Project Overview
The NMDOT recently completed a Phase I-A/B Alignment Study for New Mexico Highway 14 otherwise known as Cerrillos Road within the City of Santa Fe between St. Michael’s (mileposts 52.0) and St. Francis Drive (milepost 53.7).
Cerrillos Road is a major thoroughfare in the Santa Fe metropolitan area transportation system. It is one of Santa Fe’s key transportation and land use corridors and one of the City’s most heavily traveled roadways. The corridor is multimodal with diverse land uses including small retail shops, schools, and large employers. Commuter mobility and local circulation are important functions for this segment of Cerrillos Road.
The current segment of Cerrillos Road represents the fourth and final segment to be upgraded from Interstate-25 at Beckner Road to St. Francis Drive in Santa Fe. The City of Santa Fe (CoSF) and the NMDOT have executed a road exchange agreement transferring the ownership and maintenance of Cerrillos Road along the project corridor to the CoSF once construction is completed. The previous Cerrillos Road phases have already been transferred to CoSF under this agreement. Therefore, while NMDOT is leading this study and project, the CoSF has been engaged and involved throughout the process. Within the study limits, Cerrillos Road is a four-lane facility built within a uniform 80-foot right-of-way that constrains opportunities to expand traffic capacity facilities. The preferred alternative will retain four (4) traffic lanes while balancing the multi-modal uses of the corridor and minimizing the acquisition of additional right-of-way and the resulting impacts on businesses and historic properties along the route.
Purpose and Need
The study’s purpose was to identify improvements to enhance mobility for vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian travel, address physical deficiencies of the existing transportation facilities, and to better manage traffic flow. The need was demonstrated by the following:
- People and Goods Movement: Cerrillos Road is a regionally significant roadway corridor in Santa Fe used for all types of transportation purposes. Mobility in the corridor is key to efficient people and goods movement.
- Physical Deficiencies: Based on the existing conditions analysis of the project corridor, physical deficiencies were identified for the roadway including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/PROWAG compliance issues at curb ramps and driveway crossings, areas within the project limits where sidewalks do not exist, mid-block pedestrian crossing spacings, and access issues particularly for adjacent business off-street parking areas in the corridor. The existing corridor is also deficient in storm drain infrastructure.
- Multi-Modal Corridor – Transit: The Santa Fe MPO Transit Master Plan notes that Cerrillos Road is a major transit corridor. Transit utilization along Cerrillos Road accounts for approximately 33 percent of total transit service hours and well over 50 percent of internal ridership in the area. Enhancements to transit services will be investigated as part of this project.
Phase I-A Alternatives
A suite of ten (10) typical sections was developed and shared during the Phase I-A public and stakeholder meetings. Two typical sections advanced the screening efforts and were combined into two alternatives. The key variable between the alternatives was a 4-foot bike lane versus a 5-foot bike lane.
Phase I-B Alternatives and Improvements Advanced to Design
During Phase IB, the Working Group eliminated the 4-foot bike lane and No-Build alternatives resulting in a Recommended Alternative for advancement to design consisting of:
- 10- to 14-foot center medians
- 10.5-foot driving lanes
- 5-foot bike lane/roadway shoulders
- Variable 4 to 6-foot sidewalks (4-foot minimum in constrained areas).
A suite of location-specific improvements is also included in the Recommended Alternative based on feedback and concerns expressed by members of the Santa Fe community.
Figure 1. Project limits extend from St. Michaels Drive to St. Francis Drive. Intersection improvements at St. Michaels and St. Francis are not part of this project (click to enlarge the image).
Next Steps
The Phase I-A/B Study has been completed. The project design team has now started environmental resource investigations (Phase I-C) and preliminary design (Phase I-D). The environmental documentation and design phases (Phases I-C, I-D, and II) are anticipated to be completed in late 2023. Funding for construction of the proposed roadway improvements has been secured with construction anticipated to start in mid-to late-2024.
As the delivery of the Cerrillos Road project progresses into the next phases, the public and stakeholders will continue to be engaged by the project team. An additional public meeting is planned during design development (Phase I-C) and at least one more will be held prior to the start of construction. Property owner interviews will occur during the design phase with landowners where additional right-of-way is necessary. The CoSF and Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization staff will continue to be engaged and help guide the delivery of the project. Meetings with the Santa Fe Indian School, the New Mexico School for the Deaf, and businesses along the project corridor will continue to be held to coordinate project-specific details. Pertinent project background information will continue to be shared on the NMDOT project website.
Phase I A/B Alignment Study Documentation
Phase I A/B Alignment Study Report (CN S100680) – FINAL
Phase I A/B Chpt 4 Public Involvement Appendix (CN S100680)
Phase I A Appendix (CN S100680)
Phase I B Appendix (CN S100680)
County
Santa Fe
District
District 5
STIP Number
Status
Study and Design
Contact
Estevan Gonzales,
Project Development Engineer
(505) 490-2602
Public Involvement
Public and Agency Coordination
The Phase IA/B Study process included agency and stakeholder coordination to identify needs and key issues so they could be addressed in the collaborative development of the proposed improvements. Coordination was undertaken with other federal, state, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or responsibility for lands and resources within the study area as well as members of the local community. The study team held both Phase IA and Phase IB public involvement meetings with the structure and content of a virtual meeting platform scaled to the context of the local community and the study purpose and need. In addition, the study team also held a Business-targeted public meeting during Phase IA to seek feedback from the businesses along the study corridor. Extensive feedback was provided by the community with common concerns centered around traffic safety and congestion, and bicycle and pedestrian safety and accommodations.
Study Working Group
Due to the extensive public feedback received during Phase IA, at the start of Phase IB Study a Working Group consisting of NMDOT, CoSF, and SFMPO staff was formed to guide the study efforts and review the alternatives advanced and feedback from Phase IA. A series of Study Working Group meetings were held, and the group endorsed the Phase IA efforts with the following recommended changes:
- Provide a minimum of a 5-foot on-road bike lane/roadway shoulder, and
- Investigate opportunities to widen the proposed 5-foot sidewalk to 6-foot.
For More Information
If you were unable to attend the public meetings, visit the Public Involvement page to watch recorded events and review available resources.
Project Resources
Currently, Cerrillos Road is classified as a principal arterial between St. Michaels and St. Francis Drive, the posted speed limit is thirty-five miles per hour (35 mph), and the daily traffic volumes approach 30,000 vehicles per day. Cerrillos Road has four travel lanes, raised medians, variable shoulder widths, and intermittent sidewalks as shown in Exhibit 1. The existing right-of-way is 80-feet wide.
The 4-foot bike lane alternatives and the No-Build alternative were eliminated during Phase B and Alternative 2 as modified by the Project Working Group is the Recommended Alternative for advancement to design. The Recommended Alternative retains four (4) traffic lanes while balancing the multi-modal uses of the corridor and minimizing the acquisition of additional right-of-way and the resulting impacts on businesses and historic properties along the route. It has the following elements:
- 10- to 14-foot center medians
- 10.5-foot driving lanes
- 5-foot bike lane/roadway shoulders
- Variable 4 to 6-foot sidewalks (4-foot minimum in constrained areas).
A suite of location-specific improvements will also be included in the Recommended Alternative based on feedback and concerns expressed by members of the Santa Fe community.
Exhibit 1. Existing Roadway Typical Section
