Trinity Drive Safety and ADA Improvements (Oppenheimer to Knecht St.)

• Project typeRoadway and Safety
• Project value$6,750,000
• Project scheduleDesign Completion - December 2025
• Contractor nameDesign - Wilson & Company

In February 2016, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), in coordination with Los Alamos County, completed a Road Safety Audit (RSA) for NM 502/Trinity Drive between Oppenheimer Drive and Knecht Street as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The RSA recommended several countermeasures to enhance safety within this section of NM 502 (Trinity Drive), including a road diet, median installation for traffic channelization and access management, and various improvements to benefit pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists. These improvements included ADA-compliant curb ramps, buffered sidewalks, enhanced pedestrian crossings, LED roadway and pedestrian lighting, landscaping, bike lanes, and bus pullouts.

In October 2024, a Phase A/B Study was completed by Wilson and Company to evaluate potential safety improvements for this corridor. The study considered the following alternatives:

• No Build Alternative

• Four-Lane Alternative

• Roundabout Alternative

• Road Diet Alternative

Extensive input was gathered from businesses, property owners, and the public. After careful consideration, the Road Diet Alternative was selected as the preferred alternative by County Council on August 6, 2024 .  Design is being finalized and is anticipated to be advertised in late 2025.

Los Alamos County was awarded a total of $6.75 million in Federal HSIP construction funding for safety improvements along NM 502 (Trinity Drive) from Oppenheimer Drive to Knecht Street. The project limits were extended from 15th Street to Knecht Street to connect with the project limits of the recently completed NM 502 Reconstruction & Roundabout Project.

Construction is anticipated to begin Spring of 2026 and will take twelve months to complete.

Project Documents:

Road Safety Audit Report(PDF, 6MB)

Project location map(PDF, 6MB)

2024 Jun 06:  The Los Alamos County Transportation Board and Public Works Department held a public meeting on Thursday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m. to present the evaluation of existing safety hazards and potential project alternatives to improve conditions on Trinity Drive (NM502) between Oppenheimer and Knecht.  The meeting aimed to collect public comments on the proposed alternatives, which will assist staff and board members in finalizing a project to present to the County Council. The goal is to begin construction in the fall of 2025. Wilson & Company, Inc. gave a presentation(PDF, 3MB) of  possible improvement alternatives to the Transportation Board based on recommendations from a safety audit, relevant planning documents such as the Downtown Master Plan and Bicycle Transportation Plan, and data collection and analysis. Watch the June 6th Transportation Board meeting regarding this discussion: 

Contact details

Location

Trinity Drive,  87544  View Map