Gallup Water Outage Planned Monday Along Route 66, Rico Street Intersection

Businesses along the north side of Route 66 in Gallup went without water for several hours Monday as contractor H.O. Construction structurally abandoned an existing waterline at the intersection of Rico Street and NM Highway 118.

The City of Gallup posted a public notice the same morning announcing the planned outage, scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The work was described as part of ongoing water system improvements, with the temporary service interruption required to complete the abandonment safely.

Every business on the north side road of NM Highway 118 between Armand Ortega Boulevard and Twin Buttes Road fell within the affected zone. The city cautioned in its notice that the scope of the work meant the restoration of service could slip past the 4-hour window. "Please note that while every effort will be made to restore service as quickly as possible, the structural abandonment of the existing waterline may extend beyond the anticipated timeframe," the notice stated, asking residents and businesses to make any necessary arrangements in advance.

The notice expressed appreciation for the community's patience, framing the disruption as a step toward longer-term benefit: "We appreciate your patience and understanding as these improvements are made to better serve the community."

Anyone with questions about the outage was directed to contact DePauli Engineering at 505-863-5440. After-hours concerns could be directed to Metro Dispatch at 505-722-2002.