Welcome back for the first

Cone Zone publication of the season! 

This newsletter will publish weekly on Fridays

until construction wraps up in the fall.

Construction News for the

week of March 13, 2023


Drive Less, Los Alamos: 


As northern New Mexico ushers in spring and the start of a new construction season, Los Alamos County officials recommend commuters consider taking advantage of other options to get to and from work or school, when possible. 


Carpooling, riding the Atomic City Transit or Park & Ride, biking, or walking even just one day a week reduces the number of cars on the road during peak hours which can alleviate traffic congestion. Commuters who drive less save money, improve the environment, and make new friends. Additionally, those who choose to bike or walk can expect better health.

 

Another solution may be as simple as adjusting travel times by as little as 15 minutes to occur before or after the peak commuting times. Those peaks in Los Alamos generally occur in the morning from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., in the afternoon from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., and in the evening from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.


While these solutions may not work for everyone, those who are able to drive less or can adjust commuting times can positively affect travel for everyone.



Find tips and information about how you can improve your commute or find alternative transportation methods in and around the Los Alamos area:

Visit www.lacnm.com/driveless or LANL’s “Life at the Lab” transportation page!



Check out the road conditions before you get there! www.lacnm.com/roads.


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.




Asphalt Patching on Navajo Road and Los Pueblos Wednesday and Thursday

 

Crews will be patching sections of the roadway on Los Pueblos, as well as digging up and investigating a sink hole on Navajo Road in preparation to patch the hole. Work will be March 15-16. Crews will begin daily at 8 a.m. and finish by 4 p.m. A flagging operation will be in place at each location. Please watch for crews and obey all traffic devices. 


Asphalt Patching on 34th Street off Questa Drive Begins Thursday

 

Crews will be patching sections of roadway on 34th Street off Questa Drive near the high school beginning Thursday afternoon, March 16 and should finish by Friday, March 17. Work will begin daily at 8 a.m. and finish by 4 p.m. A flagging operation will be in place at each location. Please watch for crews and obey all traffic devices. 


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.




Trenching for Electric to Impact Barranca Mesa Neighborhood

 

The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will be replacing primary underground electric lines and conduit at the eastern end of Barranca Mesa. The project is scheduled to occur throughout March and April 2023. The work will reduce or eliminate the risk of electric outages where the existing infrastructure has a history of repeated failures.


DPU’s contractor, Paul Parker Construction Company, will be excavating between 410 and 500 Navajo Rd. and then south on Totavi Street. Excavation will continue across the intersection of Totavi and Navajo and 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 will be on one side of the street.



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.



Netflix Productions Inc. Winding Up at Pajarito Mountain


Netflix Productions Inc. will be dismantling equipment along Camp May Road the week of March 13. A skeleton crew will remain to take down light towers and other equipment used in filming. There will be minimal impact along the road leading to Pajarito Mountain Ski Area; however, crews will be parking along the road at pullout locations to avoid disrupting Skiesta events all week. All traffic is asked to watch for crews removing equipment. 




Work Continues on Longview Drive and Sherwood Blvd in White Rock

 

Kelly Cable of New Mexico will continue installing fiber from the northwest corner of Longview Drive and Sherwood Blvd heading East. Work will continue through March 31, 2023.


The sidewalk closure will remain in place south of the White Rock Branch Library, just west of the Longview Drive and Sherwood Blvd intersection. All traffic should watch for equipment and crews and obey all traffic devices. For questions regarding this project, please contact Charlie Lovato with Kelly Cable of New Mexico at 505-350-9252.





DUB-L-EE, LLC. Continues Work on 35th Street at Trinity Drive

 

DUB-L-EE, LLC., in partnership with Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities, continues work to excavate, bore, and install new gas lines for the new Hill Apartment complex on 35th Street. Heavy equipment will be entering and exiting 35th on to Trinity Drive during this project. Be mindful of all traffic devices, crews, and excavated areas along 35th. For information about this project, please contact Joseph Montoya or Eddie Saiz at 505-292-1684.


*Photo taken prior to work done during the 2022 construction season.

NNSA: 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.

 

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.

 

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.


Subscribe to receive the Cone Zone directly in your inbox each Friday!