Officials break ground on long-awaited I-25, LL Boulevard project

LOS LUNAS — It was a sunny day and smiles were wide Thursday as the village of Los Lunas celebrated the groundbreaking for the I-25 Interchange and Los Lunas Boulevard Project, a historic undertaking that had been debated for more than 30 years but really began to take shape in 2015.

“It’s a relief,” Los Lunas Mayor Charles Griego said with a chuckle after the ceremony at the intersection of Morris Road and Camelot Boulevard Southwest.

“I think it’s a payoff of effort,” he continued. “What it is, is being consistent and not taking no for an answer. We’ve been consistent and clear on what we can do and clear on our expectations. So, it makes you feel good that people recognize your efforts and also that your project is valid, and it is needed.”

Griego was joined by several local and state officials, including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Los Lunas Administrator Gregory Martin, who acted as master of ceremonies.

In addition to the village council, Sen. Joshua Sanchez and state Reps. Gail Armstrong, Brian Baca and Tanya Mirabal Moya were also in attendance, as were officials from Bosque Farms, Belen, and Rio Communities. Los Lunas native Rep. Nathan Small, who co-chairs the House Appropriations and Finance Committee and represents Dona Ana County, also gave remarks.

“They say it takes a village to get things done, but in this case, it truly took many government agencies and dedicated partners throughout the state,” Griego said in his address to the crowd of around 200.

During his remarks, Griego noted the four-year project, which has a price tag of $169 million, is the largest infrastructure project undertaken by a municipality in the history of the state of New Mexico. The construction bid was accepted at $159.1 million. Included in the total is $9.9 million that will be paid in gross receipts tax.

In her remarks on Thursday, Lujan Grisham praised Los Lunas for its leadership on the project, proclaiming, “This is a celebration, and it should be.

“The problem far too often with policy makers is it doesn’t feel very exciting or sexy to talk about roads, sanitation, infrastructure, traffic congestion,” she said, “and the reality is this work in and of itself isn’t just any of those things. It’s public safety and economic development, and those are the two things that are most important to any community in the entire state.”

The governor also praised the state legislature for its “incredible bipartisan work” that helped get funding for the Los Lunas Boulevard project. She also promoted the message that projects like this are an investment.

“It (this project) creates a future for our children and our families,” she said, before praising village officials for saying, “I like your courage to say, ‘We’re already planning Phase Two.’”

State Rep. Brian Baca echoed those sentiments after the ceremony’s end.

“The fact that we have had continued commitment by our community, we’ve been able to work across party lines to try to access and to try to find the ways to fund this project, and that’s really what it’s about,” Baca said. “I think it solidifies for us the recognition that Valencia County is going to be part of the overall economic development and prosperity for the state of New Mexico with this project.

“It’s exciting for what we’ve been able to accomplish but, as many said, this is just a beginning.”

Phase One of the project is broken into seven parts. The first part involves the start of construction on the river bridge, building the Interstate 25 median crossover and building a new Los Camelot Boulevard connection to Morris Road.

The initial talks about a river crossing and I-25 exit began in the 1990s when county residents were asked about support for the project, which focused on Tomé as the area for a proposed bridge. The effort was largely abandoned by 2000, as county residents expressed their disapproval in several meetings — sometimes angrily.

Village of Los Lunas officials picked up the baton in 2001 when developing a transportation master plan and traffic model. In 2015, the village began convening meetings and coordinating with other agencies to secure funding for the project.

In 2019, the village received initial funding from the N.M. Legislature and design was started in 2023.

After a public meeting in 2024, permitting and certifications were secured at the beginning of this year, and El Terrero Construction, of Rio Rancho, was chosen as the contractor.

Funding for the project came primarily from the New Mexico Department of Transportation ($122 million), the Federal Highway Administration ($22 million), and the village of Los Lunas ($19 million), in addition to $3 million from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration through the New Mexico Match Fund.

“Like the mayor said in his remarks, we started out 10 years ago with a stakeholder group that was about five people,” said Village Administrator Gregory D. Martin, pointing out that the village is always looking to collaborate.

“It’s always rewarding to create new opportunities. We’re always looking for ways to get better, and we appreciate the recognition, but we’re definitely not satisfied with what’s happening now. We’re looking into the future.”

On its informational webpage, loslunasnm.gov/interchange, the village said regular work hours will be 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with possible work beyond those hours and on weekends as needed.