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County outlines 4th Street 'road diet'; trustees press for business access and timing safeguards
Summary
Bernalillo County and consultants described a 0.84-mile 4th Street conversion (Paseo–Alameda) to one lane each way with bike lanes, sidewalks and storm drains; trustees pressed for access protections for businesses, detour management and coordination with the village’s own Phase 2 work.
Bernalillo County officials told the Village of Los Ranchos on July 21 that a planned 0.84‑mile reconstruction of 4th Street from Paseo to Alameda will convert the roadway from four lanes to a three‑lane section with one lane each way, a two‑way left‑turn lane, bike lanes, curb, gutter and sidewalks, and will install a new storm drainage system.
County engineering manager Rodrigo Eichwald and consultant Adra Gallegos said the full roadway reconstruction will run from Ortega to Alameda, with construction staged so one direction will be closed at a time. They described a 60‑day contractor ramp‑up and contract allowance of up to about 450 days overall, with a maximum 240‑day limit for the one‑way construction phase. Southbound traffic will be temporarily detoured to 2nd Street while work proceeds in phased 300‑foot sections; the contractor is required to maintain access to businesses and residences during tie‑ins.
Why it matters: the project aims to add multimodal facilities and reduce speeds where the county has identified ponding and pavement deterioration; it also introduces ADA‑required sidewalks because federal funds are involved. Trustees emphasized the village’s rural character and worried that lane reductions and lower posted speeds could divert commuters onto smaller village streets and harm local businesses during prolonged closures.
Trustee Ira Edwards urged concrete mitigation for businesses that might lose customers during long closures and asked the county to consider compressed (24/7) construction to shorten the inconvenience. Gallegos and Eichwald said the county will use signage, barricades and business‑open messaging and will coordinate start dates to avoid major local events; they confirmed the county will not begin major work until after this year’s Balloon Fiesta. Eichwald also said the county is following the village’s lead on lane configuration so the corridor remains uniform from Chavez to 2nd Street.
What’s next: the county will continue coordination with village staff on timing, detour signage and business access plans before issuing a notice to proceed. The county committed to keep trustees and staff informed as the contractor mobilizes.
