New Mexico Department of Transportation Secretary Ricky Serna joined the Española City Council and many residents on June 18 to discuss the Oñate Bridge closure and what the state plans to do about fixing the bridge.
The 85-year-old bridge closed on short notice June 7, ahead of the monsoon season because of erosion damage to one of its piers.
“Out of an abundance of caution and with public safety as its top priority, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) will close the historic Oñate Bridge in Española at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, ahead of the anticipated monsoon season,” Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic, the NMDOT communications director wrote in a press release two days before the closure.
So far, there has been no decision about whether the bridge will be replaced or repaired but three scenarios will be considered:
• Replacing it
• Closure
• Finding a temporary solution to maintain it
The option to replace it would depend on the amount of damage it’s sustained. The state considered replacing the bridge when the Santa Clara Bridge was constructed in 1980, as the idea surfaced that the new bridge could replace the old one. However, the decision to do so was delayed and didn’t happen, Serna said. Then in 2004, the state discussed the possibility of redesigning the bridge, but that also did not happen.
Regardless of which option the state chooses, it will not be a quick fix. Replacing the bridge would take about a year to design and one-and-a-half years to construct. Temporarily replacing the bridge could take several months to find a solution to maintain it and would likely be the most expensive option, Serna said. He pointed out that this option may only last about eight years before action is needed again and securing funding could be difficult.
The Oñate Bridge has been on the state’s radar for a few years, but after the COVID pandemic struck in 2020, priorities shifted. The New Mexico Department of Transportation began to monitor the bridge in 2019 when the Rio Grande experienced a major drop in water flow. At that time, the NMDOT began to look for erosion and began exploring how to mitigate the damage. Because of the shift in priorities, nothing was done until this year, when the NMDOT determined that the damage to the pier had reached a critical point and began monitoring it again in real time, Serna said. After speaking with the federal government and considering the options, the NMDOT decided it was time to shut the bridge down to avoid more damage.
The state discussed with the city, the possibility of taking over the bridge, but then decided not to follow through. City Councilor Pedro Valdez said he’d been pushing for years, for the bridge to either be replaced or undergo major renovations. He also said money for the bridge needs to be appropriated to the city, however, Serna pointed out that the legislature would make the decision about whether to appropriate the money, not the NMDOT.
Serna also said that if the city took over the Oñate Bridge, it would be responsible for maintaining it. Mayor Pro Tem Peggy Sue Martinez said that the city, in 2015, decided not to take it over because of the major issues.
Meanwhile, those in attendance wanted to know what the NMDOT planned to do about the heavy traffic flow on the Santa Clara Bridge caused by the detour. Serna said there are plans to mitigate traffic, which will take effect the middle of this week and he will monitor the situation and determine whether to take additional action.
Rio Arriba County Economic Development Director Christine Bustos told Serna that the bridge closure will impact the local economy and pointed out that the area has not received much funding from the state. State Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties, who was also in attendance, said she was optimistic about being able to come up with $10 million to repair the bridge, however, the money probably would not be available for use until next year.