Los Alamos County plans $6.75 million Trinity Drive safety, ADA upgrades

Trinity Drive is headed for one of the county’s biggest street overhauls in years: a $6.75 million safety and ADA project that would remake the corridor from Oppenheimer Drive to Knecht Street with a center turn lane, two eastbound lanes, one westbound lane and two bicycle lanes.

Los Alamos County said the work is scheduled to begin in early June 2026 and wrap up by the end of that year, but only after the Board of Public Utilities votes May 6 and County Council acts May 19. A public kick-off meeting is planned for June 10 through June 17, with follow-up status updates expected in August and October. County officials are essentially asking residents to watch a full year of construction planning before the first lane closes.

The project is not a simple paving job. County records trace it back to a February 2016 Road Safety Audit by the New Mexico Department of Transportation and Los Alamos County, which recommended a road diet, median installation and a long list of pedestrian and transit upgrades. Those recommendations included ADA-compliant curb ramps, buffered sidewalks, enhanced crossings, LED roadway and pedestrian lighting, landscaping, bike lanes and bus pullouts.

County Council selected the Road Diet Alternative on August 6, 2024, after Wilson and Company completed a Phase A/B study in October 2024 and gathered input from businesses, property owners and the public. The project limits were later extended from 15th Street to Knecht Street to connect with the recently completed NM 502 Reconstruction & Roundabout Project.

The county has tied the Trinity Drive work to a broader effort to improve pedestrian and ADA access across Los Alamos. Staff have said Trinity Drive is among the highest-crash locations in town, based on 2018 through 2022 crash data. They also said the county’s pedestrian plan is 26 years old and that ADA compliance for curbs and ramps has increased 34 percent since 2017, underscoring how much deferred work remains on older roads.

For commuters, the change should mean a calmer, more defined roadway with fewer conflict points. For people walking, using mobility devices or waiting at bus stops, the visible payoff should be wider and more usable crossings, curb ramps that meet ADA standards and lighting meant to make the corridor easier to navigate after dark. Nearby businesses, however, are likely to feel the strain first, since county materials say the road diet is expected to affect access along Trinity Drive before the long-term safety benefits arrive.