Los Alamos County urges drivers to check Cone Zone for updates

Drivers crossing Los Alamos and White Rock are being urged to check Cone Zone before they leave home, as the county layers road construction, utility work and community events onto a street network where even a short closure can ripple through a commute.

Los Alamos County published its “Stay ahead of the Cone Zone” notice on April 28, 2026, and said the online page provides “current updates and traffic impacts” for road construction projects and special events. The county said active projects will be updated as needed, a move meant to keep drivers from being surprised by lane shifts, detours and closures already affecting daily travel.

The county also said essential services, including mail delivery, trash and recycling collection, and emergency response, will continue throughout each project. For residents trying to plan around school drop-offs, errands or the drive between Los Alamos and White Rock, the county’s My Commute page adds another layer of information through MyDrive webcams, which stream live video from major roadways and intersections in both communities.

The scale of the local network helps explain why the county is pushing the tool so hard. The Traffic and Streets Division said it maintains 12 traffic signals, 21 school flashers, 1,612 streetlights and more than 1,500 street and regulatory signs. It also maintains 111 centerline miles of paved roads and 96 miles of sidewalks. In a county that compact, routine maintenance can quickly become a noticeable delay.

Recent notices show the kind of work feeding into Cone Zone updates. A utility-work notice closed a portion of Longview Drive from April 20 through April 23 for utility work and potholing. The Denver Steels Phase II Improvement Project began February 2, carries a listed value of $7,573,640 and is scheduled for final completion August 28. The Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project, which began in April 2025, has included underground utility installation up to Pajarito Mountain, with waterlines, conduit for electric and fiber lines, and vaults for fiber and electric lines.

County traffic messaging has also singled out NM502 and West Road, where drivers and visitors were told to use extra caution while traveling through town. With construction, school traffic and special events all competing for space on the same roads, Cone Zone has become the county’s main early warning system for getting through the day without losing time in a queue.