The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) completed a project along Interstate 25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe yesterday.
State and local officials cut the ribbon on the La Bajada Hill Road project. The project has been ongoing for the past two years, and drivers can now experience a much smoother ride.
“This road is traveled by 35,000 cars in a single day,” said Ricky Serna, Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Transportation.
Instability in the road was caused by a water table underneath La Bajada Hill. A water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with groundwater.
“The issue with La Bajada, which prompted the construction here of course was the slopes on the roads of the southbound lanes on that side of the interstate,” said Serna.
NMDOT began the project in 2022. Crews constructed new additions to the road, including systems to monitor the ground and effective drainage systems meant to bring stability to the road.
A new design was implemented on the road, including 800 ten-foot-wide concrete columns and 5,800 feet of highway.
“This highway has seen a ton of improvements and safety investments. But I don’t think many New Mexicans understand that the stability issue was so critical,” said New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Grisham also said the project made them look at another issue: speeding.
Grisham said 700 high speed tickets were issued. “The men and women that work these projects they’re not safe,” said Grisham. “This is a teachable moment.”
The project had a price tag of $40 million.
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Source: KRQE, KOB 4
