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Board reviews Pinion School trail and NM4 crossing plan; residents warn single-lane conversion could impede emergency response
Summary
Los Alamos Transportation staff presented design, funding and schedule updates for the Pinion School Trail Connection and the NM4 multi-use trail; staff plan to finalize 90% design in December and take the pedestrian hybrid beacon and maintenance agreement to county council, while neighborhood residents raised safety, notification and emergency-access concerns.
Los Alamos — Transportation staff told the Transportation Board that the Pinion School Trail Connection and the NM4 crossing/multi-use trail are in 90% design and on track to finish design in December, with construction planned to start in spring 2026 and finish in late 2026.
John Strickland, project manager in the Public Works engineering department, said the Pinion extension consists of "about 850 linear feet of" trail, requires an easement from the school district already obtained, and will use a series of ramps and 30-foot landings so segments meet ADA slope allowances. On the NM4 corridor, Strickland said designers propose one westbound and one eastbound vehicle lane, 8-foot bike lanes in each direction and a north-side multi-use trail separated by a small concrete barrier. He told the board the design team has about $250,000 for design ("$213,000 came from the federal highways and state DOT" with a roughly $36,000 local match) and roughly $2.1 million in federal construction funds plus a $364,000 local match for a total construction budget of about $2.5 million.
Why it matters: staff plan to combine the two projects into one solicitation to capture economies of scale and to meet DOT reimbursement requirements, but the alignment and lane reductions on NM4 prompted sustained resident concern about safety, emergency vehicle access and the sufficiency of public outreach.
Residents who spoke at the meeting split on the projects’ tradeoffs. Elizabeth Suma of the Meridore neighborhood described a recent response she observed: "I sat there and watched them for 3 minutes, trying to get to where they needed to go," referring to a fire truck and ambulance delayed in single-lane traffic. Multiple Mirador residents said they received no door-hanger notifications and asked the county to revisit outreach and design choices. Jacob Robinson told the board the proposed cross-section leaves "nowhere" for emergency vehicles to travel and urged reconsideration of dropping to one lane.
County staff said they consulted the fire marshal during design and that the project provides the minimum 20-foot fire access width required; Strickland said, "we consulted with the fire marshal who is the fire department person who reviews these things for compliance" and that the marshal had no concerns with the design as proposed. Staff committed to follow up directly with the responding White Rock fire station to ensure operational responders are satisfied with emergency access plans.
Several residents suggested repurposing the existing 15-foot median to preserve additional vehicle capacity or conducting new turning-movement counts during peak periods. Staff said they compared December camera counts and turning-movement counts to earlier (September/October) volumes and found the patterns similar; they said they could collect additional data if the board wanted further verification.
On approvals and next steps, staff told the board the pedestrian hybrid beacon (HAWK) will require county council approval by ordinance and a maintenance agreement with NMDOT before installation. Director Martinez said staff plan to split grant reporting but bid construction as one larger project, arguing it would be "more economical, to include them as 1 larger project rather than 2 independent projects." The final design and HAWK agreement are scheduled to be presented to county council in December, which staff said will be the public’s next opportunity for comment.
The Transportation Board received the update and staff’s timeline; staff said they expect to finalize design in December and advertise for construction in January, with construction beginning early spring 2026 and completion expected in late 2026.
Board and staff follow-ups included a commitment to re-check communications/outreach to Mirador residents, recontact the responding fire station to confirm emergency-access operations, and to provide the final design to council for public comment and a required ordinance for the HAWK signal.
