An unpaved stretch of N.M. 126, which runs from La Cueva to Cuba. Courtesy photo
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
CB FOX owner Dave Fox explains that his involvement in the local tourism industry began with a t-shirt. He said in 1959, then Laboratory Director Norris Bradbury scribbled a picture of an atomic bomb on a napkin at Sparky’s restaurant. That image was put on a t-shirt that the department store sold to tourists.
Fast forward to 2014. Fox said road work on Central Avenue was finally completed and a re-opening celebration was held. The construction project had been hard on CB FOX; Fox said he lost 14 percent in sales. It was during the celebration that Fox announced his intention to campaign for the paving of a 8-mile stretch of N.M. 126, which runs from La Cueva to Cuba.
Just as his customers were so used to parking on the street to access the store and seemed to forget about the parking behind the store during that road work, N.M. 126 is often overlooked because it is considered a dirt road.
“I took the opportunity to make it my personal project to popularize paving N.M. 126 all the way from Cuba to La Cueva,” he said.
Fox is taking his cause Tuesday evening to the Los Alamos County Council in the form of a citizen petition. The petition recommends Council direct the County Transportation Board to evaluate the state highway’s current status, estimate costs of its completion, determine the extent of outreach that would be needed to build regional support and evaluate the amount of local support for this project.
According to County Public Information Officer Julie Habiger, there are several ways the County Council could respond to this petition. They could thank Fox for his petition and take no action; they could follow his recommendation; or they could direct County staff to follow an alternative option.
This is not the first time improving N.M. 126 has come before council. Habiger said in 2015, then-Council Chair Kristin Henderson sent a letter to State Department of Transportation Cabinet Secretary Tom Church, requesting he consider paving the final 8 miles of the highway.
Fox said NMDOT had already done most of the work but with oil and gas prices falling and the state’s budget tightening, the final 8 miles remain unpaved. He argues that finishing the road would end up generating money not only for the state but for Los Alamos. The highway would provide the most direct route from the Four Corners to Santa Fe, not to mention to Los Alamos as well as to the Valles Caldera, Bandelier National Monument and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. This, Fox said, is very marketable to drawing visitors to the area.He also pointed out that the state highway already benefits from its history and from its surrounding environment.
Fox said his presentation has good timing. “My interest in paving N.M. 126 completely coincides with their (the County’s) interest in tourism development.”
In correspondence to the state transportation department, Fox explains that N.M. 126 is designated as a National Scenic By-Way.
