Leah, representing the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), told the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee on Sept. 11 that the long-discussed St. Michael’s reconstruction — a road diet project — received $400,000 from the federal Carbon Reduction Program for an initial evaluation of alternatives.

"This has been the top-rated project in our metropolitan transportation plan for probably a decade," the MPO representative said, noting the award covers early project development. She added that additional funding will be required for preliminary engineering and construction, and that construction will likely cost millions.

Leah also updated the committee on street design guidelines and a proposed manual that the city would reference in code; the manual is intended to provide detailed, developer-facing specifications while the broader design guide would remain advisory. The process will require a text amendment to the land‑use code, she said.

On bike parking, the MPO representative said she obtained a new vendor quote for a custom Santa Fe bike rack at about $630 per rack (shipping inclusion was uncertain). She said the racks had already received historic review board approval for downtown installation and that an assessment of potential downtown locations from 2013–2015 is available for use.

BPAC members discussed using councilor discretionary funds to purchase several racks and asked staff to coordinate locations and installation requirements.