St. Francis Drive underpass work set to resume
Work is scheduled to resume this month on an underpass for pedestrians and bicyclists on St. Francis Drive just north of the Cerrillos Road intersection.
A city news release said the next phase of construction, much of which will be done at night, will require removal of large areas of pavement in order to install support beams for the underground structure, which will provide a new connection with the Santa Fe Railyard Park for the Acequia Trail that runs behind the New Mexico School for the Deaf. The work, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. April 17, will affect traffic near one of Santa Fe’s busiest intersections.
While access to businesses and residences will remain open at all times, the announcement said, vehicular traffic on the six-lane St. Francis Drive may experience nighttime delays through the project area, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., through May.
A segment of the Acequia Trail between Felipe Street and Alarid Street will be closed, and planners are advising trail users to seek alternate routes for the duration of the project, which is expected to last through September.
Construction on the $4.3 million project, which is 85 percent federally funded with the
city of Santa Fe paying the rest, began in September after years of discussion. However, after drilling for support piles, crews temporarily halted work during the winter.
A city engineer has said workers are using a top-down construction technique that is intended to minimize the impact on vehicular traffic during daytime hours. The method involves building the tunnel’s roof before excavating the dirt beneath it.
The public can follow the project’s progress online at www.facebook.com/AcequiaTrailUnderpass.