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The Las Cruces City Council unanimously accepted a $350,000 state grant to help pave the way for the development of active transportation pathways such as bike lanes and walking trails.
Grant specialist Crystal Silva, who presented the New Mexico Department of Transportation grant to the council on Sept. 16, said the grant’s purpose was to “acquire property and rights of way and to plan, design, construct, and improve, including bicycle and pedestrian routes and networks in Las Cruces.”
Silva said the money will be spent on projects already identified in Las Cruces's 2018 Active Transportation Plan. The plan calls on Las Cruces to develop 98 miles of new bike paths, enhancing their safety by locating them away from vehicle traffic, improving bike path surfaces, and increasing bike parking and bicycle-related signage.
The ATP also calls on the city to build 31 miles of sidewalks to eliminate gaps, add 128 miles of new sidewalks, and recommends improving pedestrian street crossings to make them safer.
Silva identified a multi-use trail bordering Valley View Park, construction of pedestrian improvements on Ethel Avenue and growing bike lanes on E. Madrid Avenue as three projects the money will fund.
According to documents provided to the council, the multi-use trial is the top priority, followed by the pedestrian improvements and the bike lanes. The same documents also said the money would revert to the state if the city failed to spend it by June 30, 2028.
