Current Activity

A fourth public meeting for the Los Lunas Corridor Study was held on Wednesday, August 17 at the Los Lunas Transportation Center, 751 Juan Perea Road, Los Lunas, NM. The purpose of this meeting was to inform the community about the Study Team's recommendation of the locally preferred option for the corridor and to receive public input.

•  View the material provided at that meeting . 
• Comments on the material provided and the Study Team recommendation are being accepted through Friday, September 9.  Download the comment form.

At their Thursday, October 6 meeting, the Village of Los Lunas Council adopted a resolution concurring with the findings and recommendations of the Project Technical Team and Steering Committee in the selection of the Morris "B" Alternative. The Belen City Council and the Valencia County Commission will be requested to take action agreeing with the Council at their respective meetings on November 17 and November 19.

Background

The Mid-Region Council of Governments is leading a transportation study for the NM 6 Corridor through the Village of Los Lunas.

Study Purpose: This study is evaluating existing and future transportation problems and needs within the NM 6 corridor. It is identifying and evaluating possible solutions which will help mitigate congestion on this route and which will provide access to developing areas on the East and West Mesas.

Study Participants: This study is being conducted by the MRCOG in collaboration with the Village of Los Lunas, City of Belen, Valencia County, and the New Mexico Department of Transportation. A Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and a Steering Committee comprised of local and state agencies are assisting MRCOG with the corridor study.

The Steering Committee includes representatives from the Village of Los Lunas, City of Belen, Valencia County, the town of Peralta, the Town of Tome Land Grant, and the New Mexico Department of Transportation. A consultant team of transportation planners and engineers is assisting MRCOG and the Steering Committee. The consultant team is led by D. Pennington & Associates, Inc.

CAC members represent the communities and neighborhoods in and immediately adjacent to the Study Area. They provide a linkage between the study and other members of the public. In addition, information about the Study and opportunities to receive e-mails about Study activities is always extended to anyone who contacts us for information. Contact information is provided at the bottom of this page.

Activities

Initially, the corridor study was focused south of Los Lunas and included the area generally bounded by I-25 on the west, the Manzano Expressway on the east, Miller Road/South El Cerro Loop on the south, and NM 6 on the north. The study area was expanded to include a second corridor north of NM 6 to reflect CAC input and direction from the Steering Committee.

An introductory public open house meeting was held on Tuesday, August 25th in Los Lunas. This meeting provided information about the Corridor Study and sought to obtain community input on issues and factors to consider during the study.

View the material presented at that meeting and a synopsis of the input received from the public. 3.32 Mb

Following the public meeting, a set of preliminary alignments was identified and evaluated further using an initial screening process. The screening process, which relies on both quantitative analysis and qualitative assessment, is intended to provide an initial assessment of each potential alignment for the purpose of identifying its substantive benefits and flaws.

The criteria used for the screening evaluation consisted of engineering, land use, community, and environmental factors. Primary factors included: traffic performance, amount of right-of-way need, number of residential and business property acquisitions, loss of farmlands, the effect on security on lands operated by the State Penitentiary, impacts to the NMSU research facilities, loss of bosque habitat, impacts to neighborhoods, and service to areas of planned growth. The results of this effort resulted in a recommendation to eliminate some of the proposed alignments.

Public Meeting Presentation of 01/26/2010

The results of the public meeting were reported to the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) at their February meeting. View the presentation that the CAC received.  View the presentation the CAC received. 2.03 Mb

A public opinion survey of residents in the study area was conducted in April by Research & Polling, a well-known market research and public opinion research company and the results of this effort are now available.

The survey consisted of a telephone interview of 354 households within the general vicinity of the proposed roadway. About two-thirds (65%) of those surveyed feel that traffic congestion in the Los Lunas area is a serious problem, particularly on Main Street (NM 6). Nearly four-fifths (78%) of the survey participants feel that traffic congestion on Main Street is a serious problem and that traffic congestion on this street has worsened over the past five years. When asked what is currently the biggest problem facing people in the community, 39% of respondents mention traffic-related issues.  The full survey is available by clicking here.

The Study Team took the findings from the public process to the local governments in the April through June time period. Presentations were provided to the Peralta, Los Lunas, and Belen Councils and the County Commission. These governmental bodies were requested to provide their input regarding the project team recommendations and the detailed analysis which will occur in Phase B (see Study Process section below). The map below shows the project team recommendation. The Village of Los Lunas, City of Belen and Valencia County have all approved resolutions supporting the recommendation.
 Copies of the resolutions can be found here.

The third public meeting for the Los Lunas Corridor Study was held on September 21. Comments on the material presented at that meeting were accepted through October 18. A summary of those comments, along with a copy of the presentation and maps provided at the meeting, is available  here.

At the October 18 Citizens Advisory Committee, the Project Team provided the Committee with a summary of the results of the public meeting and discussed the Team's potential recommendations about the various alternative alignments.  A copy of that presentation is provided here.

 View a copy of the presentation

 Bridge Design Concepts

 Miller Alignment

 Morris Alignment
 Morris Drainage Options

 Typical Sections Renderings

Study Process

The corridor study is following federal and state transportation planning and environmental rules and procedures. Following these procedures will allow federal and state funds to be used for any new roadway facilities or other transportation system improvements that are recommended by the study. The procedures typically include three major phases:

• Phase A includes an analysis of existing and future (projected) problems and other factors that affect transportation system congestion, mobility, safety, and accessibility. These problems and factors establish the purpose and need for any projects that may result from the study. This phase also provides an inventory of local issues and conditions that must be considered by the study, e.g., neighborhoods, environmental conditions, historic properties, air quality, etc. Finally, potential solutions (i.e., "alternatives") to achieve the project objective are identified and screened. This initial screening process eliminates alternatives that are unlikely to achieve the project need and advances those that hold promise. We are currently in the final stages of Phase A.
• Phase B includes a detailed analysis of the alternatives retained for further consideration. During this phase, each alternative is developed in greater detail to define the alignment, right-of-way needs, and cost. Alternatives are also evaluated for their effect on traffic performance, safety, mobility, neighborhoods, businesses, growth and development, and the environment. Poor performing alternatives may be eliminated from further consideration.
• Phase C includes the preparation of an environmental document, typically either an environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement (EIS). The preparation of an EA or EIS is required for projects which use federal funds and/or that require other federal approvals or permits. The EA/EIS results in a final decision to either implement the proposed project or to select the "No-Action Alternative," i.e., do nothing to correct the identified problems. If the EA/EIS results in the selection of a proposed project, the project is advanced into design and, when funding is obtained,  right-of-way acquisition 2.95 Mb and construction.

Public involvement is a fundamental and essential part of the study process. Input from the public is used to help identify the alternatives to consider and to evaluate alternatives. For this Corridor Study, the public involvement plan includes the use of a citizen advisory committee (CAC) and community meetings at each key milestone of the study. In addition, the Project Team is meeting regularly with local councils and commissions, neighborhood groups, and other groups interested in the study. To arrange for a presentation to your neighborhood association or other group, please contact us.

Project contacts:

Loretta Tollefson, AICP
Special Projects Manager – RTPO 
Phone: 505-724-3611
Fax: 505-247-1753
E-mail: ltollefson@mrcog-nm.gov

David Pennington
D. Pennington & Associates, Inc.
Phone: 505-379-9058
E-mail: dave@dpenningtonassociates.com