Pojuaque Corridor

The new and expanded U.S. Highway 84/285 corridor between Santa Fe, N.M. and the Tesuque Pueblo is more than just a busy road connecting northern New Mexico.

The four-lane corridor offers an insight into the past and present of the Tesuque Pueblo, with a significant amount of local art incorporated into the project's design.
Overpasses, abutments and retaining walls feature artistic symbols meaningful to local American Indians.

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The $70 million project's south end features designs by Santa Fe artist Federico Vigil.
Tesuque Pueblo native Anthony Dorame created artwork for the center section and artist George Rivera of the Pojoaque Pueblo designed the northern segment's artwork.

"The art isn't repetitive and it's pretty unique throughout the job," said Bruce Victory, a project manager for FNF Construction of Tempe, Ariz., one of two general contractors on the job. "All the bridges and interchanges are going to have architectural features and it's going to look neat when it's painted and complete."

But the construction project has a higher purpose than exposing drivers to the local culture. The corridor is one of the most dangerous in the United States, and construction crews from FNF Construction and Cortez, Colo.-based Nielsons Skanska Inc. are working to change that.

The 14-mi. project is divided into three phases, with FNF tackling the northern and southern sections while Nielsons Skanska is working in the center. The project consists of new frontage roads and overpasses to allow local traffic better access to homes and businesses.

"The project is not intended to be a major thoroughfare, but more for local traffic," said project engineer Rod Adams from the Albuquerque offices of Parsons Brinckerhoff.
"The main improvements are frontage roads and interchanges, especially at Tesuque, which is a dangerous interchange with a high accident rate."

Since safety is one of the driving factors behind the job, designers had to balance the needs of local residents with local business, which rely on the steady flow of traffic. In many cases, residences' driveways exited directly onto the highway.

Several plans were developed before a system of frontage roads with two lanes in each direction was chosen as a solution. Plans call for the construction of six new overpasses and the reconstruction of an existing bridge.

On the north and south ends of the project, FNF will move nearly 1 million cu. yds. of earth and use nearly 100,000 metric tons of asphalt. In the center, Nielsons Skanska is moving 450,000 cu. yds of earth and 135,000 metric tons of asphalt. The three projects use 9 -in. of Super Pave 3 laid in three lifts on 6 -in. base course. Much of the base course is recycled asphalt.

Because the corridor, which sees more than 40,000 vehicles a day, is a vital link to the northern parts of New Mexico, road closures were not allowed for construction. And the world-renowned Santa Fe Opera worried that construction, especially during the opera season, would create access problems.

Contractors were allowed to close lanes after morning rush hour traffic and before afternoon traffic, as well as after 6 p.m. and before 6:30 a.m.

"We knew the road was heavily traveled, but we didn't realize just how heavily," Victory said. "We really have to limit our lane restrictions due to the huge volume of traffic."

Different firms designed the three phases. The Albuquerque office of the Louis Berger Group designed the $22 million northern phase, which started in October 2002.
Albuquerque's Northsound Consulting designed the $22 million center phase, which started in September. Parsons Brinckerhoff designed the $26 million phase closest to Santa Fe, which started in October 2002.

Owned by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, all three projects are scheduled for completion in late summer or early fall.

"It's a really short time frame, high-dollar job," said Ralph Howell, Nielsons Skanska's project manager. "It's blow and go as much as we can."

Preserving the area's scenic nature was a primary goal for designers. Both contractors and engineers have taken pains to preserve the old-growth pinon pines found in the high desert of New Mexico. Although once primarily rural in character, like much of the Southwest, the area has seen rapid and sustained growth.

Designers put restrictions on contractors regarding the number of trees that could be removed. Before any trees can be removed the contractor must first get state approval.

"There was a lot of concern from the residents, who didn't want a superhighway," said Carlos Padilla, an engineer with the Louis Berger Group. "People wanted safety improvements, but they wanted it done in an environmentally conscious way."

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