Trinity Drive Pedestrian Refuge Island Work Begins March 17

Construction to modify the new pedestrian refuge island in the center median just west of 35th Street on Trinity Drive (NM-502) begins Monday, March 17, part of the ongoing corridor overhaul that has been reshaping one of Los Alamos's busiest arterials.

RL Leeder, working for Pavilion Construction, the contractor responsible for both the Hill Apartments and the Realignment of 35th Street at Trinity Drive, will carry out the work weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Traffic control devices will protect workers in the central lane while both eastbound and westbound lanes on Trinity Drive remain open. Motorists and cyclists are asked to share the road. Sidewalk closures will be posted along the work zone, and pedestrians are asked to follow the signage and stay out of the construction area. Anyone with questions, concerns, or special access needs can reach Pavilion Construction at 469-907-6045.

The refuge island modification fits into a broader push to make Trinity Drive safer and more accessible. Los Alamos County's ADA Transition Plan explicitly lists pedestrian refuge islands among the accessibility improvements the county is pursuing, noting that medians and islands are "important places of refuge, particularly for those persons not capable of completing the full crossing during a single cycle of the intersection traffic signal." The county submits plans for federally and state-funded projects to NMDOT for review before work goes out to bid, a process intended to verify ADA compliance. The county's own compliance table flags multiple Trinity Drive intersections, including locations at 47th Street and 46th Street, as non-compliant.

The March 17 work connects to a multi-phase safety initiative that dates to a 2016 road safety audit. In September 2024, County Council approved phase two of the Trinity Drive road diet, a hybrid design funded by a $4.25 million NMDOT grant. Unlike a conventional road diet, the approved plan preserves two eastbound lanes from Oppenheimer Drive to Knecht Street while converting one westbound lane to a two-way turn lane, freeing up space for dedicated bike lanes in both directions and upgraded pedestrian infrastructure. Trinity Drive carries roughly 14,000 to 17,000 vehicles per day, well within the Federal Highway Administration's threshold of fewer than 20,000 vehicles daily for road diets to be effective.

At a September 2024 Council meeting, county official Rael framed the project in terms of a long-standing policy commitment. "We're following a 'safe streets for all' concept that Council passed many Councils ago," he said. "We look at roadway projects from a Complete Streets standpoint." Phase two construction was expected to begin in 2026, and Monday's median work on the 35th Street refuge island marks an early visible step in that timeline.