News and Articles

Photo:  Construction continues on the College Drive extension in Santa Fe County.

SANTA FE, NM, March 6, 2026—Construction on the road extensions for Avenida del Sur and College Drive in Santa Fe County will pick up the pace this March. Once completed, the new roadways will provide critical connections to existing roads to support current neighborhoods and future development. 

Construction on College Drive began mid-February with installation of a new waterline and is expected to continue through mid-spring. Transportation improvements for the new College Drive will include two 11-foot driving lanes, a 5-foot bicycle lane in each direction, and a 5-foot paved trail on the north side of the road. No road closures or detours are expected for this project.

Construction begins on the Avenida del Sur extension mid-March and will continue in three phases. The project is expected to be finished by mid-December this year, although utility issues or property acquisition could cause delays. Some detours and temporary road closures will occur, and the County will provide advance notice as those stages near.

Phase one begins at the entry to the newly developed Esencia property at the intersection of Via Esencia and continues east to the intersection of A Van Nu Po and includes construction of a roundabout at each of those intersections. The timeline for this work depends on utility relocations and in-progress property acquisitions.

Phase two will address the existing, unpaved section of Vista Del Monte beginning at the Via Esencia roundabout on the east and ending at the start of the paved portion of Avenida Del Sur on the west.

Phase two includes property acquisition to extend the road right-of-way an additional 30 feet to the north to accommodate a sidewalk, 11 to 12-foot driving lanes, bike lanes in both directions, and reinforced drainage. Retaining walls will be installed where necessary and utility relocations will be required. Any disruptions to service should be minor, and the County will communicate with affected property owners.

The major work of phase two will begin once all property acquisition negotiations are completed. Utility relocations have already begun and will continue through the spring.

Phase three will be a mill and overlay of the existing section of paved roadway on Avenida Del Sur. This will begin at the edge of the new paving project and end at the intersection with NM-14 and NM-599. There will be no changes to the road width in this section.

The extensions are key components of Santa Fe County’s long-range planning for the Rancho Viejo Area, helping to balance the demand for new growth close to existing infrastructure in the vicinity of Santa Fe Community College. The road projects are collaborations between Santa Fe County and adjacent land development projects and will be constructed under a single contractor managed by the County.

Throughout the project, the County will continue with outreach to area residents and businesses that began in June 2025.

For questions about the project, contact Santa Fe County project manager Erin Feehily at EFeehily@SantaFeCountyNM.gov.

####