DOT study warranted traffic signal at McNutt and Airport; city manager pursuing approval

City and district staff told the board that a Wilson and Company traffic study found a traffic signal was warranted at the intersection of McNutt Road (state Highway 273) and Airport Road, which carries school traffic from nearby campuses. Ms. Cadena reported she met with Sunland Park city management and said the city manager intends to seek action from the New Mexico Department of Transportation operations engineer in Santa Fe; the board was told DOT approval had not yet been granted and that budgetary constraints may be a factor.

Ms. Cadena called attention to an upcoming private development — a gas station planned at a nearby corner — and noted the combination of increased commercial traffic and school bus and parent traffic is the reason the traffic study recommended a signal. She said she would keep the board informed about DOT actions and timing.

Board members asked no substantive follow-up questions at the time; the district noted that Airport Road is a county/city road while McNutt is a state highway under NMDOT authority, which constrains the district’s direct authority to install signals.