Aquatic Center. No sidewalk closures are anticipated. However, we urge pedestrian traffic to stay on the walkway and watch for equipment, safety devices and workers in the area. Weather permitting, work will continue daily at 8 a.m. and finish by 3:30 p.m. until completed.
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Handicap Ramp Installation at PCS Building 5
Crews will be installing a new handicap ramp at Pajarito Cliffs Site (PCS) Building 5 side entrance. Weather permitting, work will begin Monday, April 3 at 8 a.m. and end by 4 p.m. Employees and visitors should plan to park away from the work area.
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Sidewalk and Shoulder Closure on Diamond Drive
Kelly Cable of New Mexico will be closing the sidewalk along the east side of Diamond Drive between 39th Street and the south entrance to the Redeemer Lutheran Church located at 200 Diamond Drive. Pedestrian traffic will be detoured at 38th Street to the west side of Diamond Drive. Crews will be replacing an existing hand hole for the Los Alamos County Information Management (IM) Department.
For questions regarding this project, please contact Charlie Lovato with Kelly Cable of New Mexico at 505-350-9252 or Nina Fresquez, Los Alamos County IM Program Manager at (505) 663-1989 (work) or (505) 412-5353 (cell).
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Justice Center Parking Lot off Central Ave. Closed for Cleaning April 7
Crews will be cleaning the Justice Center Parking Lot off Central Ave. early morning April 7 to prepare for the Wildfire Day & Elk’s Easter Egg Hunt on April 8. They will also be sweeping Central and the Ashley Pond parking lot near Trinity Drive and 20th Street. Citizens and employees are encouraged to park in the Justice Center parking lot off Trinity Drive while these areas are swept and cleaned. Crews will begin work at 6 a.m.
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Utilities Projects:
The projects listed in this section are being managed by Dept. of Public Utilities (DPU) staff. Please slow down and use caution within the construction work zones. Contact the Customer Care Center, (505)662-8333, CustomerCare@lacnm.us, or visit ladpu.com/Projects.
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Trenching for Electric Continues on Barranca Mesa
The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is replacing primary underground electric lines and conduit at the eastern end of Barranca Mesa. The project is expected to continue through April.
DPU’s contractor, Paul Parker Construction Company, is excavating between 410 and 500 Navajo Road and south on Totavi Street. Excavation continues across the intersection of Totavi and Navajo and then through to the end of the Totavi cul-de-sac. Residents in the area should expect sidewalk closures and exercise caution while driving through the work zone. All trenching is on one side of the street. The work will reduce or eliminate the risk of electric outages where the existing infrastructure has a history of repeated failures.
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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.
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Netflix Productions Inc., Filming Additional Scene at Pajarito Mountain
Netflix Productions Inc. will be filming one more scene on Pajarito Mountain beginning Monday, April 3-6. Weather permitting, they will begin at 12:00 a.m. and finish by noon. No road closures will occur. The parking lot at the Ski Basin will be partially closed for staging equipment. There will be a flagging operation in place along Camp May Road to allow for crew to move across the road as needed. Traffic is urged to watch for flagging crews and slow down. A skeleton crew will remain through the end of May to take down light towers and other equipment used in filming.
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Sidewalk Closure at 135 DR Road
Kelly Cable of New Mexico will be installing new conduit and fiber by boring 80 feet from an existing hand hole on the north side of DP Road going south across the roadway to meet at a new hand hole. The sidewalk will be closed on the south side of 135 DP Road. The road will not be closed, but flaggers will be assisting traffic around any equipment on the shoulder. Work will continue through April 11, 2023, with crews starting daily at 8 a.m. and ending by 5 p.m. For information, please contact the project manager Charlie Lovato with Kelly Cable of New Mexico at 505-350-9252.
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Photo above taken prior to work done during the 2022 construction season. | |
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NNSA – Update dated March 13, 2023:
Construction at NM4/East Jemez Road Intersection Scheduled to Begin in Late March
Construction to expand and improve the intersection at East Jemez Road and NM4 is scheduled to begin in late March, weather permitting.
Under contract with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, Star Paving began some of the prep work in the Fall of 2022, building a retaining wall on the west side of NM4. This next phase will involve traffic controls as there will be some impact.
"I’m looking forward to getting this important piece of infrastructure started and completed,” said NNSA’s Los Alamos Field Office Manager Ted Wyka. “It’s going to greatly ease traffic congestion, improve safety for commuters and provide a safer turn configuration for shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. I ask that drivers please be especially courteous and patient during this construction.”
The National Nuclear Security Administration is coordinating with Los Alamos County, Santa Fe County, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NMDOT and Star Paving on communications to enable a safe and smooth flow of traffic during construction. Plans will be publicized and communicated nearer the start of construction.
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Improvements to the intersection include widening and extending incoming and outgoing lanes of the intersection and adding additional turning lanes.
During construction, all existing travel lanes on NM 4 and E. Jemez Road will remain open during peak travel times – 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Any lane closures will occur during non-peak hours and flaggers will direct traffic.
Speed limits will be reduced to 35 miles per hour throughout the construction zone. Motorists are encouraged to slow down and give themselves additional time to reach their destination.
More construction phases will follow, with the project expected to be completed in late 2023.
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Simultaneously, Bandelier National Monument’s Tsankawi Unit will close to allow for expanding and improving the parking lot. NNSA is also coordinating with the Pueblo de San Ildefonso and the National Park Service.
The intersection upgrade 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 LANL to WIPP. An additional $3.9 million allocation by NNSA cleared the path for East Jemez/NM-4 intersection upgrade to move forward. The project was bid at $7.5 million.
Other Supplemental Environmental Projects completed at LANL per the agreement are:
- WIPP transportation route improvements ($12 million), plus an additional $3.9 million for the East Jemez/NM-4 intersection upgrade
- Design and Installation of Storm Water Engineering Structures ($7.5 million)
- Water Line Improvements and Metering Upgrades ($10 million)
- External, Independent Environmental (Triennial) Regulatory Reviews ($2.5 million)
- Supplemental Environmental Sampling and Monitoring ($2.5 million)
For the intersection project, the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office will coordinate with the State of New Mexico, Los Alamos County, Santa Fe County, the National Park Service, Pueblo de San Ildefonso, and Triad National Security, LLC.
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