County unveils Road Initiative list and private-road adoption draft; staff to solicit feedback before fall vote

Dona Ana County public works staff briefed commissioners on Aug. 5 about the fourth Roads Initiative and a draft resolution for adopting private roads into the county system. Interim Public Works Director Dan Zambrano and Assistant County Manager Steven Lopez said staff compiled 26 candidate roads for consideration, with a preliminary engineering estimate of about $11.2 million to design and pave the listed segments. Lopez said Fox Road — a connector on the East Mesa — and Saddle Mountain Road were priority candidates; engineering estimates provided in the session placed Fox Road at just under $750,000 and Saddle Mountain slightly above $500,000. The staff packet includes pavement condition index (PCI) data; many paved segments show PCIs as low as the 40s, and some roads are unpaved (PCI reported as 0). Public works proposed a two‑track private‑road adoption policy: one path for county‑initiated adoption when a road serves a broader public interest (public safety, connectivity) and a second path when property owners request adoption. Key draft criteria for owner‑requested adoption include: paved surface within the last 10 years with a field‑verified core sample; no structural signs of failure; a minimum 50‑foot right‑of‑way dedicated to the county (survey/plats paid by owners); and a recommended pavement condition index of at least 90 (the resolution asked the board whether that standard should be changed). Commissioners and staff also discussed the fiscal challenge of adopting private roads that add long‑term maintenance obligations. Public works presented a rough estimate that a full rebuild of a typical residential road could cost about $2 million per mile, and the county’s paved network totals roughly 700 miles — making a full rebuild of all at‑risk pavement financially infeasible. Commissioners asked staff to provide an exhibit with a road‑rating worksheet, and staff agreed to circulate the draft resolution and worksheets to the full commission for comment in August, then return with a final recommendation in September or early October, depending on quorum. Why it matters: Adopting private roads shifts immediate capital and ongoing maintenance costs to the county. The proposed criteria aim to ensure the county accepts roads that protect public safety and provide broad benefit while limiting one‑off adoptions that would create long‑term expense. Next steps: Staff will distribute the private‑road adoption draft and the road‑rating worksheet to commissioners for review, collect feedback through August, and bring a revised resolution back for board consideration in September/October.