Jul. 26—As construction crews dig into long-awaited repair work on West Alameda Street, residents, commuters and business owners say the return of the thoroughfare on Santa Fe's western edge can't come soon enough.
The road collapsed March 30 into a culvert that crossed an arroyo west of Calle Nopal. A monthslong design phase produced plans for two culverts and improved concrete infrastructure to channel water more effectively under the road.
Contracted crews finally have begun construction, which is projected to take eight to 12 weeks.
Some residents have grown impatient with the west-side road closure.
Earlier this month, a parody Facebook page called "West Alameda Street Construction Sign," with an anonymous author, began featuring memes of messages displayed on a digital sign. One reads, "Coming Soon: Cheeks." Another: "Agua Fria Rd loves you!"
Posts from the page have received attention from hundreds of Facebook users, as have other social media posts suggesting repairs on West Alameda ought to be moving more quickly.
City Public Works Director Regina Wheeler addressed a critical post that compared the monthslong closure of West Alameda to the recent 12-day closure of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia after a tanker truck explosion caused an on-ramp to collapse.
That highway was able to reopen in less than two weeks because of the construction of a "temporary roadway," Wheeler said, which would not be feasible for West Alameda.
Alameda crosses private property at the site of the collapse, meaning the city must follow an easement procedure for the construction project, she added.
"We didn't really have the option [unless] we wanted to spend an extra couple of million bucks ... and quickly pave a temporary road to bypass around while we're building the culvert," Wheeler said.
The amount of daily traffic on the road enters into repair plans as well.
West Alameda sees about 20,000 vehicles per day, Wheeler said, compared with the 150,000 per day on the damaged stretch of I-95.
Higher traffic volumes, such as those similar to Cerrillos Road, can sometimes justify paying double to finish a project faster with around-the-clock work, she said.
The nature of the damage and the need to move earth for repairs means the work is more time-consuming, she said.
"The foundation of our roadway disappeared," Wheeler said, adding excavation of the site after the collapse of West Alameda involved digging through 20 feet of sand.
Wheeler said the project is still expected to be completed — and West Alameda reopened — in August or September. That timeline could be affected, however, by heavy rains or delays in material deliveries.