Rio Rancho lane reductions coming to Golf Course Road for construction

Rio Rancho has reduced Golf Course Road SE to one lane in each direction just south of Cabezon Blvd. SE and 19th Ave. SE, a restriction that runs through July 6. The bottleneck is falling on one of the city’s main north-south routes, where commuters, school-run parents and nearby businesses can feel even a short work zone ripple through the day.

The city tied the lane reductions to construction by TwinCo Construction and linked the work to Amare Rio Rancho at 2305 19th St. SE. That development is building Pavillion Way SE, a new road meant to connect 22nd Ave. SE, 21st Ave. SE and Wellspring Ave. SE, and the city lists 480-825-5118 for project questions. City records also say the broader Amare Rio Rancho work is being performed by Salls Brothers Construction.

The Golf Course Road restriction followed another nearby disruption on the same project. From May 1 through June 26, 21st Ave. SE was closed between 15th St. SE and Wellspring Ave. SE, with detour signs posted. That closure tightened traffic in the same southeast Rio Rancho corridor that feeds the Cabezon area and the Wellspring streets around the housing site.

The timing matters because Rio Rancho’s summer calendar is already crowded. The city’s July 4 celebration is set for City Center - Campus Park, which could add holiday traffic during the same stretch that Golf Course Road is narrowed. The city also has a history of working on the same junction: on March 11, 2024, it said the traffic signal at Golf Course Rd and 19th Ave/Cabezon Blvd would be repaired through April 30, 2024.

Rio Rancho Public Works says motorists in construction zones should drive with caution and observe traffic control devices. The city’s traffic section handles traffic signals, street lighting, roadway markings, roadway counts, speed-volume studies and transportation planning, a reminder that the Golf Course Road corridor sits inside a wider network the city keeps adjusting as development moves south and east.