Sandoval County approves $2.17 million bridge replacement south of Cuba

Drivers south of the Village of Cuba are next in line for a major road fix: Sandoval County approved a $2.17 million bridge replacement on County Road 11, Bridge #1787, a route that serves school buses, commuters, delivery trucks and emergency vehicles moving through rural northwestern Sandoval County.

The Sandoval County Commission authorized the county manager on April 15 to approve a professional services agreement with Kimo Construction Inc. for the project. County records described Kimo as the lowest-cost bidder, and the work is fully funded by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, meaning Sandoval County will not have to put up matching funds.

That funding arrangement makes the project less of a hit to county taxpayers and more of a straight infrastructure replacement on a road network that stretches far beyond the metro area. Sandoval County Public Works says it maintains more than 1,500 miles of roads, and the county prioritizes projects based on factors such as whether a road is used by emergency services and whether it functions as a major arterial route.

Bridge #1787, just south of Cuba, fits that public-safety and access test. Bridges are especially important in rural areas because they can keep traffic moving with fewer detours and less wear on vehicles, while also preserving faster access for ambulances, fire crews and other responders. A bridge failure or prolonged closure on County Road 11 would create immediate pressure on nearby routes and on Cuba-area travel patterns tied to daily work, school and local commerce.

The bridge replacement was already in the county’s procurement pipeline as a formal bid item, and Sandoval County’s procurement pages say the county uses a competitive request-for-proposals and bidding process to secure the best pricing and services available. A project listing also identifies the Bridge #1787 work as a formal construction project near Cuba governed by the 2019 edition of the New Mexico Department of Transportation standard specifications and standard drawings for highway and bridge construction.

Public Works Director Mark Hatzenbuhler and Assistant Director David A. Martinez lead the department overseeing the work. For Sandoval County, the approval marks another step in maintaining rural infrastructure that residents often notice most when it fails: one bridge on County Road 11 can shape how quickly people reach Cuba, how reliably freight moves and how well emergency crews can respond across a wide stretch of county road.