Colfax County commissioners voted to amend a task order and advance two bridge projects — repairs and environmental work on the Maxwell bridge and the full replacement of the Blosser Gap bridge — following presentations by county engineering staff.
The work is intended to address structural deficiencies identified by the New Mexico Department of Transportation and to position both projects for state grant funding, county staff said.
County project manager Mike Provine told the commission the Maxwell task order covers inspection-driven repairs including abutment grading, erosion mitigation, guardrail work, deck repairs and joint sealing; it also includes an environmental effort with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers because construction may affect the streambed. Provine said he preferred to split environmental services into a time-and-materials portion and rewrite the task order for clearer scoping before returning it to the commission. Commissioners voted to amend the task order so staff can proceed on design and contracting while holding environmental work as a time-and-materials item pending Corps consultation.
On the Blosser Gap bridge, county engineers reported environmental clearances and Department of Transportation certifications are complete and recommended the county advertise the project for bids. The plan is to construct a three-pipe arch structure immediately south of the existing condemned deck, keep the low-water crossing in place during construction, then remove the temporary crossing and the old deck. Staff said they will advertise in the Albuquerque Journal and online and aim to open bids in September.
Commissioners discussed funding: staff will prepare a grant application to NMDOT for construction financing; engineering design work can strengthen grant competitiveness by making the projects “shovel-ready.” The commission also asked staff to include funding encumbrance (transfers and bars) on the next meeting agenda so the engineering work is budgeted correctly.
No construction schedule was finalized at the meeting; Provine said he will provide updated cost and schedule information to the county manager and commission at a future meeting.
Less urgent procedural details and next steps include rewriting the Maxwell task order to separate environmental costs and starting the DOT grant application for each bridge project.