By: Luke Burns

Road Work Ahead

If you’ve driven around town lately, you’ve probably seen a lot of orange. Unfortunately, it’s not the usual bulldog orange we all know and love. Instead, it’s been the ugly, oppressive, construction orange.

Indeed, there are major road work projects underway in town with more still to come. By now, we’re all familiar with the work being done on 26th street from Main to Hermosa. That project will replace the water lines, repave the road, work on the bridge, add sidewalks and a bike lane, and add curb and gutter for better drainage when it rains.

Recently the infrastructure department also began work on their 2nd and Richardson project. This project involves a complete road rehabilitation as well as repair work on sidewalks and ADA ramps in the area.

While the previously listed projects may be old news, the latest update is that the infrastructure department is gearing up to start yet another project at the end of March. This time they will work on replacing the Grand Street water line. This project will run along Grand Street from 13th to 26th.

With all this road work happening at the same time, it’s fair to ask, “does the infrastructure department hate us?”

Believe it or not, the answer is no.

The infrastructure department normally tries to avoid having multiple projects going at one time, especially when the projects focus on the same part of town. The 26th street and the 2nd and Richardson projects had long been scheduled for this time. However, the Grand Street project had its timeline moved up out of necessity.

The water line underneath Grand Street was originally installed in 1968. The usual lifespan for those pipes means that it would be due to be replaced around this time. Originally the replacement of the pipes was going to be held off until there weren’t other projects going on in the area. However, the water line has been leaking recently, and with each subsequent leak it’s beginning to affect more and more homes. Due to the increasing impact of the leaks, the infrastructure department decided to start replacing the water line sooner than originally planned.

The infrastructure department is trying to reduce the impact to traffic as much as possible during these projects. One way they are doing that is by doing all three of these projects in phases. Working on the projects in phases makes it so that they don’t have to shut down the entire project area all at the same time.

It is worth remembering that despite how it feels, there is an end to all the road work. While the 26th street project will go until 2026, the other two projects are much shorter. Work on 2nd & Richardson will end in early August, and the Grand project is scheduled to end in the fall.

Ultimately, these projects show our community investing in itself. By modernizing our infrastructure, we not only fix existing problems, but we also set ourselves up for success in accommodating future plans and growth.

We will provide updates as all these projects move forward. We appreciate your patience during this time and ask that you please drive safely around construction zones.

Luke Burns is the Communications Coordinator, Finance and Administration Department for the City of Artesia. He can be reached at: 575-748-8289 or at: lburns@artesianm.gov