NNSA News:

Construction to expand and improve the intersection at East Jemez Road and N.M. 4 is scheduled to begin in late March, weather permitting.

Under contract with the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), Star Paving began some of the prep work in the Fall of 2022, building a retaining wall on the west side of NM4. This next phase will involve traffic controls as there will be some impact.

“I’m looking forward to getting this important piece of infrastructure started and completed,” said NNSA’s Los Alamos Field Office Manager Ted Wyka. “It’s going to greatly ease traffic congestion, improve safety for commuters and provide a safer turn configuration for shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. I ask that drivers please be especially courteous and patient during this construction.”

The National Nuclear Security Administration is coordinating with Los Alamos County, Santa Fe County, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NMDOT and Star Paving on communications to enable a safe and smooth flow of traffic during construction. Plans will be publicized and communicated nearer the start of construction.

Improvements to the intersection include widening and extending incoming and outgoing lanes of the intersection and adding additional turning lanes.

During construction, all existing travel lanes on NM 4 and E. Jemez Road will remain open during peak travel times – 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Any lane closures will occur during non-peak hours and flaggers will direct traffic.

Speed limits will be reduced to 35 miles per hour throughout the construction zone. Motorists are encouraged to slow down and give themselves additional time to reach their destination.

More construction phases will follow, with the project expected to be completed in late 2023.

Simultaneously, Bandelier National Monument’s Tsankawi Unit will close to allow for expanding and improving the parking lot. NNSA is also coordinating with the Pueblo de San Ildefonso and the National Park Service.

The intersection upgrade is the final Supplemental Environmental Project performed pursuant to the 2016 Settlement Agreement with the State of New Mexico in lieu of potential penalties associated with a 2014 contamination event at DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad.

In the Settlement Agreement, DOE and NNSA agreed to spend up to $12 million to improve DOE-owned transportation routes used to ship transuranic waste from LANL to WIPP. An additional $3.9 million allocation by NNSA cleared the path for East Jemez/NM-4 intersection upgrade to move forward. The project was bid at $7.5 million.

Other Supplemental Environmental Projects completed at LANL per the agreement are:

• • WIPP transportation route improvements ($12 million), plus an additional $3.9 million for the East Jemez/NM-4 intersection upgrade;
  • Design and Installation of Storm Water Engineering Structures ($7.5 million);
  • Water Line Improvements and Metering Upgrades ($10 million);
  • External, Independent Environmental (Triennial) Regulatory Reviews ($2.5 million);
  • Supplemental Environmental Sampling and Monitoring ($2.5 million).

For the intersection project, the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office will coordinate with the State of New Mexico, Los Alamos County, Santa Fe County, the National Park Service, Pueblo de San Ildefonso, and Triad National Security, LLC.