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BPAC hears project updates; members press for safety-focused design after cyclist fatality referenced
Summary
City, county and NMDOT staff provided updates on trail completions and roadway projects while committee members urged prioritizing pedestrian and bicyclist safety, noted a new crossing guard at East Picacho Elementary and urged filling an active-transportation coordinator vacancy.
City of Las Cruces, Doña Ana County and NMDOT staff updated the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee on local projects and timelines and committee members raised safety concerns and staffing gaps.
City staff reported the University Avenue multimodal reconstruction is underway and that a stakeholder meeting will select preferred cross sections; a public meeting is planned for late February or early March. The Elk Scribe multi‑use trail was reported complete after a final contractor walkthrough, and NMDOT said work on Main Street continues with utilities and paving still to finish — weather permitting, substantial completion could be several months out. Town of Mesilla staff reported no immediate updates.
Committee member Ashley Curry announced a crossing guard is now in place at East Picacho Elementary after an agreement among the police department, the county and the school district; the guard began last Friday. Jim Wilcox said the active-transportation coordinator position has been vacant for roughly two years and urged the jurisdictions to fill the post, noting that coordinator responsibilities include education, outreach and advising on safer engineering.
Several members pressed for alignment between adjacent projects — for example, the city’s University Avenue design and the state project along the same corridor — and asked NMDOT to provide an update on lane-width decisions. A committee member cited research supporting narrower lanes for safety and asked staff to seek an NMDOT response on the use of 11‑foot lanes versus 12‑foot lanes on the University Avenue work; staff agreed to request an update for the next BPAC meeting.
A member of the public asked whether the BPAC has a designated representative for people with mobility impairments; staff said there is not a specific seat reserved for the disabled community on BPAC.
Staff and committee follow-ups: MPO and NMDOT staff will report back on lane‑width decisions in the University Avenue project, and staff will post the safety presentation slides to the MPO website.
