Sandoval County outlines bridge, road projects and adopts 2025 road inventory

Sandoval County commissioners on March 26 heard a presentation on recent, ongoing and planned road and bridge projects and unanimously adopted Resolution 3-26-25.11 certifying the county's 2025 road inventory.

The presentation by the county's public works staff explained funding sources, project costs and schedules for a series of bridge replacements, drainage and pavement projects across the county. The discussion included questions from commissioners about community communications, structure lifespans and debris/maintenance plans ahead of construction.

Ruth Anne Gomez, assistant director of public works, introduced the item and said David Martinez, the department's project manager and acting road manager, would present details. Martinez told the commission that "Sandoval County road projects are funded by the following funding sources: co op funds ... TPF transportation project funding ... Local capital funding, local county road maintenance budget, federal funding, FHWA, legislative appropriations." The presentation listed completed projects, projects under construction and projects in design, with engineer estimates and award amounts for many items.

Among recently completed or funded works, Martinez described County Road 11 bridge replacements (1784 and 1786) using polymer-coated corrugated metal culverts. He said the county received $2,105,300.04 plus $500,000 in county capital for Bridge 1784 and $1,827,932.16 plus $500,000 in county capital for Bridge 1786; total reported project costs and additional maintenance funds were shown in the presentation slides. For a currently under-construction Hidden Valley bridge replacement Martinez said, "this project was designed for a hundred year event," and noted the project total after change orders was $1,996,268.52.

Projects in the design phase include Bosque Loop/Guadalupe Road Phase 3 (engineer's estimate $1,103,434.69), Placitas West (engineer's estimate $1,850,000), Sage Hills/Dusty Trails (estimate $2,480,427.79) and County Road 11 Bridge 1787 (engineer's estimate $3,201,967). Martinez said plans and designs for several projects are complete and those projects are ready to bid once funding is available. For Paseo Del Volcan from Unser Boulevard to Rainbow Road, the presentation listed a 60% engineer estimate of $19,344,102.54 and two NMDOT capital agreements totaling $5,626,000 for planning, design and construction.

Commissioners pressed staff on community notifications and project timing. Commissioner Blanton asked, "what's the plan to update the community on the start of the project leading up to the project?" County staff replied they would provide mailings to residents in affected areas and noted alternate County Road 11 bridges (1784 and 1786) would remain available for some traffic during the 1787 work. Commissioner Brook asked whether the 1787 replacement (funding released October 2025) was the county's primary project for fiscal year 2026; staff replied that Guadalupe and portions of Placitas West were also expected to begin in fiscal year 2026 depending on funding.

Commissioner Juarez asked about expected lifespan for the new metal culverts; Martinez said they were polymer-coated metal and estimated "probably 30 to 40 years" of life expectancy while acknowledging corrosive water can shorten life. When Juarez asked about debris-removal or flooding response, Martinez said the Road Department would prioritize clearing debris flows and noted the installed pipes were large (10-foot diameter in some locations), adding that severe clogging would indicate a larger disaster that might require state assistance.

The Board then considered a separate, related agenda item: staff requested adoption of Resolution 3-26-25.11, certifying the 2025 Sandoval County road inventory, the annual list the county files with the state showing roads the county maintains and their maintenance levels. Jeremy (presenter name not fully specified in the transcript) described the inventory process and confirmed the county's total road mileage remained 1,162.82 miles. Commissioners asked whether some roads had been reclassified; staff said several routes in Rio Rancho were upgraded from level 2 to level 3 to align with county ordinance and increased maintenance needs.

A motion to adopt Resolution 3-26-25.11 carried unanimously: Commissioner Herr voted yes; Commissioner Brook voted yes; Commissioner Jones voted yes; Vice Chair Juarez voted yes; Chair Meek voted yes. The resolution was recorded as adopted.

Staff said several projects are ready to proceed as funding is released and that some larger projects rely on state capital outlay or co-op awards distributed through the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG). Several presentation slides and discussion items noted the county has road maintenance funds available to cover shortfalls if necessary, but larger projects depend on scheduled releases of state or co-op funding.

The presentation and the commission's questions left a number of implementation details to be resolved, including precise start dates for large projects, the county's communication plan for neighborhoods affected by detours and more granular maintenance scheduling. Martinez said the county would provide mailings and make efforts to minimize community disruption. Commissioners signaled an interest in continued updates as projects move from design to construction.

The county manager and public works staff said they would return with updates, and the commission adjourned the agenda item after adopting the inventory certification.