New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) to resume construction activities on I-25 at La Bajada

In efforts of the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) to resume construction activities on I-25 at La Bajada, a location close to Santa Fe, south of the city. The NMDOT crews will resume a brief pause in their work caused by the colder temperatures starting on February 26 and expecting to finish in late May or early June. That means a great stride in the existing initiatives to improve road safety and infrastructure durability in the area is made.

Completion date

As per Jared Rodriguez, a Project Manager of the initiative, the project is on track and actually ahead of the schedule. The construction was initially scheduled for completion in the fall of 2024 but has come a long way such that completion is anticipated earlier. This fast-tracked time frame demonstrates the agency’s pledge of providing reasonable and timely differences in infrastructure for the benefit of the local communities and the travelers as was their commitment.

Scope

The scope of work on interstate 25 La Bajada involves large scale slope mitigation, repair activities which have been on-going since last year. The need for these enhancements is derived from the erosion problem that compromised roadway integrity in the long term. The agency has undertaken a program aimed at improving support and the roadway longevity.

A major step taken in the course of the project, that is, reinforcing the substructure is the installation of cement piles. These supports create structural armature, resulting in increase of strength and fortune to the roadway form. Moreover, NMDOT has installed sophisticated technical tools on the underneath part of the road for monitoring and scrutiny of the roads thereby facilitating the proactive maintenance and action as soon as necessary.

Besides the fundamental improvements, the project incorporates the construction of a third lane in the southbound side of the interstate.

Although this additional lane is not made accessible by drivers at the moment, it is planned for further infrastructure development which reflects NMDOT’s progressive planning and expansion of roadways.

Construction cost

All in all, the project includes a whole new construction of both northbound and southbound lanes of I-25 freeway at La Bajada. At an approximate total cost of $42 million, the project including gross receipts tax (GRT) is an important investment in infrastructure modernization and safety improvement measures. Through critical infrastructure development and roadway resilience improvements, NMDOT is striving to maintain the safety and efficiency of the transportation system, for all users.

With construction activities picking up and the project edges closer to the finish line, NMDOT will continue engaging stakeholders and the general public. By applying continual community engagements and various means of communication, NMDOT keeps the public in the loop about project mile stones, timelines and any impact on travel routes. Moreover, NMDOT works toward achieving that the community is consistently educated and informed on the project and participates actively in it by way of implementing collaboration and transparency.