Bernalillo County says watershed work helped limit damage after extreme flood; pedestrian bridge closed

Bernalillo County Commissioner Terry Olivas told residents at a news briefing in the Village of Tijeras that an extreme rainfall event Saturday produced unprecedented flooding across the East Mountains but that "no one was injured. No one was killed." The briefing was held at the Los Bacinos Community Center, adjacent to the county's Tijeras Creek restoration site and the pedestrian bridge that was damaged in the flood.

The restoration project behind the community center, county stormwater officials said, appears to have reduced the flood’s energy and limited property impacts even though construction was not complete when the storm hit. "It was a 200- to 500-year rain event, with 2 1/2 to 3 inches falling within a half hour," said Colley Bronson, stormwater compliance program lead for Bernalillo County, who described the project’s goal as restoring natural creek flows, slowing runoff and encouraging infiltration.

Bronson said provisional National Weather Service analyses and on-site measurements show unusually high rainfall intensity; U.S. Geological Survey gauges downstream in Carnuel recorded the Tijeras arroyo rising more than 9 feet within 15 minutes. Bronson estimated the restoration work was about 80 to 90% complete when the flood inundated the site and said project features already installed helped dissipate flow and direct floodwaters away from homes and people.

Public Works Technical Services Director Brian Lopez said the county closed the pedestrian bridge for public safety after inspectors found extensive damage to footings and connections. "Most manufacturers are estimating wait times of about a year," Lopez said, describing long lead times for the specialized materials needed for reconstruction. He said the county is completing a damage evaluation, redesigning the structure for greater resilience and aiming to begin construction in spring 2026, but cautioned that a confirmed demolition or construction start date is not yet set.

Andre Dixon, director of Bernalillo County Parks, Recreation and Open Space, said the Los Bacinos Community Center will remain open for programs. He said the center typically runs a before-school program for about 30 registered children and sees 50 to 100 additional students dropped off by families each morning, with attendance commonly rising after school. Dixon said the county is coordinating shuttles and exploring a bus-stop arrangement with Albuquerque Public Schools to mitigate access problems caused by the bridge closure.

Commissioner Olivas and county staff emphasized collaboration across jurisdictions — including the state Department of Transportation, the city of Albuquerque, land grants, the village and private property owners — for long-term maintenance of the Tijeras Creek corridor. Olivas asked for volunteer assistance from residents to clear culverts and stressed the need for upstream maintenance to reduce future risk.

No formal votes or orders were taken at the briefing. County engineers and project consultants will complete damage assessments before the county decides whether to repair or replace the existing bridge, and staff said they will report back with procurement timelines and design updates once analyses are complete.