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Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 20 April 2016 20 April 2016

By Mary Alice Murphy

Although the meeting on Wednesday, April 20, was canceled, because Brian Torres, New Mexico Department of Transportation project manager, was in Deming, and only two people showed up for the meeting, Torres gave the Beat an update.

He said the contractor, Interstate Highway Construction, was working on repairing the concrete wall barrier joints, which had been incorrectly installed. Torres explained the joints allowed space for the bridge to move with the flow of traffic.

"Valley Fence is doing its punch list of items on the pedestrian fence," Torres said. "They are painting it and taking out burrs in the fence. The painting subcontractor has about two weeks worth of painting left to do. After the painting is complete, Van (Clothier of Stream Dynamics, the other person to arrive at the meeting) will start his stream mitigation.

"To my knowledge, the contractor is waiting on PNM to energize the lights," Torres continued. "Most of what's happening now is punch list stuff."

To a question from the Beat about the 45 mile per hour signage still up on 180 West, he said he would talk to the department on Thursday about returning the signage to the way it was, because no more work is expected on the Truck Bypass Road, which was the detour route for traffic around the bridge construction site.

"We will have another meeting in May," Torres said.

The tentative date is 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at the Grant County Administration Center.