Description:
Design and construction of the County’s portion of a bypass road that will allow unimpeded access to NM501, bypassing existing LANL security checkpoints. Also, investigate possible intersection improvements to fix problematic turning movements and U-turns at the Diamond / Jemez Road intersection.
News & Updates as of June 11, 2009:
At the March 2, 2009 Council meeting, staff was directed to remove the West Jemez Bypass Project from the Capital Improvement Project program. Minutes of this meeting may be reviewed by clicking here.
The purpose of this meeting was to continue discussion of the petition Council accepted on February 3 that requests that the West Jemez Bypass project be removed from the County's Capital Project List. After discussion, Council made the following draft motion: Councilor Wismer moved, seconded by Councilor Stover, that Council acknowledge the petition, thank the petitioners, and table the discussion of the West Jemez Bypass Project until March 2, 2009. And further moved that Council direct staff to set up a special meeting of the Council for Monday, March 2, 2009, with the sole agenda item being the West Jemez Bypass Project. The motion carried 7-0.
Background:
On April 11, 2006, the County agreed to enter into a settlement agreement which effectively ended a lawsuit filed in December 2005 against the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) over the ongoing Security Perimeter Project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). A copy of the settlement agreement is posted under "Project Documents" on the right side of this page (A). The settlement agreement essentially met the County’s request for DOE/NNSA to alter project plans and allow a two-lane bypass road around the northern edge of the Research Park to reconnect to NM501 via Camp May Road, providing open and clear access for residents and visitors to Los Alamos, which had been the primary concern for the County. The bypass, when completed, will allow unimpeded access to the Pajarito Ski Hill, NM501 and tourism / recreational areas such as Jemez Springs, Bandelier National Monument, and the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
Responsibility for the design / construction of the bypass route is shared between NNSA/LANL and the County. Please see the map at right (B) for each entity’s responsibilities. The County will survey, design, and build the portion of the bypass shown in green and referred to as “Connector Road Bypass.” The NNSA / LANL is responsible for the portions of the bypass shown in pink and yellow and referred to as the Ski Hill Road Bypass and the Research Park Access.
A Professional Services Agreement for engineering design services associated with the West Jemez Bypass project was awarded to Wilson & Company at the March 6, 2007 Council meeting. The contractor will conduct a corridor study; and, prepare preliminary and final design plans, specifications, estimates and construction bid documents for the project.
The approved budget for the design of the bypass and intersection improvements is $1,021,571.
Six intersection improvement concepts were identified, studied and shared with the Transportation Board at their April 5, 2007 meeting. The six options included: 1) Relocate existing signal to the south end of the bridge; 2) Construct an overpass at the south end of the bridge using the existing signal; 3) Construct an underpass at the south end of the bridge using the existing signal; 4) Construct an overpass with right turns; 5) Install a new signal at the Research Park driveway; and, 6) Construct a double T intersection.
At the April 5 Transportation Board meeting, the board was asked to identify which of the six options they felt would be the most viable and should be further reviewed. After significant discussion, the Board decided by a vote of 3 – 2 that Options 4 and 6 should move forward for further consideration. Option 4 is construction of an Overpass with Right Turns and Option 6 is the construction of a Double T Intersection.
The reason for the two dissenting votes appeared to be concern that the motion did not include Option 5, which was the least expensive of the original five options; and, that the cost estimate for Option 6 – Construct a double-T intersection, was not available. There were concerns that Option 5, installing a new signal at the Research Park driveway, did not provide adequate safety due to the sharpness of the approach curves and alignment in relation to the rising / setting sun.
Staff then asked WCI to move forward with further analysis of Option 4 -- Construct an overpass with right turns; and, Option 6 -- Construct a double-T intersection. In addition, staff asked WCI to include Option 5 – Install a new signal at Research Park driveway, in their analysis. The reason for including Option 5 is that it appeared to staff that design improvements could be made that would potentially alleviate the stated concerns.
A copy of the presentation from the April 5 Transportation Board meeting is posted at right (C). The reasons for not moving forward with the remaining options were constructability, traffic impacts, cost, and safety related concerns.
Approximately 25 members of the public attended a Project Open House on April 12, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the Community Building. Display boards of the intersection improvement options showed which options were recommended by the Transportation Board and which options were not recommended. Display boards of the possible road alignment were also available for review. A copy of these display boards is posted at right (D). Comments were actively solicited regarding all aspects of the project. Public comments were due by close of business on April 20 in order to give staff time to include in the presentation to Council on April 24.
At the April 24 Council Meeting, an overall project update, including traffic analysis and cost estimates, was presented to Council by County staff. A copy of this presentation is posted at right (E). Council was asked to provide direction regarding which of the 6 possible intersection improvement options should proceed to design. Council passed a motion that staff proceed with the design of intersection improvement Option 6 and seek funding from DOE/LANL to remove the unused portion of the newly constructed road and maintenance of the new signal and road east of Diamond.
The County hosted an Open House on Monday, July 23, 2007 at Fuller Lodge. At this open house, the public was able to view the 30% design drawings for the bypass road and the proposed intersection, hear about information related to project environmental findings including potential site remediation and a noise evaluation, and ask questions/provide comments. The project display boards (F) and the presentation (G) from the meeting are posted at right.
County Staff provided a project update to Council at their December 18th meeting. The purpose of the update was to present several concerns that have been identified as part of the 90% Design Submittal for the West Jemez Bypass Road and proposed Double-Tee Intersection and Road Improvements. The complete presentation (H) and related attachments (I, J, K, L, & M) are available in PDF format at right.
To summarize the December 18, 2007 presentation, the design for the West Jemez Bypass and the Double-Tee Intersection was at 90%. The Estimate of Probable Construction Cost based on the 90% submittal was $10,962,427 for the roadway and $3,041,858 for the Intersection, for a project total of $14,004,285 (Attachment A).
Concerns related to the project included two Potential Release Sites (PRS) that had been identified within the current projects limits; access easements still being negotiated with the NNSA to provide County access to maintain the proposed improvements; and requests from the Research Park’s representative which would change the scope of the project.
Also discussed was a letter, submitted by the County to Roger Snyder, Assistant Manager for National Security Missions, on November 14, 2007 (Attachment B). This letter contains a comprehensive “wish list” of known issues associated with the West Jemez Bypass project for which the County requests DOE’s assistance, including the associated expenses. Estimated project costs/savings, pending DOE’s decision to assist, are shown in Attachment C.
In light of the concerns identified above, staff reconsidered the viability of using West Road as a possible bypass route. Potential Pros and Cons of upgrading West Road were discussed in the presentation. An initial Probable Conceptual Construction Cost associated with upgrading West Road was estimated at $12,314,832 (Attachment D).
The draft motion provided by Council following the presentation was as follows:
“…request staff to look, between now and the time we get the PRS, to obtain more design information and cost information for West Road, including ongoing maintenance; optimize placement of West Jemez Bypass Road, looking at options having to do with the placement; and examine pipeline road. The motion passed 5-2. Councilors Gibson and Hall opposed.” (NOTE: the pipeline road referenced in the motion is not the old "Pipeline" road near Quemazon, it is a gas pipeline easement that currently runs behind the Research Park.)
The 90% design was placed on hold pending findings related to the above Council direction.
Staff then presented the West Jemez Bypass Alignment Options and the West Road Study results to the Transportation Board at their June 5, 2008 work session. Nineteen members of the public attended. In summary, of those who spoke, about half indicated support of the bypass and half indicated support of using West Road. Those supporting the bypass mostly cited free access, evacuation route, tourism, and economic development. Those supporting the use of West Road mostly cited negative environmental impacts and high costs associated with the bypass. A copy of the presentation is posted at right (N).
A brief overview of the West Jemez Bypass Road Alignment and Intersection Options and West Road Upgrade Options was again presented to the Transportation Board at the July 10 Transportation Board meeting. The presentation is posted at right (O).
The Transportation Board made a formal recommendation to Council with the following DRAFT motion: Mr. Spencer moved to endorse the 90% design and the south intersection options. Mr. Trask seconded the motion. Ms. O’Rourke offered a friendly amendment to the motion stating that the recommended 90% design alternative should take into consideration the Los Alamos Trail system, by preserving & creating a convenient and safe pedestrian access across the West Jemez Bypass Road using a pedestrian bridge for the trail crossing. Mr. Dunham also offered a friendly amendment stating that the Transportation Board recommends to Council that an economic benefit study be conducted to ensure that the 90% design option will actually stimulate tourism and economic development if this is still an important consideration as listed in the initial project goals. The amendments were accepted; motion passed 5-0.
Public comment was solicited at the Transportation Board meeting and was accepted through July 17, 2008. All public comments received were presented in summary format to Council at the July 31, 2008 special council meeting.
County staff presented the West Jemez Bypass Road and West Road Upgrade Options to Council at a Special Council Meeting on Thursday, July 31. Click on the presentation at right (P).
The draft motion provided by Council is as follows:
"direct staff to move forward with the West Jemez Bypass project using the 90% alternative and the southern intersection alignment. The motion passed 6 -1. Councilor Milder opposed."
The tentative project schedule based on the latest Council direction is for design completion by February 2009, construction of the roadway from May 2009 to April 2010, and construction of the intersection from May 2010 to July 2010.
The estimate of Construction Cost as presented to Council on July 31 is $12.4M for the roadway and $3.77 for the Intersection, for a project total of $16.17M. NOTE: Estimate includes costs to date, future design, and construction costs. Numbers do not reflect additional costs for impact to Los Alamos Research Park, PRS transport, or annual maintenance costs.
The original funding plan for the West Jemez Bypass was to use $6 million in County funds and $6 million from State appropriations, as promised by Governor Richardson. The County learned that the state appropriations bill is for $2 million instead of $6 million. The County will be issuing gross receipts tax revenue bonds associated with Ordinance 529 to fund the project.