Why a truck stop would be disastrous
Eight practical reasons why the proposed Pilot Flying J truck stop would be disastrous for the citizens of Santa Fe.
During peak rush hour and increasingly during all business hours, the interchange of Interstate 25 and N.M. 14 is already overtaxed. The figure-eight underpass route is difficult to navigate, with limited lane space for the intermediary lights. Adding even a single semi-trailer to those intermediary lanes directly under the overpass will dramatically stall traffic, even to the point where trailers are in the way of oncoming “green light” traffic while waiting for a light.
There are significant blind spots for all vehicles exiting Interstate 25 to merge with N.M. 14/Cerrillos Road traffic, particularly for vehicles heading south. There is a very short merge lane, which immediately meets another traffic light. Proposed truck traffic will have a much wider blind spot, along with the need to merge and quickly switch lanes in order to enter the proposed truck stop. I believe this sets the stage for serious accidents with an increasingly regular occurrence.
Trucks heading north from the proposed truck stop to Interstate 25 will need to navigate a 90-degree turn in a matter of yards, then immediately switch lanes to enter the on-ramp, potentially cutting off or even causing accidents with all through traffic. This is an untenable situation for truckers and other commuters alike.
With the continued expansion of educational resources on the south side, including Amy Biehl Community School, Academy for Technology and the Classics, Santo Niño Regional Catholic School, the Institute of American Indian Arts and the Santa Fe Community College, the proposed truck stop would be placed directly in the center of one of only two points of access to all of these schools, restricting regular access during school hours, and resulting in what would likely be a complete shutdown of the thoroughfare during any unforeseeable crisis.
In the interest of abiding by county codes and allowing all economic endeavors to receive a fair assessment, I understand this corridor is specifically zoned for commercial development. This proposal, however, is asking for variances that exceed the codes for this development. The county should provide no special favors for any businesses that do not wish to abide by the codes as they are already set.
The southern corridor of Santa Fe is developing well at its own pace, with locally owned businesses — including El Parasol South, Aroma Coffee, Gruda Veterinary Hospital, the Santa Fe Brewing Co. and dozens of others — using this corridor in a way that specifically benefits Santa Fe consumers and entrepreneurs first and foremost. I believe the proposed truck stop would negatively impact the existing local businesses by forcing local consumers to avoid their properties in the interest of also avoiding the increased gridlock.
The approval of the proposed truck stop would send a clear message to local businesses that out-of-state interests not only supersede the interests of local business but are also due special considerations (variances) that local businesses are not.
The real threat of decreased air
quality, raised threat for personal safety, and very clear potential threat for decreased water quality and myriad other potential environmental dangers — especially when the Southwest is entering a new, dangerous period of drought — cannot be left to chance. On purely pragmatic reasoning, the county needs to deny this proposal on the grounds that it will import increased risk, present danger daily and immediately degrade the local quality of life with no noticeable benefit to anyone in the county or in the state.