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The west half of the Main Street roundabout under construction on the north end of the Downtown Mall opens for traffic Thursday. Construction continues on the east and center portions.
For more information about the Las Cruces Public Works Department, click here.

LAS CRUCES - Downtown Las Cruces business owner Mike Beckett gives the completed western portion of a roundabout in front of Las Cruces City Hall a thumbs up.

He was among several Las Cruces motorists who drove through the newly opened portion of roadway along Main Street after it opened Thursday.

"No wait in line behind cars or trucks. Traffic kept moving, slowly but smoothly," said Beckett, owner of Coas Bookstore on Main Street, about two blocks south of the roundabout. "What a breeze, no backups, no stops."

That was for traffic traveling south on Main Street. Until Thursday, northbound traffic on Church Street was pretty much smooth sailing, but that changed when the west side of the roundabout, near the former intersection of Main and Lucero Avenue, was opened.

Northbound traffic on Church now has to dogleg left at the northeast end of what is becoming the end of the Downtown Mall, and merging onto Mountain Avenue. There's a temporary, portable stop sign at Mountain and Main, and motorists now have to stop and turn right before continuing north on Main.

"Change in driving habits, pure and simple," said Sadie Pena, a retired Las Cruces secretary. "We got used to having to drive through that detour (at Main and Mountain) and hanging a quick right if we wanted to continue on Water (Street). Now, it's just the

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opposite; you just keep driving if you're on the west side, and you'll have to stop and turn right if you're going to go north on Main."

Motorists will also have to get used to the construction shifting to the east side of Main Street, near City Hall. David Maestas, city contracts administrator, said crews began milling eastside portions of Main and Chuch streets and removing curbs in front of City Hall on Thursday.

"Yes, the work has shifted," Maestas said. "Motorists should get used to those fences being up on the east side of the project for almost the duration of the project.'

Public Works Director Mike Johnson said the roundabout is being built in three phases.

"The first phase, the west side, is completed and that's what crews opened up (Thursday)," Johnson said. "Construction of the east side of the roundabout is next, and that's going to take about three months to finish. Once that's done, the center portion of the roundabout will be built, and that will last through the duration of the project, which is supposed to be completed in September or October, weather permitting."

Roundabouts are used as traffic calming devices that don't necessarily require the use of traffic lights. Roundabouts are typically able to slow traffic. The city has plans to construct a second roundabout at the south end of what remains of the Downtown Mall, when a two-block portion of Main, from May Avenue to Griggs Avenue, is reopened to traffic in late 2012.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at (575) 541-5452

First phase complete

• The west portion of a roundabout on Main Street, across from City Hall, was opened Thursday to traffic.

• It is the first of three phases of the project to be opened.

• Construction began Thursday on the east side of the roundabout, and is expected to take about three months to finish.

• Construction of the center portion of the roundabout will begin in mid May or early June and will take about four months to finish.

• When finished, the roundabout will be about 90-feet in diameter, and will cost an estimated $95,000 to build.