A public involvement meeting is scheduled for March 26 at 6 p.m. at the Moriarty Civic Center. The project is in a very early stage, according to Karyn Lujan, public information officer for District 5, which covers Torrance County.

Consultants from Gannett Fleming West and the NMDOT will be on hand at the meeting to hear ideas about road rehabilitation including drainage and safety improvements to the 28-mile corridor.

McIntosh resident Colleen Burns has lived near N.M. 41 for more than 30 years. She enjoys running, biking and riding horse on the weekends. She only uses the road for cycling but rides her horses and runs along Old Route 66 or rural roads because of safety issues.

"I don't run along the highway, it's too dangerous," Burns said. "People driving are pretty courteous but traffic is heavy, especially on the weekends. People exercising have to pay attention because if they lost control, they would be right in the road."

Burns usually sees other people on N.M. 41 when cycling, including kids on their bikes. She is excited about the possibility of improvements to the highway. Ideally, Burns would prefer a separate trail from the shoulder of the road for horseback riders, runners, walkers and cyclists to enjoy. She referred to the trail along Tramway Boulevard in Albuquerque as an example of what the NMDOT could do to improve safety. Widening the shoulders would also help, she said, and even cleaning up debris and gravel would help with safety.

Input in the form of written comments will be accepted from the public for two weeks after the meeting also. Construction will probably not begin for at least a year, Lujan said.

Right now, funding for the study is included the NMDOT's state transportation improvement program budget, but after public input is received and the department gets more details about the scope of work, an estimated amount for actual construction would be available. Lujan expects the project cost to be in the millions. For additional information about the study, contact Aspen-Rose Doyle, Gannett Fleming West at 265-8468 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .