Work begins on Kilgore Road improvement project

Work began on the first phase of the Kilgore Road improvement project in Portales Monday with preliminary surveying.

The four-phase project will stretch from Highway 70 to 18th Street and the first phase will extend from 3rd Street to 18th, said John DeSha, Portales public works director.

The work will involve completely replacing the road with six inches of asphalt, DeSha said.

“The asphalt that was there has failed and the amount of traffic on it has caused it to breakout,” he said. This stretch of road is one-mile long and is two-lanes wide.

Currently the road has “a lot of potholes and it doesn’t drain properly,” causing problems when it rains, he said.

“Kilgore road has needed improvement for quite some time,” said City Manager Sarah Austin. “With the road being a complete redo, this will be a new road that has no potholes and can withstand the amount of traffic as well as the weight of traffic that travels it. It will be a much safer road to travel.” 

“We’re asking people to be patient and I think they will appreciate the work we will be doing,” Desha said.

Although the survey crews got started on Monday, it is not anticipated that construction will begin until next week or possibly in two weeks, at which time the road will close, he said.

The project cost will be over $1.19 million, including the bonding fee, according to the city. Molzen-Corbin did the project design for NM 88 to 18th Street. Constructors, Inc. will perform the milling, replace the base course and complete the street surfacing. The overall project funding includes Capital Outlay funds in the amount of $2,371,088 and local funds.

DeSha said the bulk of the project will be paid for using Capital Outlay funds provided by the state legislature. “The costs the city incurred were early in the project in the design phase.”

The second phase after this one will extend north all the way to Hwy.70 about a mile, he said. The third phase will involve two intersections at Third Street and Kilgore and 18th and Kilgore streets, where the city will replace the road surface and improve drainage.

The fourth phase will consist of drainage improvements all along the roadway, he added.

Traffic control information will be posted on the city’s website www.portalesnm.gov.