Cover photo: The 'Autumn-bahn' —Photo by Jake Schoelkopf
Top story
Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon flash-flood mitigation efforts
NMDOT crews from Districts Four and Five cleared small culverts of mud and debris, rebuilt large culverts, after flash floods and debris flow inundated areas below burn scars caused by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fires in northern New Mexico. Because of burn scars left by the wildfires residents are now at risk of flash-flooding.
"As flash flooding continues to threaten New Mexicans in wildfire burn scars in Lincoln, Mora, and San Miguel counties, I am grateful to President Biden and FEMA for granting my request to include flooding in New Mexico’s disaster declaration." —Gov. Lujan Grisham
NMDOT expenses for Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon flash-flood mitigation
Equipment: $615,063 | Labor: $418,380 | Commodity: $208,842 | Total: $1,242,285
Headlines
NMDOT proudly announces Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna and Deputy Secretary Trent Doolittle
Ricky Serna has worked in public education and state government for over a dozen years and previously served as acting leadership for the Department of Workforce Solutions and the State Personnel Office. Prior to joining the Lujan Grisham administration he served as the interim president at Luna Community College, where he successfully led an effort to overcome significant accreditation and governance challenges. He also served as the Vice President for Advancement at Northern New Mexico College and spent nearly five years with the New Mexico Higher Education Department, providing field oversight for a statewide project aimed at increasing student graduation rates within 21 school districts.
Serna has served on the New Mexico Highlands University Board of Regents, NM JTIP Board, the Las Vegas City Schools Board of Education, the New Mexico Educational Assistance Foundation, and as president of the Española Valley Chamber of Commerce Board. A first-generation college graduate from Española, NM, he earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership, both from New Mexico Highlands University.
Trent Doolittle, P.E., began his career with the New Mexico Department of Transportation District One office soon after graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University in 1998. Throughout his tenure Trent has held various engineering positions within the department before being promoted into a management role. Trent served as the Assistant District Engineer in Construction from 2006-2007, and the Assistant District Engineer over Maintenance from 2007-2012. Trent was selected as the District One Engineer in 2012. He is currently the longest serving District Engineer and has 24 years of overall experience with the Department.
As the District Engineer, Trent has served on the Policy Board of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Planning Organization (LCMPO) and the Policy Board and Executive Committee with the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization (ELMPO).
STC dedicates N.M. 522 to late State Senator
The New Mexico Department of Transportation, elected officials, close friends and family of the late Senator Carlos R. Cisneros, gathered in Questa off N.M. 522 to officially dedicate the entire length of the state road from its junction with U.S. 64 in Taos County to the New Mexico/Colorado state line as the “Senator Carlos R. Cisneros Memorial Highway.”
NMDOT announces $34.4 million for Active, Transportation, Recreation and Air Quality Improvement Projects
Twenty-two communities across the state will receive approximately $34.4 million in federal funding for transportation and recreational trail projects through the Transportation Alternative (TAP), Recreational Trails (RTP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Programs. NMDOT administers these federal funding programs in New Mexico. When leveraged with local dollars and in-kind services, the 29 projects represent more than $39 million in transportation and recreational investment over the next three to five years.
“...The RTP projects have illustrated an excellent opportunity for partnership between Federal, State and Local governments to create meaningful recreation and economic development opportunities for area residents and visitors.” —San Juan County Public Works Director Nick Porell
- $187,000 from TAP awarded to Las Cruces Public Schools for the Safe Routes to School program which helps students find ways to safely walk and bicycle to school.
- $300,000 from RTP awarded to Clovis for the Liebelt Channel Trail creating a pedestrian and bicycle trail for residents connecting to parks, schools, businesses, healthcare services, and other facilities along Main St.
- $3.2 million from CMAQ awarded to Bernalillo County to construct the Dolores Huerta Pedestrian Bridge providing a safe pedestrian crossing over the Rio Grande River near Bridge Blvd.
USDOT awards $45 million for southwest NM road project as part of the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant
NMDOT received notice from the US Department of Transportation, the state will receive $45 million from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program. A total of nearly $8 billion is available through the INFRA program over the next five years. The first round of funding totals $1.5 billion. The selected project will provide a direct route to El Paso and I-10 in southwest New Mexico. The 6-mile roadway will connect the Santa Teresa Port of Entry to N.M. 273 in Sunland Park. The NMDOT will own and maintain the new connection.
NMDOT receives additional federal transportation funding
NMDOT received $61,180,940.00 from the Federal Highway Administration’s annual August redistribution which provided additional funding to states as part of the “use-it-or-lose-it” by the end of September. When certain federal transportation funding remains unspent before deadlines, the funds revert to a federal pool and are redistributed to other states.
District news
Training for Equipment Excellence (TEE) statewide competition
Video content created by NMDOT Communications
The NMDOT held its first Training for Equipment Excellence (TEE) statewide competition after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The TEE competition showcases the best of equipment operators from every corner of our state and highlights their finely honed skills in the operation of heavy equipment. Competitors and judges from all six districts and the General Office converged on Expo NM State Fair grounds for three days of competition. Competitors participated in preventive maintenance and operating skid steers, dump trucks, transports, blades, front end loaders, mowers and back hoes. 1st through third finished each piece of equipment were recognized at a banquet on the last evening and one district was crowned the overall winner.
2022 TEE State-wide competition results
District Five celebrates their overall TEE victory. Holding the trophy is District Engineer Paul Brasher, and kneeling in front, middle; is NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna.
Loader:
- Jose Gonzales, D2
- Kleer Lewis, D1
- Spencer Torres, D1
Transport:
- Jesus Saiz, D4
- Michael Cruz, D4
- Lorenzo Lujan, D5
Backhoe:
- Isaac Armijo, D1
- Cimarron Zamora, D5
- Nicholis Soto, D2
Skid Steer:
- Carlo Quinones, D5
- Juan Garcia, D3
- Donald Gallegos, D5
Blade:
- Dennis Valdez, D5
- Robert Chavez, D4
- Chris Matson, D3
Mower:
- Jeffrey Willebrand, D4
- Mario Archuleta, D4
- Calvert Kaamasee, D6
Dump Truck:
- Alejandro Ortiz, D3
- Jeremy Sullivan, D2
- Nathan Vigil, D4
VIP:
- Nelson Terrezas, D5
- Joseph Mondragon, D5
- Ricardo Salazar, D5
NMDOT is ready for snowfall
Patrols from around the state are ready to handle whatever Mother Nature throws at us. Ed Lugo from the South Urban Patrol in Albuquerque tells us, although the Metro may not receive the most snow, they do have the most bridges and flyovers which take some extra care.
Snowplow simulator training
Winter weather is approaching and NMDOT crews are getting ready. Snowplow simulator training has begun for newer NMDOT employees. District Three Maintenance Management Analyst Marc Romero explains how this training helps newer employees get comfortable with the huge task of keeping New Mexico roads clear and safe for the travelling public.
The I-25 northbound Martin Luther King offramp in Albuquerque is no more
Construction has been ongoing since early August to make improvements to the west half of Oak Street, between Central Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard (MLK), to remove the northbound MLK off-ramp. Since work began on the northbound I-25 MLK exit has been closed. Northbound traffic will access MLK by exiting at the Lead/Coal off-ramp and proceed north on Oak St. to MLK (this will be the permanent configuration). MLK access for southbound traffic on I-25 will not be affected. Please be aware of equipment and workers entering and exiting the work zones and proceed with caution. All work is weather permitted and subject to change without notice.
Heavy rains destroy a culvert and flood N.M. 531 near La Puente
Fortunately, the District Five Patrol of the Year from Tierra Amarilla were on the scene to initiate repairs. Patrol Supervisor Ramon Trujillo explains what needed to be done to fix the culvert and what it’s like to work in really tight areas with big machinery.
Socorro Patrol patching up I-25
The Socorro Patrol recently found themselves on southbound I-25, at mile marker 145, patching up a sizeable portion of the outside lane of the interstate where an underground spring had caused some road failure. The persistent problem requires the patrol to come out at least once a year to repair the roadway, and the active monsoons feed the spring which only makes matters worse. The patrol dug down about 18 inches, applied a thick base course and then topped it off with cold mix asphalt before tamping it all down with a roller. All this as interstate traffic, some not heeding the posted work zone speed limit, zipped by precariously close to the patrol while they fixed the roadway.
D5 mowing near Madrid
Cerrillos Patrol in District Five is one of the smallest patrols in the state, but they keep busy! Highway Maintenance Worker Advanced Justin Greigo explains what a difficult task mowing can be given the terrain and narrow roads but also how important it is to the travelling public.
Scenes From Ribbon Cutting Celebration For NCRTD’s New Maintenance Facility
Local, state and national officials turned out for a special ribbon cutting celebration at the new maintenance facility, wash bay and fueling station Thursday morning at the North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) at 1327 N. Riverside Dr. in Española. This ribbon cutting represents the culmination of a 9-year endeavor in achieving this milestone.
$26.5 million I-25 Rincon roadway project
The vast majority of the $26.5 million I-25 Rincon roadway project was recently completed and an announcement, along with a ribbon cutting, was held to celebrate the completion of the project. The existing pavement along the roadway corridor showed signs of fatigue and cracking. Additionally, sedimentation problems caused upheaving of the roadway along the corridor. A little over five miles of the interstate underwent a full roadway reconstruction which included 8.5 inches of new asphalt and three feet of new mechanically stabilized fill along with three layers of base material to correct roadway subgrade deficiencies. The result is an improved roadway for the traveling public between Hatch and Rincon.
Expansion and improvement of U.S. 180 from Silver City to Deming
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham spoke at a groundbreaking in Hurley, N.M., on, July 28; where she was joined by city and county leaders in announcing $25 million in state funding for the expansion and improvement of U.S. 180 from Silver City to Deming.
The project will expand a 38-mile section of U.S. 180 and is expected to significantly improve safety and efficiency along the corridor, which is used by residents, visitors, and workers. Tens of thousands of visitors every year use the highway to access a variety of recreational locations, including City of Rocks State Park, the Gila Cliff Dwellings, Gila National Forest, and the Fort Bayard National Cemetery.
This long-awaited project is scheduled to begin in the summer 2023 and will be built in three phases. The $25 million investment announced by the governor today will fund the expansion of U.S. 180 between Bayard and Hurley.
Updating guardrail in D1
District One crews are updating guardrail between mile marker 85 to 102 near Truth or Consequences. Civil Engineer Technician Rick Castillo explains how changing from wood to steel posts makes the barrier stronger and raising the guardrails an additional 4-inches meets new safety guidelines.
Maintaining rural roads is an important part on the NMDOT mission
On N.M. 603 just outside of Pie Town crews are adding millings to the roadway to slow down the erosion and fill ruts on the road. District Six Heavy Maintenance Crew Supervisor Anthony Chavez explains how the millings make it more comfortable and safer for the driving public.
Rio Rancho mitigating erosion
District Three crews were busy in Rio Rancho mitigating erosion issues due to monsoon rains. Highway Maintenance Supervisor Richard Rodriquez explains how water runoff can create craters and potentially damage roads and structures.
I-25 at La Bajada
Southbound I-25 at La Bajada is currently undergoing a facelift as crews rip out guardrail and mill out the roadway. Once that is complete, the reconstruction of southbound lanes will commence and include soil mixing to stabilize the roadway, construction of load transfer platforms, drainage improvements and roadway reconstructing as part of a slope mitigation project. When the southbound section of La Bajada is complete crews will switch over to the northbound lanes for reconstruction. Construction on the $42 million project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2024. Motorists are asked to reduce speed, obey posted signs, and use extreme caution.
Kudos
September 27th, 2022
On the early afternoon of September 13th, we were headed to Tucson on 1-10. Not five minutes outside of Deming I saw my cell phone fly off the roof of the car... l had accidentally left it there when we were about to leave Blake's. I immediately pulled over into the median and my girlfriend and I began to backtrack on foot. A half mile down I realized we must have missed it and turned around to carefully retrace our steps. About that time an NMDOT employee, Johnny Murial (sp?)), pulled up. I explained my predicament. He said he would drive ahead, slowly, and help look for it. Minutes later he whistled and held my phone aloft! Supremely grateful I wanted to reward him, but he declined saying that helping people was his job. But he went further: he kept his truck idling where he was as we went back to our car and watched for a gap in the traffic (the high-speed lane ...) so we could get back on the road. He had a better view than we, so when he signaled it was clear, we were able to safely get back on the road as he also pulled out, helping slow any traffic that might have otherwise switched into our lane. Besides being enormously helpful, he was cheerful and kind-hearted, and we wanted to let you know. —Mark Bahti
Congratulations goes out to graduating senior Brittany Daniel! She was the recipient of District Two's HEA scholarship for 2022. Brittany graduated from Goddard High School this past May and will be attending San Juan College for Occupational Therapy. She is the daughter of William and Jennifer Daniel.
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Created with images by Drake Fleege - "A shaded hiking trail through the woods within the Pike Lake Unit, Kettle Moraine State Forest, Hartford, Wisconsin in early October." • uaurora - "Day of the dead in Janitzio, Michoacan, Mexico. Candle among flowers mexican celebration. Cempasuchil flowers and altar candles in a cemetery" • winyu - "sunshine in fall leaves" • Bumble Dee - "Memorial day. Veterans Day. American Soldiers Saluting. US Army. Military of USA . empty space for text"