An Example of Rural Planning:
Improving Transportation in the Jemez Corridor

Soda Dam on Highway 4 near Jemez

In late 2006, MRCOG staff completed a study which brought together residents and planners in the Jemez Valley to discuss concerns about the primary transportation corridor (State Highway 4) through the valley.

Participants from Native American Pueblos and various governmental entities identified needed improvements to the transportation system:

• Traffic congestion and pedestrian safety problems in the Village of Jemez Springs
• An expanded pedestrian network and parking facilities in the Village of San Ysidro
• Congestion and safety issues related to NM4 through the Pueblo of Jemez
• Congestion and traffic/pedestrian safety concerns related to access to national forest facilities during holidays and weekends

The resulting recommendations were:

• Form a subcommittee to conduct an ongoing assessment of mobility needs in the corridor and identify projects and priorities
• Enhance the corridor with wider shoulders, more pull-outs and passing lanes wherever needed and feasible
• Provide public transit along the corridor and work to mitigate the impact of storm water runoff with effective and aesthetically pleasing projects

The resulting document was the  Jemez Valley Corridor Assessment 3.28 Mb.

Participants included Jemez Pueblo, Zia Pueblo, the Villages of Jemez Springs and San Ysidro, Sandoval County, New Mexico Department of Transportation, and staff members from the Jemez Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest and the Valles Caldera Trust.

The Rural Transportation Planning Organization Technical Advisory Committee (RTPO TAC) makes recommendations to the MRCOG Board of Directors and the New Mexico Department of Transportation.  The committee meets bi-monthly.  A copy of the current agenda can be found in the "Upcoming Events" section of this page.

Current Projects and Services

The Mid-Region Council of Governments has issued a request to rural communities in the region to submit proposals for transportation projects. The proposed projects will be considered for inclusion in an update to the 2010-2015 Rural Transportation Improvement Program Recommendation (RTIPR) for the Mid-Region area. Projects must be included in the RTIPR to be eligible for federal funding as part of the State Transportation Improvement Program.

At their Friday, December 11, 2009 meeting, the RTPO TAC voted to require that member agencies must submit new PIF’s for projects to be included in the 2010 Mid-Region RTIPR.

This means that if an agency has a project in the current RTIPR, it will NOT automatically move into the 2010 RTIPR. A new PIF must be submitted.

If an agency chooses to provide a PIF for a project in the current RTIPR, the fact that the project was previously in the RTIPR will be taken into consideration during the project ranking process at the February RTOPO TAC meeting.

Key dates for this notification are as follows:

The Project Identification Form provided below must be used to submit projects. There are two forms, one for Safety project proposals and the other for all other proposals. The PIF Instructions file contains directions for the NMDOT portion of the general PIF. Supplemental information for the Mid-Region RTPO form is also in an attached file. 

•  Mid-Region RTIPR Project Identification Form
•  Safety Projects Project Identification Form
•  Safety Projects Application Instructions
•  Safety Project Proposals Announcement
•  Instructions for State portion of PIF
•  Supplemental Project Identification Form material
•  2009 Bridge Priority List
•  NMDOT Bridge Engineers List

 Federal Program Guidance  

Other Activities

• The Los Lunas Transportation Corridor Study is underway. 
• The Valencia County Mobility Plan has been updated. 
• The Rural PublicTransportation District Service Plan is in progress. 
• We currently provide support to the I-40 Corridor Study in Torrance and Bernalillo County, Step Into Cuba Health Alliance in Sandoval County, and the NM41 Rail to Trail project in Torrance County. MRCOG is also acting as the project manager for the Los Lunas Corridor Study in Valencia County.  The majority of the Los Lunas Corridor Study lies in the rural planning area. 
• We support rural communities which are implementing transportation projects from GRIP II: Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership (a $1.6 billion statewide transportation expansion and infrastructure improvement project.) as well as American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects.
• We support local organizations as they identify and implement projects that will enhance the Scenic Byways in their communities. The Salt Missions Trail, the Turquoise Trail, the Jemez Mountain Trail, the Camino Real and the Route 66 Scenic Byway are all in the rural planning area.
• The RTPO TAC recently
  • Recommended a prioritized set of rural public transportation projects to the Federal Transit Administration 
  • Added a set of proposed projects to the RTIPR for possible funding through the American Reconstruction and Recovery Act.

Reports

• The  Mid Region Rural Long Range Transportation Plan 3.31 Mb (approved in 2007) identifies transportation needs in Torrance, Valencia, rural Sandoval, and southern Santa Fe counties between now and 2030. 
• Traffic flow maps are available for the major road network in Sandoval, Torrance, rural Bernalillo, and Valencia Counties.
•  Jemez Valley Corridor Assessment 3.28 Mb
•  2008-2009 Mid Region Rural Transportation Planning Organization Annual Report

Resources for Local Communities

There are a number of resources that local communities can use as they identify their communities' needs and ways to address those needs, search for funding for projects, or navigate the grant and project development process.

• Federal Highway Administration 
• Federal Railroad Administration 
• Federal Transit Administration
• Environmental Protection Agency
• New Mexico Department of Transportation
• NM Scenic Byways
• Scenic Byways
• Rural Transportation Clearinghouse
• New Mexico Finance Authority

Contact:  Loretta Tollefson, Special Projects Manager - RTPO, ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )