By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
New Mexico Department of Transportation held a public meeting Thursday evening at the International Bank Conference Room to get public input on construction plans for work to be done on the Raton Pass.
Most of the work planned will be at the top of the pass at exit 460. Four proposals were presented that include rehabilitating the bridge over the Interstate to moving the bridge. The proposal to rehabilitate will include having to lower the roadbed under the bridge to allow for more room.
One proposal will build a new bridge just south of the old bridge, while another moves the bridge about 930 feet to the south which will have a major impact on the Port of Entry and another moves the bridge as far as 1870 feet south.
Along with these proposals work will include moving and expanding the on and off ramps as well as the frontage road on the east side of the interstate. Concerns for that include turning areas for snowplows from both Colorado and New Mexico.
Other work being considered is rock fall mitigation, drainage improvements, pavement rehabilitation, access control, wildlife fencing and electronic information signs. It was noted that there is 15 to 19 inches of asphalt road bed and to take all that up would a major problem as well as having to rebuild the road bed under it so they will mill as much as nine inches of asphalt and replace it with that much new asphalt.
The project is in the preliminary stage and over the next few months design work and decisions will be finalized with NMDOT bringing a more complete plan and costs back to Raton in mid 2016 for final public input and comments with construction beginning in 2017.
Comments and question about the project can be sent to Eric Johnson at Marron and Associates, Inc. 7511 4th St NW in Albuquerque NM 87107. The phone number for Johnson is 505-898-8848 and his email is eric@marroninc.com. (Download the Comment Form here)
