Repaving and upgrading the town’s rural roads has been a major project for Edgewood.
Since the town’s incorporation as a municipality in 1999, residents and town officials have said repaving the roads is a top priority. Last year, the Town of Edgewood committed $1 million for road paving equipment to start addressing higher-impact and higher-traffic roads. Commissioners approved budget items to make the most efficient and effective use of available funding and staff hours.
“The goal for this year is to complete paving three miles for this coming fiscal year,” said Linda Burke, community liaison. The fiscal year starts in July and continues through June 2025.
The town is working in conjunction with the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) on repaving West Venus Road. The advantage of the town working with NMDOT is that they build trails alongside the roadways for pedestrians, bicyclists and horses.
Edgewood’s Roads Department staff, many of whom had previous paving experience, also attended a road-building seminar to add to their knowledge. In 2023, the town’s roads crew began the town’s road-building journey by installing 18 culverts on Appaloosa Road to divert water from major roadways, which often leads to roads wearing down in a much shorter time.
After road prep, the first layer of chip seal asphalt is put down. The second layer of chip seal asphalt was put down May 9, and the sealer coat was applied May 20 as the final step in the process. Chip sealing is typically used on rural roads carrying lower traffic volumes, and increases the number of roads Edgewood can repave with budget and time allowances.