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LAS CRUCES - First it was there. Then it was gone. And now it's back.
The city of Las Cruces early this month re-created a center turning lane along a 1.9 mile section of Triviz Drive - north from the large municipal water tank by Walmart to around Kohl's department store. In addition, a northbound bicycle lane was removed along the same stretch.
Officials said an increase in rear-end collisions prompted the decisions.
The center turning lane had existed until August 2009, when the city removed it during a repaving project to make room for northbound and southbound bicycle lanes, said Tom Murphy, officer for the Las Cruces Metropolitan Planning Organization, a group that does transportation planning in the region.
But that led to problems.
$25,000 reversal
"People were calling us, saying there were some issues," said Dan Soriano, city of Las Cruces traffic engineer. "So we started exploring the crashes, and the crashes were really starting to develop and increase."
Continued Soriano: "Based on the information we were receiving and some things we noticed from observation, we decided to put that left-hand turn lane back. "
In the 12 months leading up to August 2009, two northbound rear-end crashes were documented along Triviz Drive, according to MPO statistics. But in the 12 months following the change, 15 northbound rear-end
Soriano said the bicycle lanes were first developed by his office and the MPO, which were "trying to develop a connection from the north end off town to the university."
The project to repaint lines for the turning lane and scratch out former striping cost about $25,000, Soriano said. An Albuquerque company was hired to "water-blast" off the former lane stripes, a new process that's becoming standard, he said.
Las Crucen Claire Otero, 18, who drives on Triviz about four or five times each week, said she noticed the recent disappearance of the bike lane and reappearance of the center turning lane. She said it's a good idea because she's often seen traffic backed up, as northbound drivers attempt to turn into adjacent neighborhoods.
Triviz walk/bike path
"We've got the bike path right there," said Otero, a freshman at New Mexico State University. "It's not like (bicyclists) don't have a place to ride."
Indeed, Soriano said the Triviz walking path - a paved trail that runs parallel to Triviz Drive - is open to bike traffic. However, he said city officials discourage the route from being used by commuter bicyclists because they're most often traveling fast compared to pedestrians.
"There's a lot of walkers, people with strollers - those are the people who should be on that path," he said.
Soriano said bicyclists can still use Triviz Drive. The southbound bike lane remains, he said, and the northbound lane is now designated "shared use," meaning bikes and vehicles can use it. He said city officials met with local bicycle groups before removing the northbound bike lane.
"What we have out there is a basically a compromise," he said. "We certainly want people to be cognizant of the fact bicyclists could be out there on the roadway."
Some work remains on the project. Soriano said bicyclist symbols must still be stenciled onto the pavement in the northbound lane.
Also, the city is considering carrying out a similar project on the southern part of Triviz Drive, when a portion is repaved later this summer, Soriano said. That section has never had a center turning lane, he said.
"Nothing is solid yet; it's something we'll have to look at," he said.
Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443
Accident history
Here are the locations and number of northbound rear-end crashes:
September 2008 to August 2009 (one year before center lane was removed)
• Triviz Drive and Bentley Drive
• Triviz Drive and Craig Avenue
September 2009 to August 2010 (one year after center lane was removed)
• Triviz Drive and Craig Avenue
• Triviz Drive and East Hadley Avenue
• Triviz Drive and East Hadley Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Bridger Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Fairfax Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Bridger Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Arlington Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Mulberry Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Popular Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Redwood Street
• Triviz Drive and McClane Road
• Triviz Drive and McClane Road
• Triviz Drive and East Hadley Avenue
• Triviz Drive and Redwood Street
• Triviz Drive and Mulberry Avenue
Source: Las Cruces Metropolitan Planning Organization
