City Council hears progress report as Pinon Hills Boulevard extension nears final paving

Project managers told the Farmington City Council on the evening of the meeting that construction of the Pinon Hills Boulevard extension is slightly ahead of schedule and that much of the mainline paving will be complete within days. Ted Barela, project manager, and Alex (project superintendent for AUI) gave the update during a presentation to the council.

The update matters because the new connector will link neighborhoods on the south side of the Animas River to the city’s core and improve emergency response access, council members said. The multi-phase project has been discussed by city leaders for decades and carries state and federal funding requirements.

Barela said the project had expended about $31,000,000 of the contract award and that “79% of the budget has been spent, 346 of the 480 working days have been used, so we're at about 72% of time.” He told the council that comparison of percent spent versus percent time used indicates the work is slightly ahead of schedule. Alex said, “Right now, my schedule is showing the finished date of the December,” and cautioned that weather-sensitive items such as striping cannot be done below about 40 degrees.

The presenters summarized work done by month: girder deliveries and erosion protection in early months; curb, gutter and sidewalk and extensive grading; night concrete deck pours for the Animas bridge; mast-arm and signal installation; storm drainage and ADA ramp work; and recent mainline paving to protect base course from monsoon rains. Barela described coordination challenges including an atypical six-inch conduit spool delay for Farmington Electric, Army Corps of Engineers river diversion and environmental deadlines requiring work out of the river by April 15, and utility relocations that have constrained some work.

Mayor Duckett and several councilors praised the contractor and staff. Councilor Giacchino said the project is “decades in the making” and noted it will connect Farmington to Bloomfield and nearby communities. Councilor Rogers asked whether the planting and median work were being coordinated with city staff; Barela and Alex said they were working with city staff and sponsors on landscaping decisions.

Barela and Alex emphasized remaining tasks: final pavement for the mainline, striping and signal fine-tuning, and clearing a small number of utility conflicts. Alex said the contractor planned to finish the mainline paving by the end of the week, weather and plant availability permitting. The council discussed celebrating completion with a ribbon-cutting or parade; no firm date was set.

The presentation included a short video and photo slides showing bridge placement, median work and the completed southbound asphalt on the bridge. Barela thanked city staff and subcontractors for coordinating around traffic phasing and for meeting environmental commitments. The project team did not present a final contract closeout date beyond the finish-of-construction schedule and said some work remains contingent on weather and subcontractor availability.

City staff will continue routine construction oversight and coordination with utilities and the contractor as the project moves toward final paving and striping.