After more than eight months of being closed, the Oñate Bridge is tentatively set to reopen in April.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation secured the $1.8 million needed to repair the bridge through an emergency procurement process, according to a Jan. 30 press release.
NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna and his team will host a town hall meeting to share updates about the bridge with the public at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (2/5) at the Misión y Convento.
Albuquerque-based civil construction contractor AUI, Inc. has been selected to complete the job and a project manager from the company will be at the meeting.
The contract for the repairs has been executed and the materials have been ordered.
“The contractor estimates that they will need two months to complete the project once they have all the materials in hand, weather permitting,” the press release said. “The goal is to have everything completed and the bridge reopened by the end of April 2026.”
The contractor will divert water from the Rio Grande around the pier needing to be stabilized. Once the area has dried, they will place sand bags to even out the surface and place riprap, a type of stone or concrete that prevents erosion, in the area. They will then place interlocking concrete A-jacks and then secure them in place with a steel band.
The bridge closure had significant impacts on West Side businesses, with one local business reporting a 40% drop in sales. It also caused traffic congestion and increased traffic on the Santa Clara Bridge.
NMDOT began monitoring the bridge in 2019 after an underwater inspection showed signs of erosion around the pier.
A follow-up inspection in January 2025 showed further signs of erosion, which prompted additional hydraulic monitoring.
NMDOT collaborated with the Federal Highway Administration to complete a joint assessment of the 85-year-old bridge and decided to close it ahead of last year’s monsoon season due to the risk of further erosion caused by an increase in water levels.