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File #: 20737-26    Version: 1
Type: Briefing/Report (Dept,BCC) - Action Requested Status: Business
File created: 10/6/2025 In control: County Council - Regular Session
On agenda: 1/27/2026 Final action:
Title: Presentation and Possible Approval of a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) Signal on NM4
Presenters: Eric Martinez; Keith Wilson
Indexes (Council Goals): Quality Excellence - Effective, Efficient, and Reliable Services, Quality of Life - Public Safety
Attachments: 1. A - Presentation, 2. B - Funding Spreadsheet, 3. C - December 5, 2024, Transportation Board Minutes, 4. D - February 6, 2025, Transportation Board Minutes, 5. E - November 6, 2025, Transportation Board Minutes, 6. F - Piñon School Trail Easement Document
Title
Presentation and Possible Approval of a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) Signal on NM4
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the installation of a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) signal on NM4 approximately 550 feet east of La Vista Drive.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
On February 6, 2025, the Transportation Board approved a motion to recommend the NM4 Crossing and Multi-Use Trail Improvements Project as presented to the Los Alamos County Council and the County work with Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) on an auxiliary trail connection from Piñon Park to Grand Canyon Drive. It was further recommended that county staff continue to pursue the traffic signal at Sherwood and NM4.
Body
During the approvals of the Mirador Subdivision (2018), Mixed-use Development (2020) and development of the White Rock Town Center Master Plan (2021), providing safe pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between properties on the north side of NM4 to attractions on the southside including downtown White Rock was at the forefront. The installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of NM4 and Sherwood Boulevard was a requirement in the Mirador Mixed-use Development approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission, but its installation is not warranted until the Mixed-use Development is constructed pursuant to NMDOT requirements. Once installed, this signal will provide a controlled crossing of NM4 for pedestrians and bicyclists on the eastern edge of the Mirador development.

In 2021, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) issued a call for projects for federal alternative transportation funding. Engineering staff began scoping a project with a focus on connecting the Mirador Subdivision to Piñon Elementary School, the amenities within Piñon Park and downtown White Rock. Since a traffic signal at Sherw...

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