Problem intersection to get stoplight

RIO RANCHO —  A stoplight will be installed on NM 528 at the intersection of Pasilla Road and Riverside Drive, where a local couple was killed in 2024, and the roadway will be widened, the head of the New Mexico Department of Transportation told residents Friday.

NMDOT proposes stopgap solution for deadly Rio Rancho corridor

Following a traffic study, Rio Rancho council and state lawmaker question proposal from transportation officials

Rio Rancho lawmaker demands NMDOT release traffic study

Rep. Alan Martinez, a Republican, chides agency for the delay of the NM-528 corridor review following June town hall

Residents sound off on dangerous Rio Rancho corridor in town hall meeting

NMDOT Secretary Ricky Serna outlined the plan and interim measures during a town hall meeting called by Rep. Alan Martinez, R-Rio Rancho, and Nicole List, member of the Rio Rancho Governing Body. 

"We will move with a sense of urgency, that I assure you," Serna told residents.

The town hall came following a letter from Martinez to Serna issued last month demanding "the swift completion and public release" of a traffic study along the NM 528 corridor after the agency committed to conducting one in the area. At the Dec. 18 governing body meeting, NMDOT officials presented the results of the study, conducted by an external group, and, at the request of List, pledged to participate in a town hall.

Serna told residents during the town hall at the Church of the Incarnation that quick fixes to the intersection include placing speed cameras along the corridor and devices known as "candlesticks" to eliminate left turns out of and crossings to Pasilla and Riverside roads. 

Then design for a traffic signal, which could take up to 16 months, will begin, but once complete, it will only be functional on the weekend, per the recommendation of an external traffic study. The signal will function every day when traffic levels warrant it.

"The study shows (that will be several years from now), but as we listen to the community and have discussions with the city ... that might change, and it might be sooner," Serna said. 

In conjunction, NMDOT will purchase property around the intersection to enable crews to widen the road.

Martinez, who asked residents to forge a respectful dialogue during the town hall, said that he is "happy the secretary has moved this fast" on the plan.

List, who thanked Martinez for "being a champion for us," emphasized to residents that implementation of the plan "is not going to happen tomorrow."

One resident expressed concern that having to turn right on Pasilla to NM 528 was "going to be a nightmare." Another resident suggested a roundabout at the intersection, which drew nervous laughter from attendees. 

Some of the residents who took a turn to speak during the town hall said they were involved in crashes at the intersection, leading Serna to tell the story of how his own daughter was victim to an accident at a four-way stop elsewhere.

"We have to be mindful that accidents are going to happen," Serna said. "Everything we do is a gamble."

Rio Rancho resident Georgia Martinez said Friday's meeting was good and "definitely a step forward" from the last town hall. Martinez, who has had at least one "close call" at the intersection, is in support of a traffic signal but disappointed in how long it may take to design.

List said that the meeting was a success. 

"I think the fact that we asked and they came back and that there appears to be a plan for forward movement — I think that's very promising," she said. "Prior to a couple of months ago, none of this was going to happen."

List said she hoped residents would treat NMDOT officials with respect if crafting a plan, but at the same time, agency officials can "take in the actual community needs and actual humanity of all, because I think that's where the disconnect is when it comes to applying or seeing through these proposed solutions."

List said she will monitor NMDOT's conversations with the city to make sure they happen periodically. 

Serna said his takeaway from the town hall is that the community is willing to be "nimble" for and with the agency during the implementation of short-term measures on the intersection. The community, he said, expressed concerns on what the agency's plans may mean for adjacent roads, so "we're going to have to keep a pulse on what we're doing right now to make sure we don't cause unintended consequences on other areas of this corridor."