By Jesse Jones
Construction crews began work this week in Corrales on stretches of Meadowlark Lane west of Loma Larga Lane, finally breaking ground on the long-anticipated overhaul nearly two decades in the making.
The full rebuild of Meadowlark is a major milestone for Corrales and is also impacting Rio Rancho, as the closure is shifting traffic patterns between the two communities. Crews are tearing up old pavement and getting ready for new curbs, aiming to boost safety and connectivity after years of planning. But the detours are causing headaches, prompting more traffic control and reminders for drivers to hang in there.
“It’s the beginning of the end of the project,” said Ron Curry, the Village administrator. “It has 20 years’ worth of fingerprints on it.”
Work on West Meadowlark Lane started April 21, following a pre-construction meeting April 18, according to Steve Lesku, public works director for the Village of Corrales.
He said Albuquerque Asphalt began cutting and removing asphalt on both sides of the road. Then, crews began curb work on April 24.
He said traffic remains an issue.
“Thank you [Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra], for getting officers out there,” Lesku said. “We’re trying to keep it closed to through traffic, but cars are still coming and going.”
He said he is proposing having flaggers at both ends of the work zone and issuing passes for residents who live in the construction zone. Deliveries and service vehicles will still need access.
Closing the road to through traffic is going to make a big difference, he said. “Each lane is 10 feet wide, and the curb machine is over 12 feet by itself. If people are continually coming back and forth, it’s definitely going to cause a problem.”
Lesku said the village has Meadowlark closed at Loma Laga Road and Rio Rancho has it closed at Sara Road.
He added that smaller barricades were also placed at the village limits of Rio Rancho to block drivers trying to cut through the cemetery parking lot. “That seemed to help, but there are still quite a few people who are coming through there,” he said.
According to the Village website, the closure is expected to last about four weeks. For updates, check the site or call the Corrales Info Line at 505-677-8550.
Authorities urge drivers to follow posted signs, watch for workers, use alternate routes and do not go around barricades.
The Meadowlark muddle
Meadowlark’s history has been a muddle of delays, dysfunction and false starts. Now, after decades, the final stretch is finally in sight. Here’s how this key Corrales roadway got here.
First proposed in the 1990s, the West Meadowlark Lane project has faced decades of delays, redesigns and resident pushback.
The plan aimed to add bike and pedestrian paths, concrete curbs and improved drainage to address safety and wear issues. But shifting designs, community concerns and funding setbacks repeatedly stalled progress.
In 2009, the Village Council approved a resolution to build bike lanes and a five-foot-wide compacted earth trail along Upper Meadowlark. The project, meant to connect bike lanes on Loma Larga to those in Rio Rancho, was supposed to launch around the time the road was realigned.
In 2011, Corrales secured a $214,000 grant from the Mid-Region Council of Governments, but the Village Council returned it after homeowners raised concerns about drainage and traffic safety. In 2013, a planning firm led a public workshop to gather input and ease tensions over the trail’s future. Neighbors had clashed over the earlier proposal.
Work resumed in 2018 with utility relocation, but the project hit more delays over Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance issues. The slope of the road was too steep for wheelchair access.
A revised design emerged in 2021, but unresolved drainage and trail alignment issues kept construction on hold. By December 2021, the design was 80 percent complete. Public Works Director Mike Chavez said drainage work must finish before trail construction can begin.
Corrales signed a $1 million contract in 2019 with TLC and Blackrock Services LLC, but the project was halted twice — once over bookkeeping problems, then again at the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s request.
After the first phase wrapped up in 2020, Curry said TLC failed to meet federal “Buy American” requirements. The contractor invoiced Corrales for $1.6 million — about 50% more than the original contract. The village disputed the charge, refused to approve the work and eventually won a legal challenge, paying only $960,000.
Corrales later secured $750,000 in state funding to keep the project moving. In September 2021, the Village Council formally accepted another $243,500 state grant to plan, design and build the trail.
In the Sept. 15, 2023, Mayor’s Message, Mayor James Fahey said he, Curry and Village Engineer Steve Grollman walked West Meadowlark Lane to draft a plan that would improve both sides of the road without disrupting nearby homes.
The Council approved a $693,000 grant agreement with NMDOT on Sept. 24, 2023, for continued planning and construction.