We had a chance this week to meet with Francisco Sanchez, who is our district engineer for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. In fact, we had the opportunity to take Mr. Sanchez and other NMDOT employees around Carlsbad and the surrounding area to show them some of our streets and the growth that has taken place around Carlsbad.
The city, the county and the state are all responsible for different roads and streets, but our visit this way focused on projects that fall under the state’s jurisdiction.
Of course, one of the biggest state projects on everyone’s mind is the Bataan/Greene Street Bridge. We’ve all noticed the orange barrels blocking one lane along the bridge, but haven’t seen much work in the area.
The barrels were put in place early in the process as a safety measure as the state is working to fix several pier caps on the bridge. Pier caps fulfill an important role in a bridge – they help distribute the weight on a bridge. In addition to setting out the barrels, the NMDOT has also changed the weight limit on the bridge. The bridge has been safely secured at this time. These precautionary measures were put into place prior to the construction process.
The state has identified the issue and developed a path forward. Parts and equipment have been ordered and will take six to twelve weeks to arrive. Much of the work will take place underneath the street portion of the bridge. The state’s estimation for completion of the Bataan Bridge repairs is Dec. 31, 2022. In other words, we can expect to see the orange barrels along the bridge for several months.
We also had a good discussion with Sanchez about Highway 128, which runs from east of Loving to Jal. This is one of the busiest and most important roads in the state due to oilfield traffic. Sanchez assured us that improving 128 is one of the state’s highest priorities, and he is advocating for improvements to 128 with new Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna.
During our tour of Carlsbad, we also showed Sanchez Lea Street. Lea Street is also known as Highway 524, and it is also a state-managed road. We are working with the state on developing a partnership to improve this extremely busy street, which goes past the sports complex, new neighborhoods and several schools.
Sanchez and the district office with the New Mexico Department of Transportation have been good friends to Carlsbad and Eddy County. They recognize the need for safety improvements and the economic importance of our area. We look forward to continuing to work with them.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway
