Rio Rancho extends funding deadline for Idalia Road intersection project
Rio Rancho pushed the Idalia Road project deadline to June 2028, preserving $300,000 in state money while final design waits for fall.
The Idalia Road and Loma Colorado Boulevard intersection project got a new timeline, but not new construction yet. Rio Rancho’s Governing Body extended the deadline to spend $300,000 in New Mexico Department of Transportation money through June 2028, keeping the project on the books while final design is still slated for this fall.
The action came during the Governing Body meeting on June 11 and followed a legislative reappropriation that forced the city to update its funding resolution. Rio Rancho had originally approved the money in June 2025, so the latest vote effectively resets the clock and preserves the state dollars for later use. City spokesperson Ludella Awad said the money will support final design work in the fall, which means residents along Idalia Road and Loma Colorado Boulevard are still in the planning stage before any visible construction begins.
The city’s project page shows the work is being handled in phases, with final design set for Priority Project 1 at Idalia Road and Broadmoor Boulevard and Priority Project 2 at Idalia Road and Loma Colorado Boulevard. That makes the funding extension more than a bookkeeping move: it keeps two of Rio Rancho’s key road projects alive inside a longer capital schedule, even as drivers continue to wait for concrete changes on the ground.
The council also filled several openings on city advisory boards, a small but important step for how Rio Rancho steers future growth and infrastructure priorities. Catherine VerEecke, a former Bernalillo County planner, and Viktoriya Sanchez, a local project management professional, were appointed to the Capital Improvement Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee. Sa’ida Thomas-Bevoni joined the Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful Committee, and Kai Udall was appointed to the Investment Advisory Board.
Those appointments matter because Rio Rancho’s boards-and-commissions system feeds into the Mayor and Governing Body appointment process and helps shape everything from capital planning to beautification and financial oversight. The city is governed by six council members elected from six separate districts and a full-time mayor elected at large, so the committee seats help widen the pool of residents feeding advice into decisions that can affect road projects, development, and long-term budgeting.
The meeting also delayed a rezoning hearing tied to a possible move for Master Jim’s Taekwondo Academy to Southern Boulevard until June 25, giving the city more time and more council participation before a public hearing on commercial development. Rio Rancho also had a Governing Body meeting scheduled for June 25 at City Hall, setting up the next chance for the council to move the road project and other land-use items forward.
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