Those hoping for the Oñate Bridge to reopen, to relieve traffic congestion, will have to wait longer.
The bridge will remain closed and a date for reopening has not been determined.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) completed a study of the bridge and will start a $500,000 project to slow erosion around the bridge’s pier and riverbed, State Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties said in a video posted on social media.
He said NMDOT is working on a second report to determine a long-term solution to prevent continued erosion, which will cost an estimated $5 to $20 million.
“It could involve work on the riverbank, the channel or even parts of the bridge itself,” Jaramillo said. “Now, once that’s ready and combined with the structural analysis, the community will be invited back to review all the options, including a full bridge replacement.”
For now, NMDOT will place A-Jacks, which are made of heavy interlocking pieces of concrete, and riprap, large angular rocks, under the bridge to slow further erosion.
An underwater inspection completed in 2019 showed erosion on the bridge’s pier and a follow-up inspection completed in January of this year, and hydraulic monitoring, showed more deterioration.
According to a June press release, NMDOT’s Bridge Bureau, Drainage Bureau and District Five collaborated with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to complete a joint assessment. They decided to close the 84-year-old bridge ahead of the summer rainy season because erosion around one of the piers posed a risk when there is high river flow.
Community Impact
West Side commuters and businesses are impacted daily by the bridge’s closure.
Chimayó Rocks owner Tilly Nichols said her business has decreased by 40% since June.
About half of her sales come from tourists traveling to and from places like Abiquiú, Ojo Caliente and Pagosa Springs. The current bridge detour signage, combined with poorly-timed stoplights and existing city traffic issues, make it difficult for drivers to get to her store, she said.
“I’ve even had customers tell me that they looped all the way around and went all the way up to Riverside, across Fairview and back down because they missed the turn, and they specifically like to stop at the rock shop on their way to Colorado every time they go,” Nichols said.
While there is a large flashing sign alerting people to the bridge closure, a single sign directing people to the Santa Clara Bridge detour is difficult to see.
“The only indicator to turn left on the Santa Clara Bridge road is a tiny little arrow that’s placed on the right-hand side of the road on the sidewalk, and it’s placed at like knee or thigh height,” Nichols said. “And if there are cars in that lane off to the right, you can’t see the arrow.”
She has tried to get better signage since the closure and even attended the June 18 meeting hosted by NMDOT at the Misión y Convento to ask questions about possible traffic control changes.
She has discussed the need for better signage with Mayor John Ramon Vigil and District 2 Councilor Peggy Sue Martinez, but nothing has changed, she said.
Nichols is also the executive director of the Española Chamber of Commerce. While her business is being impacted, those directly along the Oñate Bridge route are being hit even harder.
“There are some commerce businesses on those roads that (are) effectively completely cut off like 100%, just turned into a dead end,” she said.
Nichols’s passion project is supplementing her income. She prints T-shirts for nonprofits and children’s events, but is now taking shirt orders on the side to make extra cash and has also expanded her business hours.
She understands that everyone’s safety comes first, and at the same time, businesses are feeling abandoned by the city and NMDOT.
“It’s a sad situation,” she said. “I also realize that there’s people that are affected even more than I am, and I feel for them.”