NM-4 road work to slow White Rock traffic starting May 29

White Rock drivers should expect slower trips on NM-4 once milling and repaving begin May 29, with a single lane closed and a pilot car escorting traffic through the work zone. The project will hit the corridor that carries commuters, errands and daily access through the community, with the tightest pinch points at Rover Boulevard, East Jemez Road, Monte Rey Drive South and West Jemez Road.

Los Alamos County said the roadway rehabilitation will be done in two phases. The first runs from milepost 64 at Rover Boulevard to milepost 66.7 at East Jemez Road and is expected to take two days, weather permitting. The second stretches from milepost 62.2 at Monte Rey Drive South to milepost 49.5 at West Jemez Road and is expected to last about three weeks after the first phase wraps up, also depending on weather.

Work is scheduled Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. During those hours, drivers are being told to wait for the pilot car before entering the construction zone in the direction they want to travel. Dustrol Inc. is the contractor named in the advisory, and motorists are being urged to watch for posted signs, detours, reduced speeds, workers and equipment as the job moves through White Rock.

The county said essential services, including mail delivery, trash and recycling collection and emergency response, will continue during active projects, but noise, lane restrictions and delays are expected. For the latest road information, NMDOT is directing drivers to NMRoads or 511. NMRoads says it provides general information on selected state routes, but conditions can change quickly and the site may not reflect every incident in real time.

The work is more than a quick patch. It is a full milling and repaving effort intended to replace the existing asphalt and extend the life of the roadway, a $1.4 million investment in one of White Rock’s most important connections. That corridor already anchors other county transportation work, including the Cañada del Buey Trail, which begins near the White Rock Visitor Center on NM-4 and links to Rover Boulevard, Meadow Lane, Chamisa Elementary School, Overlook Sports Park and downtown White Rock. The county’s NM4 Crossing and Piñon School Trail Improvement Project, valued at $3,450,000, calls for about 2,500 feet of new multi-use trail, 3,500 feet of reconstructed trail, a westbound lane reduction and a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon.