New Mexico 30 is a two-lane gauntlet intersecting NM 502 on its southern end and the city of Española to the north. With Santa Clara Pueblo opening a convenience store at the Puye Cliffs intersection on NM 30, pueblo officials are urging Lab employees and other motorists to slow down and be aware of increased traffic in the area of the store.
Reader’s Digest named the eight-mile stretch running through San Ildefonso and Santa Clara pueblos as one of the country’s most dangerous roads. Between 2002 and 2004, there were 100 crashes on NM 30 resulting in 71 injuries and two fatalities. Sixty-eight of the crashes and 51 of the injuries were within one mile of Española, according to state statistics, but actual numbers may be higher because some of this data may not include tribal law enforcement data.
“We all have to work together to make the highways safer,” said Santa Clara Gov. Joseph “Mikey” Chavarria, noting that accidents happen when people rush.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation has issued permits to Santa Clara Pueblo to modify NM 30 to make the intersection safer, said Karyn Lujan of the state road agency. Calvin Tafoya, chief executive officer of the Santa Clara Construction Corp., said changes to the intersection include installing a traffic light and widening the road to four lanes by adding a turning lane in both directions. Construction at the Puye intersection is expected to conclude by the end of June.
The convenience store has opened and construction on NM 30 is continuing.
Speeding traffic makes it difficult to merge from the pueblo onto the highway and increases the chance of an accident. “Slow down” are the two words San Ildefonso Gov. Dale Martinez has for drivers who use NM 30 and NM 502.
NM 30 is currently under a corridor study for the next 18 months, said Tafoya. Santa Clara Pueblo and the New Mexico Department of Transportation are working together to assess the highway to determine what redesigns are needed to enhance the safety on the road.
