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MPO committee recommends Safe Routes program and Mesilla path lighting for state grant review
Summary
At its meeting, the Doña Ana County MPO technical committee recommended forwarding two Transportation Alternatives/Recreational Trails applications to the MPO governing board: a $700,000 Safe Routes to School program from Las Cruces Public Schools and a $1.5 million solar lighting project for the Calle de Norte path in Mesilla.
The Doña Ana County Metropolitan Planning Organization technical committee voted to recommend two Transportation Alternatives Program/Recreational Trails applications to the MPO governing board.
Las Cruces Public Schools sought $700,000 in programmatic, non‑infrastructure Transportation Alternatives Program funding to continue and expand its Safe Routes to School work. Ashley Curry, Safe Routes to School coordinator, told the committee the program has run in Las Cruces “since 02/2006” and described a mix of education, encouragement, evaluation and engagement activities aimed at increasing walking and biking to school.
Curry said the district conducts walk audits and student travel tallies and has 75 walking school buses per month. “Our budget … it's a total of $700,000 and that includes the 14.56% match from Las Cruces Public Schools,” she said, and described the request as a two‑year funding cycle covering 2026 through 2028.
The second application came from the Town of Mesilla. Mayor Russell Hernandez described a request to add off‑grid lighting along the Calle de Norte multi‑use path, calling the corridor “an extremely dark area of town” and saying the town proposes “low level bollards up and down the entire path.” Hernandez said the package sent to NMDOT requests $1.5 million with a 20% local match and that the design calls for about 96 solar bollards, 4‑foot bollards on the path and 10‑foot fixtures at key crossings; the bollards would be located on the private‑property side of the path.
Committee members asked about phasing if full funding is not available and about compliance with nighttime‑lighting rules; Hernandez said the town plans to install lighting first at the main crossings and will comply with New Mexico and local night‑sky ordinances. He said the town would prioritize intersections at Snow Road and Paisano and other crossing points near the river.
After presentations and brief questions, the committee moved to recommend both applications to the MPO governing board. The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.
Why it matters: The two recommended projects represent different approaches to improving safety and access — one programmatic, aimed at changing travel behavior and expanding educational outreach for schoolchildren; the other capital, aimed at increasing personal safety and visibility along an established multi‑use path.
Votes at a glance: The committee took a single recommendation vote that covered both applications and approved forwarding both to the MPO governing board by voice vote.
