Socorro roundabout greeted with mixed reviews

A variety of concerns arose, sparking arguments among the public at the Highway 60 public meeting last week at the Socorro Convention Center.

Wyatt Kartchner, project manager from Molzen Corbin, presented all the alternatives and the recommendations for each segment between mileposts 136 and 139. The project area begins west of the rodeo arena to California Street in four segments named rural, urban, y-intersection and urban east.

Kartchner presented the proposal based on the feedback from the last public meeting. He said most of the feedback included safety concerns for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Many said they were concerned about speeding and not stopping, especially in the Y intersection.

He said the purpose was to address those concerns, improve structurally deficient pavement, improve substandard geometry, address drainage deficiencies and address ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) deficiencies.

Kartchner said they recommend a typical section throughout the stretch of the project to keep it consistent and easy to navigate.

“What we’re proposing is this typical section here, which would have one lane in each direction, a raised median, which could be used for left turn lanes where there’s need for access, or it could be as we move forward into the design and partner with the city, potential for areas of landscape, for beautification of the city. We also have an on-street bike lane in each direction. This bike lane not only serves as a place for the bicyclists to be, but if there’s oversized loads to come through, gives them that a little bit of extra room,” Kartchner said.

He said the north side would feature a curb, gutter and sidewalk, while the south side would have a multi-use trail about 10 feet wide that could be used by bicyclists, walkers and runners.

During public comment, community members expressed concern over the recommended proposal of a roundabout in the Y intersection segment. Some said it could cause confusion and difficulty for drivers, especially large trucks, school buses and vehicles with oversized loads.

Others in attendance supported the roundabout, believing people would get used to it and that it would be safer in the long run.

Andreas Linnan, NMDOT Technical Support Engineer for District 1, said the geometry of a roundabout forces drivers to slow down, and accidents that do happen tend to be less severe because they aren’t direct hits. In response to those asking for a light, he said lights tend to increase speeding because people are trying to make the yellow light.

Some expressed concerned about the right-of-way acquisition required for the roundabout, which would impact nearby properties and businesses. They also said eliminating street parking would make it hard to access businesses there, such as Leseburg Auto.

Having one lane in each direction at the railroad crossing and how emergency vehicles would get around, especially during school pick-up and drop-off times, was also brought up.

Linnan and Kartchner said they would reevaluate the area of concern at the railroad tracks.

“Thank you very much for everybody who’s outspoken it gives us a chance to go back to the drawing board, look at it and see what’s possible and how we can address some of these concerns,” Linnan said.

November 8 is the deadline for any additional comments from the public.

The U.S. 60 Socorro Alignment study began in 2022. The project aims to reconstruct U.S. 60 to address safety issues and improve infrastructure in Socorro. Funding for the study phase includes state funds through House Bill 2-2021 Legislative Session (HB2-21). There is currently no funding secured for the construction phase.