The broken traffic light at the intersection of State Road 30 and Santa Clara Bridge Road in Española should finally be up and running Nov. 26.
The state Highway Department took over repairing the light because it wanted to get the light running as soon as possible, Española Public Works Director Leroy Archuleta said.
A truck owned by a Colorado-based Aimes Construction hit the light Oct. 24 taking out service and damaging a water line, Archuleta said.
There is a lot involved in getting the repairs done, Interim City Manager Veronica Albin said. It would have taken two months to order the pole, and the city ran into problems with getting Aimes’ insurance company to pay the full amount of the repair work.
The repair work for the light was estimated at around $55.000, while the Water Department had to put in about $20,000 worth of work to get the broken water line corrected, she said.
Archuleta said the insurance company was only willing to give the city $3,900 for the repairs.
City Attorney Spence Pacheco is now handling the insurance situation, Albin said. Pacheco did not return calls for comment.
Archuleta said the Department will pay for the repairs to the light and the city will reimburse the state when the money from the insurance company comes through.
The Department had a traffic light in stock so it wouldn’t have to wait for one to be ordered, Albin said.
Bigsby Electric Inc, out of Albuquerque has been contracted to complete the work.
Workers were pouring the base for the light Tuesday. Workers will have to assemble the traffic light pole and re-do all the wires, he said.
The pole should be put in place by Nov. 24 and running by Nov. 26, he said.