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Mesilla Valley MPO staff outline road safety audits and upcoming call-for-projects schedule
Summary
MPO staff described the road safety audit process, noted NMDOT selects roughly five–six RSA projects per year, and asked BPAC and TAC to prioritize candidate locations; a BPAC work session is set for May 19 in the chambers.
At its April 8, 2026 meeting in Doña Ana County, Mesilla Valley MPO staff presented an overview of road safety audits (RSAs) and outlined next steps for identifying candidate projects through the BPAC and TAC.
Dominic Lawyer of MPO staff said RSAs are independent, multidisciplinary reviews that qualitatively assess roadway elements and identify opportunities to reduce risk for all users. He described the RSA process — project nomination, application to NMDOT, startup meeting, field review, analysis and a formal report with recommended responses — and said costs vary with team size (commonly five–14 people), number of site visits and design change requirements.
Lawyer said NMDOT accepts RSA project requests on a quarterly basis and typically selects about five to six projects annually, meaning a project submitted through NMDOT could realistically begin in early 2027 if chosen. Staff asked the BPAC and TAC to each narrow multiple candidate areas to their top three recommendations for board consideration.
Andrew Ray, MPO executive director, told the board staff will send calendar reminders for future call-for-projects deadlines at the chair’s request to help jurisdictions avoid missed opportunities. Staff also noted a tentative NMDOT safety data summit date of April 28 and said MPO staff will report back on any implications for federal safety targets.
A BPAC work session to prioritize RSA candidates is scheduled for May 19 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the MPO chambers; board members were invited to attend.
